In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed their deepest condolences to the Emir of Kuwait on Monday following the passing of Sheikh
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday during Abbas’ visit to Russia. Arriving on Monday, Abbas aims to discuss the ongoing Gaza conflict with
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Saudi Arabia has firmly aligned itself with the recent joint statement made by President Joe Biden of the United States, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani,
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:: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call on Wednesday from the US Secretary of Defense during which they discussed ongoing arrangements to send US troops of a
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:: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy confirmed on Wednesday the restoration of production capacity, affirming the Kingdom’s position as a reliable energy supplier in the global market. The energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz
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By : Hisham Melhem President Obama’s last State of the Union address contained accurate diagnosis of certain domestic ills. He also proposed some laudable suggestions. He bemoaned the dysfunction in the political system and the rancor that dominates the political
By : Hisham Melhem Five years ago this month, a 26-year old Tunisian street vendor known only to his family and friends died after he set himself on fire. The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, who snapped after another humiliating encounter
By : Hisham Melhem Generations after political emancipation from direct colonial rule and overt western influence, the quest for genuine political independence, democratization and cultural authenticity in many majority Arab states is still unfulfilled. The abject failures of decades of
By : Hisham Melhem Another annus horribilis in the Middle East is about to end. It is that time of year when you look back at 2015 in astonishment at the tragedies that befell the region, and ahead at 2016
By : Hisham Melhem That was the surreal week that was. Thirty percent of Republican voters and 19% of Democrats support the bombing of the fictional city-state of Agrabah, depicted in Disney’s animated movie Aladdin. A county school district in
By : Hisham Melhem As George Orwell observed 70 years ago: “if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought”. The debasement of language – and, by extension, a political culture that borders on the fraudulent – that we have
By : Hisham Melhem In wars, generals deploy their phalanxes to defeat their enemies and control physical space, while political leaders invoke ideas, ideals, and excuses to legitimize and explain a state’s use of force. Battles are won, and wars
By : Hisham Melhem When a Turkish jet fighter shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday over the Syrian-Turkish borders, the multifaceted four and a half year-old war in Syria entered a new darker phase. Those dangerous deadly few moments
By : Hisham Melhem ‘Finally, he [Brutus] spoke to Volumnius himself in Greek, reminding him of their student life, and begged him to grasp his sword with him and help him drive home the blow. And when Volumnius refused, and
By : Hisham Melhem A few months after Russian President Vladimir Putin brazenly annexed Crimea from Ukraine, President Barack Obama dismissed those analysts who hailed Putin’s land grab as a masterful strategic coup: “Three or four months ago, everybody in
By: Hisham Melhem Most people are averse to introspection, and rarely engage in self-criticism. Arabs are no different. However, the political culture that developed in the Arab World in the last 60 years, particularly in countries ruled by autocratic regimes,
By: Hisham Melhem These scenes belong to previous centuries. Long lines of people shuffling in the scorching heat along dusty and winding roads seeking shelter and safety behind the next hill or the next expanse of desert, looking back in
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