Monday, September 26, 2011

Embattled Yemeni leader turns to soccer to polish his tattered image

By James M. Dorsey

Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s meeting Sunday with his country’s national youth soccer team highlights the importance of soccer as a battlefield in the struggle between Arab autocrats and pro-democracy activists.

Mr. Saleh…

Arab autocrats ignore social media at their peril

By James M. Dorsey

(Text of remarks at Singapore Global Dialogue)

If there is one event or series of events or region that has fuelled the debate about the impact on policy and policymaking as well as on social movements and protest of technology in general and social media in particular, it is the Arab revolt that has been…

Thursday, September 15, 2011

2022 World Cup spotlights strains in Qatari society

By James M. Dorsey

A recent article in Cornell University’s student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, questioning whether Sheikha Mozah Bint…

Sunday, September 1, 2011

Playing with fire: Gulf Arabs and Israelis tacitly explore cooperation amid Israeli diplomatic tsunami

By James M. Dorsey

Amid the diplomatic tsunami hitting Israel with its embassy in Cairo stormed by protesters, its relations with Turkey at an all-time low, the United Nations set to recognize Palestinian statehood and the influence of the United…

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Militant Egyptian soccer fans lead attack on Israeli embassy and interior ministry

By James M. Dorsey

Thousands of militant, violence-prone, highly politicized soccer fans formed the core of mass protests in Cairo that late Friday stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo and earlier besieged the headquarters of the Egyptian security forces.

The…

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Syria and Bahrain: Two poles of the Arab revolt highlight a slide toward sectarianism

By James M. Dorsey

If Syria and Bahrain represent two poles of the 10-month old popular revolt sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, they also highlight the increasing danger of the uprising descending into a sectarian confrontation between Sunni and Shiite…

Is Iran Turning its Back on Syria? 

By James M. Dorsey

Synopsis

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s staunchest ally, Iran, is hinting that its support for the embattled leader is not unconditional. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is preparing for the likelihood that Assad will…

Winners and losers in Libya: Western companies win, Chinese lose

By James M. Dorsey

The winners and losers in the competition for post-Qaddafi reconstruction contracts are starting to emerge as rebel officials turn their attention to rebuilding their nation’s severely damaged oil industry even as they are posed to attack the former Libyan leader’s last remaining…

Sunday, September 4, 2011

China scores fatal own goals in competition for post-Qaddafi Libya

By James M. Dorsey

China has scored two near fatal own goals in the race for influence and lucrative contracts in oil-rich post-Qaddafi Libya.

A document disclosed this weekend testifies to China preparing to supply as late as July weapons in violation of United Nations sanctions…

Friday, September 2, 2011

Myanmar has much to teach autocratic Arab leaders when it comes to soccer

By James M. Dorsey

When it comes to soccer as a release valve for pent-up anger and frustration, Myanmar’s authoritarian leaders are proving to be far better students of Roman history than their embattled Arab counterparts.

If Arab leaders turned soccer pitches into…

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Qaddafi sons: two sides of the same coin?

By James M. Dorsey

It is hard to fathom that Colonel Moammar Qaddafi’s third son, Al Saadi Al Qaddafi, would truly be any more conciliatory to NATO-backed Libyan rebels who have effectively replaced his father as the country’s rulers, than his older, fire-breathing brother Saif al-Islam, who has vowed to…