BEIRUT — Fears of an as-yet-undefined Middle Eastern war are darkening the horizons of a Middle East that only a year ago was celebrating the fall of dictators, the ascent of people power and the promise of a new era of democracy. Read full article > >

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Threats of war cloud hopes for Middle East

Last month, Wadah Khanfar, erstwhile Director General of Al Jazeera and now President of the Sharq Forum, an independent think tank dedicated to developing long-term strategies for Mideast development and social justice, visited London. Appearing at the Frontline Club , Middle East monitor , London School of Economics and the Chaltham House , Khanfar discussed the Arab Spring, Al Jazeera, and political Islam.

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Wadah Khanfar Discusses The Arab Spring, Al Jazeera, and Political Islam

This article, written by Islam Issa, appeared on Comment Middle East on February 2,2012 Sport shouldn’t kill. But yesterday, it did. The match looked tense, but to be honest, it was a good game of football. Al-Ahly went in leading at half-time, but the Port Said club, Al-Masry, managed to get three goals in the second half to ensure an emphatic and atmospheric finish.

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Football’s Attempted Murder of the Revolution

To the Middle East.

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Pentagon Sends Floating Base

Threaten to block main Middle East oil shipping route.

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Iran Warns Arabs On Sanctions

Will shrink troops, make them more agile in Asia and Middle East.

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Obama Unveils ‘Leaner’ Military Plan

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators will meet in Jordan on Tuesday in an effort to revive moribund peace talks, although none of the sides involved suggested any reason to view the meeting as a sign of significant progress.

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Palestinians and Israelis Will Talk This Week

This article, written by Summer Nasser, appeared on Comment Middle East on December 30,2011 As the Arab Spring sweeps throughout the Middle East, it proves the strength of each country’s citizens. However, many do not show women in the frontlines of mass marches, with one notable exception: Yemen.

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The Women of Yemen: Breaking Barriers

The Obama administration on Thursday hailed a new $30 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia as both a hedge against Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf and an economic windfall that could create thousands of U.S. jobs over the next decade. The agreement to sell 84 top-of-the line F-15SA fighter jets to the Saudi air force also provided a needed boost to U.S. relations with the oil-rich kingdom after months of strain over the White House’s response to the Arab Spring uprisings, U.S. officials and Middle East analysts said. Read full article > >

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U.S. touts Saudi Arabia fighter jet deal as a foreign policy, security and economic boon

The belligerent tone between the U.S. and Iran escalated over an Iranian vow to close a vital Middle East waterway for oil tanker traffic, if Western powers attempt to stifle Iran’s petroleum exports.

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Noise Level Rises Over Iran Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz

This article written by Samir Amir Setti, appeared on Comment Middle East on December 27, 2011

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The French Have no Right to Comment on Genocide

Pope Benedict XVI, appearing frail and tired, prayed for peace in the Middle East and Horn of Africa in his annual message, “Urbi et Orbi,” or “to the city and world,” from St. Peter’s Basilica.

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Pope Benedict Offers Prayers for Peace on Christmas

IT WAS a year ago Saturday that fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself aflame in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid, improbably providing the spark for what has become a regional revolution. The Arab Spring acquired its name in part because early commentators likened it to the upheavals that brought an end to dictatorship in other parts of the world — including the former Soviet bloc, East Asia and Latin America. It seemed logical that Middle Eastern states would, at last, follow the same path that led in other places from dictatorship and economic stagnation to free elections, free markets and integration into a global economy. Read full article > >

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Editorial Board:
Keeping the Arab Spring alive

President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met Monday at the White House to discuss the future contours of the American relationship with Iraq as the long U.S. war ends in a country that serves as a strategic bridge between the Arab Middle East and Iran. Obama announced in October that he would bring all U.S. troops home from Iraq by the end of the year, declaring that “after nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.” Read full article > >

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Obama, Maliki meet at White House to discuss future U.S.-Iraq relations

Since the start of the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square, protesters around the United States and the globe have cast attention on the notion of corporate greed by the top wealthy 1% at the expense of 99% of the population. The Occupy Wall Street movement is modeled after the leaderless revolution in the Middle East and North Africa, utilizing social media and grassroots organization to spread their message and create meet ups in different cities. This November 17 was designated Mass Day of Action. Occupy Together was created to be “a hub” for international events within the Occupy Wall Street movement.

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Keeping the World Occupied