The Palestinians rolled out the red carpet for Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the first head of state to officially set foot on the territory under Hamas' control. The visit essentially legitimized Hamas as the de facto controller of the Gaza Strip.
Do the Gulf States expect anything at all from the next president of the US?
Whilst there are inevitable irritants to living in such a multicultural society, these are far outweighed by the positive aspects of the interactions that everyone has to experience in their daily lives.
Although Saudi forces are largely untested in war it is doubtful Assad’s forces could withstand a full scale Saudi offensive launched from Jordan. This may well be the key to understanding what Qatar is doing.
There is a marked difference however in the way khaleejis and especially in this case, Qataris expressed their anger and displeasure at the film, with very little anger outside the electronic sphere.
The fall of autocratic regimes in the Arab world have led to the inevitable rise to power of Islamist groups who have had no real competition. These groups however are ill-equipped to tackle the economic, social and political problems that these countries face today.
The military conflict becomes more domestic and parochial, while the war of ideas spreads further afield and takes root in countries far outside Syria’s borders. This ideational war is the ‘Silent war’.
The ruling Emir is putting his money where his mouth is, and opposition fighters in Syria are receiving the benefits.
Whatever the agenda of Al Jazeera as it pertains to the Syrian crisis, one thing is for certain, there was no agenda in Fahad’s tears, nor in the embraces of his colleagues.
The challenge for UK firms is a serious one - how to conform to the industry’s best practices which they preach in a country where the standard practice is so poor?
Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week: Rita from Syria tells a harrowing tale of narrowly escaping death and the lesson she learned in the process.
Dubai’s failure to maintain its culture is not something most Qataris wish to repeat; the key is balancing modernisation with westernisation, taking the good and filtering out the bad.
