Speaking English during state visits to China and Chinese when visiting the West, long-serving leader of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew walked a delicate line between cultures while bringing his small nation into the economic big leagues.
Category: Geopolitics
A shrinking budget, and ever increasing influence of private actors could spell the end of the UN agency as we know it.
After a trip to the region, European Parliament Member Daniel Cohn-Bendit is convinced that Israelis and Palestinians can “be realistic and create the impossible”: two independent states.
Editorial: Just as with the Sep. 11 attacks, a surprisingly large chunk of French society is prone to turn to conspiracy theories to explain Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s sex scandal. It’s a bad sign for the health of public debate in France, says Le Monde.
May 19, 2011
A R A B I C A ارابيكا ANATOMY OF A RUMOR *Bahraini newspaper Al-Wast and other Arabic outlets have published purported comments by the brother of the African maid allegedly assaulted by IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a devout, veiled Muslim. “She is a committed Muslim and wears the veil,” the woman’s brother is […]
A parish priest near Genoa is facing pedophilia and drug charges just as the Vatican lays out new guidelines for responding to sex abuse cases. Genoa’s Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, who was integral to establishing the new guidelines, has visited the local ch
With the IMF chief facing allegations of attempted rape of a hotel maid, the French left’s paper of record profiles Strauss-Kahn’s “women problem,” described as hedonistic and on the verge of harassment.
Armed only with her baby bump and an album of wedding photos, Winny Khamiri of Holland is currently on the Italian island of Lampedusa where African immigrants arrive by the boatload, trying to rescue her Tunisian husband, scheduled for deportation.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا SYRIAN STRIKE *The administrators of the Syrian Revolution Facebook group are calling for a general strike on Wednesday: “Mass protests, no school, no universities, no stores or restaurants open and no taxis.” The call comes as the Syrian military continues a brutal crackdown on the village of […]
Editorial: As far as his political future is concerned, it hardly matters whether Dominique Strauss-Kahn is found guilty or innocent of the sex assault charges being levied against him in New York. That’s because the intersection of politics with the fren
Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest in New York City is likely to result in his withdrawal from the 2012 presidential elections. What’s not yet clear is how much of a benefit that would actually be for President Sarkozy, who stands to lose both a rival and a
Editorial: Allegations of sexual assault against Dominique Strauss-Kahn have almost certainly ruined his chances of ever becoming president. But the scandal’s wider implications could include a further boost to France’s far right.
Murders of women, often at the hands of ex-lovers or husbands, appear to be on the rise in Turkey. Rights activists say many of the killings could be prevented – if only authorities paid more attention to cries for help.
Just how effective have NATO operations in Libya been? Depends on who you ask. With propaganda percolating on both sides, military experts say it’s hard to know exactly how the conflict is unfolding.
Osama bin Laden’s death has deepened tensions between Islamabad and Washington. Will Pakistan fall into China’s arms?
The democratic movement in Morocco has yet to target the monarchy, which still has wide popular support. But if reform doesn’t come quickly, the King risks the same fate as other leaders in the region.
Exactly 30 years ago — on May 10, 1981 — France elected its first socialist president. This week the country’s Socialist Party is heralding the historical event, overlooking Mitterrand’s dark side to celebrate the highlights of his political legacy.
A recent treaty between Peru and Ecuador could complicate matters for Chile, which is involved in a drawn-out border dispute with authorities in Lima over Pacific water rights.
A recent reconciliation deal signed with Fatah may be proof that Hamas is maturing politically. But is the Islamist group ready to enter into a full fledged unity government?
In the eyes of Europe, Turkey’s jailing of journalists and limits on Internet access raise serious questions about freedom of the press as the country’s entry into the EU remains in doubt.
Editorial: Three events over the past week – a London wedding, a Vatican mass, and a death in Pakistan — signal that popular sentiment within the West wants its leaders to defend core values.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا DAY OF DEFIANCE*Wire agencies continue to cover the Syrian revolution from a distance, relying on eyewitness accounts and amateur footage posted online. Syrians turned out across the country for the “Day of Defiance” protests, with at least protesters killed in Homs and one in Hama. Meanwhile, the […]
In the wake of the democratic revolution, Islamist groups that were once considered enemies of the state are now openly pursuing their political ambitions.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا IT’S ALMOST FRIDAY IN SYRIA *Syria’s community of online activists is organizing a “day of defiance” for Friday despite the military’s ongoing arrests of hundreds, possibly thousands of who the Syrian government is calling “terrorists.” The “Syrian Day of Anger” facebook group reminds supporters, “The people of […]
Former Guantanamo inmate Adel Ben Mabrouk is back home in Tunisia after a decade behind bars. He speaks of his respect for Osama Bin Laden and his plans to write a book on his prison experiences.
Editorial: Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Europe, Le Monde says the Arab Spring and Hamas-Fatah reconciliation mean the time for posturing is over.
From bombings to kidnappings, Islamists in North Africa have adopted their leader’s methods.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا AFTER BIN LADEN*Kuwaiti daily Al-Anba published the purported will of Osama bin Laden, a four-page farewell that the Al-Qaeda leader predicts will come following “betrayal” and “treachery” of those around him. While he did not mention the number of wives and children he leaves behind, Bin Laden […]
The French First Lady appears to be gearing up for Nicolas Sarkozy’s reelection bid next year by talking more in public. But she won’t confirm or deny whether a First Baby is on the way.
Not so long ago, the Prime Minister surprised everyone by seeking reconciliation with Turkey’s Kurdish minority. Yet ahead of national elections next month, Erdo?an has changed his tune.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا IS IT HIM?*@Mar-bahrain tweets a picture of what purports to be the corpse of Bin Laden: “A picture of Bin Laden’s body before being thrown in the sea…smiling.” *Fadhilhoum tweets, “There is no plausible proof that Osama Bin Laden died. This is a bad play by the […]
With Osama bin Laden and Mafiosi, similar patterns emerge when ultra-infamous criminals are forced into hiding.
Opinion: As the U.S. celebrates the killing of its No. 1 enemy, one German commentator says Americans should ask themselves: was it worth it?
Categories
Arab Spring: The Female Factor
Are the Arab uprisings a boon for women’s rights? Though they’ve helped topple regimes across the Arab world, women now must struggle for a role in the new system of power.
Categories
The Second Death Of Osama Bin Laden
Editorial: This year’s “Arab spring” was the death knell for Osama Bin Laden’s ideology of international jihad. Still, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to restrictions on civil liberties in Europe and the United States, his legacy l
From waiters to homeless beggars, the Syrian regime is busily recruiting ever more informants in its desperate attempt to survive.
Silvio Berlusconi’s decision for Italy to join the bombing campaign against Gaddafi has roots and reverberations across a region where all is connected, and nothing is certain.
Influential Italian Cardinal Camillio Ruini says inside the secret Conclave to elect John Paul’s successor, he was given a signed petition from his brother Cardinals to push for fast-track sainthood for the recently deceased pontiff.
Among the new Wikileaks documents is the case of a Catholic-Iranian army deserter Abdul Majid Muhammed, a “low-value detainee” who nevertheless spent four years in Guantanamo — just in case he might have tips on drug trafficking.