Asia International

Syria: A Cocktail War which Could Trigger a World War

The fight against the Islamic State in Syria is slowly paving way to a fight for or against the stay of President Assad in power as regional and global powers continue to have opposing views over his role in the country. Saudi Arabia is adamant that Assad must leave and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claimed […]

Columns Headlines Opinions

Controversial Cleric’s invitation to visit Morocco sparks harsh criticism

The invitation extended by a Moroccan association to a controversial Islamic scholar from Saudi Arabia to visit Morocco has caused concerns amongst different organizations, thinkers, analysts and large layers of society over his anti-Shia, anti-Sufi and extremist stances. The infamous cleric, Mohammad al-Arifi, was also unwelcome because of his repeated calls for jihad, holy war, […]

Asia Features International

Syria: A new Syrian coalition group to negotiate with Assad

Factions and groups making up the Syrian opposition landscape will be meeting for two days in Cairo to set up what would be called the Syrian National Opposition. Haytham Manna, a veteran Syrian opposition figure and a key organizer of the event said the new body will be “totally different” from the Syrian National Coalition […]

Features International

Egypt : Riyadh and Cairo unified in Syria and against Iran

A joint press conference between the foreign ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia in Cairo was used to refute reports that the two countries disagree on the policies to adopt with regards to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Saudi is a strong supporter of the rebels fighting against the Assad regime while Egypt wants Assad to […]

Asia Features International

Iran offers “eternal” support to Syrian regime

The two-day working visit of the head of national security and foreign policy committee of the Iranian parliament, Alaedin Boroujerdi, to Syria during which he met with prominent officials such as President Bashar al-Assad, Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi, and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem ended on Thursday. Addressing the press before leaving for Tehran, Boroujerdi said […]

Columns Opinions

Boycott of USA-GCC Summit, a Warning or a Declaration of Independence?

Rulers of Four Arab countries out of the six nations forming the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are snubbing the summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House on May 13 and at Camp David Presidential retreat on May 14. King Salman of Saudi Arabia announced that he would not attend the […]

Africa Features International

Sudan’s Belated ‘Arab Spring’ – Is al-Bashir Finally Leaving?

It is often being said that events in the Arab World will inevitably find their way to the Sudan, though almost always belatedly. Now, some three years after the Arab Spring began to rattle the Maghreb region, demonstrations have filled the streets of Sudan’s capital Khartoum. What began as a protest against rising fuel prices […]

Columns Features Opinions

Turkey as a ‘Role Model’ in the MENA Region after the Arab Spring

The Arab revolutions of 2011 have brought into immediate focus the following question related to Turkey’s foreign policy: ‘Can Turkey’s economic and political model become a reference-point for the region’s post-autocratic societies, similar to the EU for east-central Europe after 1989?’. Indeed, many political observers see the revolutions in the Arab countries as a chance […]