Articles by Brian Whitaker

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="content: http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/ dc: http://purl.org/dc/terms/ foaf: http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/ og: http://ogp.me/ns# rdfs: http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# schema: http://schema.org/ sioc: http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns# sioct: http://rdfs.org/sioc/types# skos: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# xsd: http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema# "> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="description" content=" Recent articles Unsuitable for parents: a QAnon fairy taleNew Lines magazine, 30 November 2023 An unholy alliance of Trump supporters, conservative Christians and conspiracy theorists is spreading lurid claims about child trafficking" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="al-bab" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://al-bab.com/index.php/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Articles by Brian Whitaker" /> <meta property="og:description" content=" Recent articles Unsuitable for parents: a QAnon fairy taleNew Lines magazine, 30 November 2023 An unholy alliance of Trump supporters, conservative Christians and conspiracy theorists is spreading lurid claims about child trafficking" /> <meta name="Generator" content="Drupal 9 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /> <style>div#sliding-popup, div#sliding-popup .eu-cookie-withdraw-banner, .eu-cookie-withdraw-tab {background: #22adaa} div#sliding-popup.eu-cookie-withdraw-wrapper { background: transparent; } #sliding-popup h1, #sliding-popup h2, #sliding-popup h3, #sliding-popup p, #sliding-popup label, #sliding-popup div, .eu-cookie-compliance-more-button, .eu-cookie-compliance-secondary-button, .eu-cookie-withdraw-tab { color: #ffffff;} .eu-cookie-withdraw-tab { border-color: #ffffff;}</style> <link rel="icon" href="/sites/default/files/favicon-16x16.png" type="image/png" /> <title>Articles by Brian Whitaker | al-bab</title> <meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/core.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/controlgroup.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/checkboxradio.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/resizable.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/button.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/dialog.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/align.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/fieldgroup.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/container-inline.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/clearfix.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/details.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/hidden.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/item-list.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/js.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/nowrap.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/position-container.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/progress.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/reset-appearance.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/resize.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/sticky-header.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/system-status-counter.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/system-status-report-counters.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/system-status-report-general-info.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/tablesort.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/system/css/components/tree-child.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/views/css/views.module.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/modules/contrib/webform/css/webform.form.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/modules/contrib/webform/css/webform.element.details.toggle.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/modules/contrib/webform/css/webform.element.message.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/modules/ckeditor5/css/ckeditor5.dialog.fix.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/modules/contrib/eu_cookie_compliance/css/eu_cookie_compliance.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/themes/base/theme.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/modules/contrib/sharethis/css/sharethis.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@unicorn-fail/drupal-bootstrap-styles@0.0.2/dist/3.4.0/8.x-3.x/drupal-bootstrap.css" integrity="sha512-j4mdyNbQqqp+6Q/HtootpbGoc2ZX0C/ktbXnauPFEz7A457PB6le79qasOBVcrSrOBtGAm0aVU2SOKFzBl6RhA==" crossorigin="anonymous" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="//unpkg.com/js-offcanvas@1.2.8/dist/_css/prefixed/js-offcanvas.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/themes/custom/uglitheme/css/bootstrap.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/themes/custom/uglitheme/css/style.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/themes/custom/uglitheme/css/media_queries.css?shnkbt" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="57x57" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-57x57.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="60x60" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-60x60.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="72x72" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-72x72.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="76x76" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-76x76.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="114x114" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-114x114.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="120x120" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-120x120.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="144x144" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-144x144.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-152x152.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/apple-icon-180x180.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="192x192" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/android-icon-192x192.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="96x96" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/icons/favicon-96x96.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="https://al-bab.com/index.php//webicons/favicon-16x16.png"> <script src="//cdn.tiny.cloud/1/uekwq0mdzgmxkrweerzavks2leadl836tfmnzxzvboqevzpk/tinymce/6/tinymce.min.js" referrerpolicy="origin"></script> <script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-80344466-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script>  <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> </head> <body class="path-node page-node-type-page has-glyphicons"> <a href="#main-content" class="visually-hidden focusable skip-link"> Skip to main content </a> <div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas> <div class="above-header-ad">  <ins class="adsbygoogle adslot_1" style="display:block; width: 728px;" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2605654659507710" data-ad-slot="9296149186" data-ad-format="auto"></ins> </div> <div class="header-container"> <div class="header-top"> <div class="hamburger-menu-mobile"> <a href="#" id="triggerButtonOffCanvasMenu" href="#offCanvasMenu"> <span></span> <span></span> <span></span> </a> </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-12 max-height-header-top"> <a href="https://al-bab.com/index.php/" title="Home" rel="home" class="header__logo" id="logo"><img src="/themes/custom/uglitheme/images/albab-new-logo-v4.png" alt="Home" class="header__logo-image"></a> <div class="header__name-and-slogan" id="name-and-slogan"> <h1 class="header__site-name" id="site-name"> <a href="https://al-bab.com/index.php/" title="Home" class="header__site-link" rel="home"><span>al-bab.com</span></a> </h1> <div class="header__site-slogan" id="site-slogan">An open door to the Arab world</div> </div> <div class="header-top-countries"><div class="views-element-container form-group"><div class="view view-countries view-id-countries view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-6799d3d45e2393130ef19650e90deb97a2509b774b9455c1b640c3b4b735138f"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/algeria" hreflang="en">Algeria</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/bahrain" hreflang="en">Bahrain</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/comoros" hreflang="en">Comoros</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/djibouti" hreflang="en">Djibouti</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/egypt" hreflang="en">Egypt</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/iraq" hreflang="en">Iraq</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/jordan" hreflang="en">Jordan</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/kuwait" hreflang="en">Kuwait</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/lebanon" hreflang="en">Lebanon</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/libya" hreflang="en">Libya</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/mauritania" hreflang="en">Mauritania</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/morocco" hreflang="en">Morocco</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/oman" hreflang="en">Oman</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/palestine" hreflang="en">Palestine</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/qatar" hreflang="en">Qatar</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/saudi-arabia" hreflang="en">Saudi Arabia</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/somalia" hreflang="en">Somalia</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/sudan" hreflang="en">Sudan</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/syria" hreflang="en">Syria</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/tunisia" hreflang="en">Tunisia</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/uae" hreflang="en">UAE</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/yemen" hreflang="en">Yemen</a></span></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-top-search form-search-close"> <div class="region region-header-search"> <section class="views-exposed-form block block-views block-views-exposed-filter-blocksearch-page-1 clearfix" data-drupal-selector="views-exposed-form-search-page-1" id="block-exposedformsearchpage-1"> <form action="/index.php/search" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-search-page-1" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <div class="form--inline form-inline clearfix"> <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-title js-form-item-title form-no-label form-group"> <input data-drupal-selector="edit-title" class="form-text form-control" type="text" id="edit-title" name="title" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" /> </div> <div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions form-group js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><button data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-search" class="button js-form-submit form-submit btn-info btn" type="submit" id="edit-submit-search" value="Apply" name="">Apply</button></div> </div> </form> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-12"> <ul class="menu menu--main nav navbar-nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/" data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>">Home</a> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown active active-trail"> <a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" class="dropdown-toggle active-trail is-active" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2351">Articles <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/blog/archive/all" data-drupal-link-system-path="blog/archive/all">Blog posts</a> </li> <li> <a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2351" class="is-active">Other articles</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/articles-section/middle-east-international-articles-about-yemen" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3130">Yemen articles</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/middle-east-news-%E2%80%93-latest" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/92">News <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/middle-east-news-%E2%80%93-latest" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/92">Middle East news – latest</a> </li> <li> <a href="/online-news-media" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/101">Online news media</a> </li> <li> <a href="/useful-news-sources" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/93">Useful news sources</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="https://al-bab.com/official-government-news-services">Official news agencies</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/society-politics/civil-society" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/44">Society & politics <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/society-politics/civil-society" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/44">Civil society</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/corruption" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/45">Corruption</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/economic-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/46">Economic reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/educational-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/47">Educational reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/free-expression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/48">Free expression</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/human-rights" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/49">Human rights</a> </li> <li> <a href="/minority-groups" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/51">Minority groups</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/political-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/52">Political reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/rule-law" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53">Rule of law</a> </li> <li> <a href="/sexual-diversity-2" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/50">Sexual diversity</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/social-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/54">Social reform</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/society-politics/wasta" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/55">Wasta</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arab-and-islamic-architecture" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/56">Arts & culture <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arab-and-islamic-architecture" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/56">Architecture</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/art" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/57">Art</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arabic-calligraphy" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/58">Calligraphy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/cinema-section/arab-cinema-0" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/59">Cinema</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/dancing-arabs" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/60">Dance</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/hennatattoos" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/61">Henna/tattoos</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture-liiterature-section/literature" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/62">Literature</a> </li> <li> <a href="/music-section/arab-music-introduction" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/63">Music</a> </li> <li> <a href="/liiterature-section/arabic-poetry" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/64">Poetry</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arab-theatre" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/66">Theatre</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/67">Arabic language <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/67">Introducing Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-2" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/68">Is Arabic difficult?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-1" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2931">How to learn Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-7" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3682">Where to learn Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-4" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/69">Arabic words in English</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-5" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/70">- Transliteration</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-3" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/71">Arabic proverbs</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/special-topics/arab-history" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/72">Special topics <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/special-topics/arab-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/72">Arab history</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/arab-islamic-science" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/73">Arab-Islamic science</a> </li> <li> <a href="/books-about-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3717">Books on the Middle East</a> </li> <li> <a href="/coronavirus-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4230">Coronavirus pandemic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/food-and-recipes" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/74">Food and recipes</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/hajj-pilgrimage" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/75">Hajj (pilgrimage)</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/where-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3716">Where is the Middle East?</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/special-topics/who-are-arabs" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2752">Who are the Arabs?</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown last"> <a href="/documents-section/documents" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/31">Documents <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/documents-section/documents" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/31">General documents</a> </li> <li> <a href="/documents-section/country-documents" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2334">Country documents</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/documents-section/documents-human-rights" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/96">Human rights documents</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="main-container"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-9"> <div class="row page-container"> <div class="col-lg-4 sidebar"> <div class="block" role="complementary"> <div class="region region-sidebar-first"> <nav role="navigation" aria-labelledby="block-sidebarmenusection-2-menu" id="block-sidebarmenusection-2"> <h2 id="block-sidebarmenusection-2-menu">Articles section</h2> <ul class="menu menu--sidebar-menu-section nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/blog/archive/all" data-drupal-link-system-path="blog/archive/all">Blog posts</a> </li> <li class="active active-trail"> <a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" class="active-trail is-active" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2351">General articles</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/articles-section/middle-east-international-articles-about-yemen" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3130">Yemen articles</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="block mt-15"> <div class="region region-sharethis-block"> <section id="block-sharethiswidget" class="block block-sharethis block-sharethis-widget-block clearfix"> <div class="sharethis-wrapper"> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_facebook_large" displayText="facebook"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_twitter_large" displayText="twitter"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_linkedin_large" displayText="linkedin"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_email_large" displayText="email"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_sharethis_large" displayText="sharethis"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_pinterest_large" displayText="pinterest"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_plusone_large" displayText="plusone"></span> <span st_url="https://al-bab.com<front>" st_title="al-bab" class="st_fblike_large" displayText="fblike"></span> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-8 content break-word-paragraph"> <div role="heading"> <div class="region region-header"> <h1 class="page-header"> <span property="schema:name">Articles by Brian Whitaker</span> </h1> </div> </div> <div> <div class="region region-content"> <article data-history-node-id="2351" role="article" about="/index.php/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" typeof="schema:WebPage" class="page full clearfix"> <span property="schema:name" content="Articles by Brian Whitaker" class="hidden"></span> <div class="content"> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item"><p> </p> <h2><strong>Recent articles</strong></h2> <p><strong><a href="https://newlinesmag.com/argument/unsuitable-for-parents-a-qanon-fairy-tale/">Unsuitable for parents: a QAnon fairy tale</a></strong><br /><em>New Lines magazine, 30 November 2023</em><br /> An unholy alliance of Trump supporters, conservative Christians and conspiracy theorists is spreading lurid claims about child trafficking</p> <p><strong><a href="https://newlinesmag.com/argument/a-notorious-syria-conspiracy-theory-is-definitively-debunked/">A Notorious Syria Conspiracy Theory Is Definitively Debunked</a></strong><br /><em>New Lines magazine, 15 February 2023</em><br /> The latest report from the global chemical weapons watchdog shows not only that Assad used gas in Douma but that no alternative explanation is viable</p> <p><a href="https://newlinesmag.com/argument/friends-in-strange-places/"><strong>Friends in Strange Places</strong></a><br /><em>New Lines magazine, 7 November 2022</em><br /> A bizarre alliance of anti-vaxxers, 9/11 truthers, creationists and atrocity deniers spans – and blurs – left-right boundaries</p> <p><strong><a href="https://newlinesmag.com/essays/unaccountable-in-lebanon-how-a-pms-killers-got-away-with-it/">Unaccountable in Lebanon: How a PM’s Killers Got Away With It</a></strong><br /><em>New Lines magazine, 23 June 2022</em><br /> The UN's 17-year effort to track down the murderers of Rafik Hariri is finally at an end. It cost a billion dollars and the assassins are still at large</p> <p><strong><a href="https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-saudi-billionaire-who-sought-to-join-britains-aristocracy/">The Saudi Billionaire Who Sought to Join Britain’s Aristocracy</a></strong><br /><em>New Lines magazine, 2 December 2021</em><br /> Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz spent a fortune trying to acquire a British knighthood – and triggered an influence-peddling scandal that has now embroiled the heir to the throne</p> <p><strong><a href="https://newlinesmag.com/argument/the-echo-chamber-of-syrian-chemical-weapons-conspiracy-theorists/">The ‘Echo Chamber’ of Syrian Chemical Weapons Conspiracy Theorists</a></strong><br /><em>New Lines magazine, 4 November 2021</em><br /> A collection of non-mainstream bloggers has been paid by a murky organization to parrot Assad regime and Kremlin falsehoods</p> <hr /><p>Below is a collection of my articles about the Middle East, mostly written for the The Guardian newspaper and its website. The articles are grouped chronologically and according to country.</p> <p><strong>Articles in chronological order:</strong><br /><a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker#2016">2016</a>|<a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker#2015">2015</a>|<a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker#2014">2014</a>|<a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker#2013">2013</a>|<a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker#2012">2012</a>|<a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker#2011">2011</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-2#2010">2010</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-2#2009">2009</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-2#2008">2008</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-2#2007">2007</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-2#2006">2006</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-1#2005">2005</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-1#2004">2004</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-0#2003">2003</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker-0#2002">2002</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker#2001">2001</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker#2000">2000</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker#1999">1999</a>|<a href="/articles-brian-whitaker#1998">1998</a></p> <p><strong>Articles listed by country:</strong><br /><a href="/node/2332#Algeria">Algeria</a>|<a href="/node/2332#Bahrain">Bahrain</a>|<a href="/node/2352">Egypt</a>|<a href="/node/2332#Iran">Iran</a>|<a href="/node/2353">Iraq</a>|<a href="/node/2332#Kuwait">Kuwait</a>|<a href="/node/2355">Lebanon</a>|<a href="/node/2356">Libya</a>|<a href="/node/2332#Oman">Oman</a>|<a href="/node/2354">Palestine/Israel</a>|<a href="/node/2332#Qatar">Qatar</a>|<a href="/node/2357">Saudi Arabia</a>|<a href="/node/2358">Syria</a>|<a href="/node/2332#Tunisia">Tunisia</a>|<a href="/node/2332#UAE">United Arab Emirates</a>|<a href="/node/2359">Yemen</a></p> <hr /><p><strong><a name="2016" id="2016">2016</a></strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/21/gay-lgbt-muslim-countries-middle-east"><strong>Everything you need to know about being gay in Muslim countries</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 21 June 2016<br /> The official fiction, Brian Whitaker explains, is that gay people don’t exist in the Middle East. They do – and for many of them, the attitudes of family and society are a much bigger problem than the fear of being prosecuted</p> <p><strong><a href="http://newsweekme.com/book-review-extremist-eclipse/">Book Review: Extremist Eclipse</a></strong><br /> Newsweek Middle East, 24 February 2016<br /> Review of 'Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War', by Robin Yassin-Kassab and Leila Al Shami</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/04/saudi-arabia-execution-muslim-world-sectarianism-syria-iraq">The Saudi execution will reverberate across the Muslim world</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 January 2016<br /> Islamic sectarianism has been inflamed. Expect a hardening of positions in Syria, Iraq and beyond</p> <p><strong><a name="2015" id="2015">2015</a></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/29/saudi-arabia-king-salman-spending-gulf"><strong>Saudi Arabia is worried – and not just about its king</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 29 Sep 2015<br /> Not only are many Saudis jumpy about their incautious King Salman, the world surrounding the Gulf is also changing in all the ways they fear</p> <p><strong><a href="https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/4898/the-rise-of-arab-atheism">The rise of Arab atheism</a></strong><br /> New Humanist, 29 June 2015<br /> Across the Middle East, governments are cracking down on non-belief. But Arab atheists are becoming more visible</p> <p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/23/yemen-brink-catastrophe-mosque-attacks-civil-war"><strong>Yemen, long on the brink of catastrophe, may have tipped over the edge</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 23 Mar 2015<br /> Friday’s mosque attacks, whoever was behind them, will intensify sectarian rivalries and invite bloody reprisals. The scene is set for a protracted civil war</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/06/saudi-arabia-anxious-ideological-links-isis">Saudi Arabia is right to be anxious over its ideological links with Isis</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 6 Jan 2015<br /> The Saudi authorities have condemned Islamic State, but they fear the destabilising effects of any detailed examination of their shared principles</p> <p><strong><a name="2014" id="2014">2014</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/10/homosexuality-gay-crackdown-egypt-economic-political-issues">If homosexuality isn’t illegal, why is there a gay crackdown in Egypt?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Dec 2014<br /> A bath house raid instigated by complicit media looks like a bid to distract attention from bigger economic and political issues</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/24/british-fear-islamists-saudi-fear-atheists-jihadism-schools">British fear of Islamists and Saudi fears about atheists are two sides of the same coin</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Nov 2014<br /> Young people want to know about jihadism – and it’s better that they inquire about it openly, in schools, than elsewhere</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/11/gulf-autocrats-monarchies-middle-east">It’s dangerous to be so cosy with the Gulf’s autocrats</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 Nov 2014<br /> Why is the west still so close to reactionary monarchies in the Middle East when all the evidence suggests they’re on their way out?</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/28/arab-states-share-isis-ideology-islam">Most Arab states share Isis’s ideology. They’re trying to have it both ways</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Oct 2014<br /> Isis may be more brutal but many Arab governments are on the same ground – asserting the superiority of Islam</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/09/yemen-rebellion-intrigue-syria-iraq">Yemen is being reshaped by rebellion and intrigue</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 Oct 2014<br /> While the world’s attention is on Syria and Iraq, the pieces of the kaleidoscope have been shaken in Yemen – with regional implications</p> <p><strong><a name="2013" id="2013">2013</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/03/syria-five-middle-east-stories-missed">Beyond Syria: five Middle East stories you may have missed</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 Sep 2013<br /> Syria is rightly dominating the news. But from Egypt's spying stork to Israeli-Palestinian talks, here's a look at what else is going on</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/07/us-attacks-yemen-al-qaida">The US view of Yemen as an al-Qaida hotbed is a travesty of the truth</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 7 Aug 2013<br /> Yemen is a real place where people are demanding social justice and democracy. Their cause is only harmed by the US</p> <p><strong><a name="2012" id="2012">2012</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/26/syria-eid-ceasefire-live">Syria conflict: Eid al-Adha ceasefire - Friday 26 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Oct 2012<br /> Follow developments on the first day of an unmonitored ceasefire in Syria to mark the Eid al-Adha holiday</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/25/syria-conflict-ceasefire-doubts-live">Syria accepts ceasefire with conditions - Thursday 25 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Oct 2012<br /> Follow live updates as doubts continue over whether a ceasefire in Syria will take hold</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/24/syria-bashar-al-assad-live">Syria crisis: regime 'accepts ceasefire' – Wednesday 24 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi announced that the Syrian government has agreed to a ceasefire</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/23/syria-un-peacekeepers-ceasefire-hopes-fade-live">Syria crisis: UN mulls peacekeepers but ceasefire hopes fade - Tuesday 23 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 23 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments after the UN said there are contingency plans for redeploying a peacekeeping force in Syria but hopes faded for an Eid al-Adha ceasefire</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/19/syria-brahimi-ceasefire-plan-damascus-live">Security chief dies in Beirut blast - Friday 19 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Oct 2012<br /> A bomb kills security chief in Beirut and Lakhdar Brahimi takes his plan for an Eid truce in Syria to Damascus</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/18/syria-crisis-disappeared-ceasefire-live">Syria crisis: fears for '28,000 disappeared' – Thursday 18 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 18 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as a report said 28,000 people have disappeared in Syria and efforts continued to secure a ceasefire</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/17/syria-crisis-ceasefire-attempt-live">Syria crisis: Brahimi pushes for truce - Wednesday 17 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments amid diplomatic efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire in Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/16/syria-crisis-us-weapons-jihadis-live">Syria crisis: US concerned weapons reaching jihadis - Tuesday 16 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 16 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as the US state department said it is concerned that Gulf-supplied weapons are reaching the wrong hands and urged Syria's neighbours to keep a vigilant watch on their airspace</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/16/syria-crisis-us-airspace-warning-live">Syria crisis: US concerned over weapons reaching jihadis</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 16 Oct 2012<br /> The US state department admits concerns that foreign weapons are falling into the wrong hands and urges Syria's neighbours to keep a vigilant watch on airspace</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/12/syria-bashar-al-assad-turkey">Turkey scrambles warplanes to Syrian border – Friday 12 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 12 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as sparks fly over Syrian airliner intercepted by Turkey</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/11/syria-plane-turkey-arms-live">Turkey says Syrian plane carried arms – Thursday 11 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments after Turkey intercepted a Syria passenger plane suspected of carrying Russian arms</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/10/syria-us-taskforce-to-jordan-live">Syria crisis: US sends troops to Jordan - Wednesday 10 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments after the New York Times reported that the US has sent a military task force to Jordan to insulate its ally from the turmoil in Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/09/syria-bombs-hit-security-compound-live">Syria crisis: bombs hit security complex - Tuesday 9 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments after the Islamist al-Nusra Front claimed it bombed an intelligence complex near Damascus and the Syrian army advanced in Homs</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/05/syrian-shelling-turkey-unsc-condemns-live">Turkey issues new warnings to Syria - Friday 5 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments after the security council condemned Syria over the deadly mortar attack on Turkey</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/04/turkey-syria-threat-security-live">Turkey-Syria border tension - Thursday 4 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Oct 2012<br /> Tension between Syria and Turkey has intensified after mortar fire from across the border killed five people in a Turkish village</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/03/syria-aleppo-bomb-attacks-live">Syria crisis: Aleppo bomb attacks - Wednesday 3 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as bombs targeted government-controlled areas of Syria's largest city</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/oct/02/syria-crisis-us-doubts-austin-tice-video-live">Syria crisis: Hezbollah commander 'killed in Homs' - Tuesday 2 October 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 Oct 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments after the US state department suggested a video showing the captured journalist Austin Tice may have been staged by the Syrian government</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/28/syria-crisis-aleppo-battle-live">Syria crisis: fight for Aleppo - Friday 28 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as 'unprecedented' fighting was reported in Aleppo after rebels launched what they claimed would be a decisive battle</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/27/syria-bloodiest-day-yet-live">Syria crisis: rebels hail 'decisive' battle for Aleppo - Thursday 27 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Sep 2012<br /> Syrian activists report the highest daily death toll as world leaders remained divided over the crisis at the UN</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/26/syria-crisis-damascus-blasts-live">Syria crisis: blasts hit Damascus – Wednesday 26 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as explosions hit Damascus and the UN general assembly met in New York</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/25/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: plight of the children – Tuesday 25 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as the UN general assembly met and a report highlighted atrocities against Syrian children</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/20/syria-iranian-arms-via-iraq-live">Syria receiving Iranian arms 'almost daily' via Iraq - Thursday 20 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as an intelligence report detailed Iranian arms deliveries through Iraq and over its airspace and the Friends of Syria group met in The Hague</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/19/syria-crisis-iran-visits-damascus-live">Syria crisis: Iran's foreign minister in Damascus talks - Wednesday 19 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as Iran's foreign minister held talks in Syria after outlining a nine-point plan for tackling the violence</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/18/syria-crisis-iran-peace-observers-live">Syria crisis: Iran proposes sending observers - Tuesday 18 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 18 Sep 2012<br /> Follow how the day unfolded after Tehran proposed that peace monitors from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey be sent to Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/14/friday-protests-anti-islam-us-film-live">Protests spread against US over anti-Islamic film - as it happened</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 14 Sep 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Friday protests against 'the Innocence of Muslims' film occur in Jordan, Iraq, Kashmir, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Yemen and several other countries</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/13/libya-attack-us-ambassador-aftermath-live">Yemen protesters storm US embassy - as it happened</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Sep 2012<br /> Follow live updates on the aftermath of the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, in a suspected terrorist attack</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/12/libya-egypt-attacks-muhammad-film-live">US ambassador Chris Stevens killed in Libya - as it happened</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Sep 2012<br /> US ambassador and three other American embassy staff killed after Islamist militants fire rockets at their car. Follow the latest here</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/11/syria-crisis-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: live coverage – Tuesday 11 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 Sep 2012<br /> Follow how the day unfolded as Syrian refugee numbers continued to grow and tensions flared up again in Yemen</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/07/syria-crisis-eu-talks-live">Syria crisis: bombs and shelling hit Damascus - Friday 7 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 7 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as two separate explosions hit Damascus and the army shelled suburbs of the city</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/06/syria-aleppo-rebels-fight-on-live">Syria crisis: Aleppo rebels vow to fight on - Thursday 6 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 6 Sep 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as the battle for Aleppo continued and the extradition of Gaddafi's spy chief to Libya sparked an international legal tussle</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/05/syria-rebels-down-jets-live">Libya: Gaddafi's spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi extradited - Wednesday 5 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 Sep 2012<br /> Follow how the day unfolded as rebels produced footage of downed warplanes in Idlib province and an Arab League meeting in Cairo discussed the crisis</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/04/syria-refugees-asylum-un">Record number of people fleeing Syria, UN reports</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Sep 2012<br /> Thousands of refugees pouring into neighbouring countries with over 100,000 seeking asylum in August</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/sep/04/syria-refugee-crisis-live">Syria: refugee crisis - Tuesday 4 September 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Sep 2012<br /> Follow live updates as the refugee crisis mounts the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross lobbied Bashar al-Assad for humanitarian access to areas worst hit by the violence</p> <p><a href="http://www.portal9journal.org/articles.aspx?id=74"><strong>Express delivery of Arab revolts</strong></a><br /> A review of the first books about the Arab Spring. Portal 9, Autumn, 2012.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/31/syria-crisis-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: Turkey calls for 'safe haven' – Friday 31 August</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 31 Aug 2012<br /> Turkey seeks urgent action to protect displace Syrians</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/30/syria-crisis-live-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: Assad regime oppressive, says Morsi – Thursday 30 August</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 30 Aug 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/29/syria-crisis-live">Syria crisis: Assad says more time needed to 'win the battle' - Wednesday 29 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 29 Aug 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Bashar al-Assad says he needs more time to "win the battle"</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/28/syria-crisis-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: Fighting rages around Damascus – Tuesday 28 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Aug 2012<br /> Follow the latest developments as Assad regime seeks to clear rebels from the capital</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/24/syria-crisis-france-no-fly-zone">Syria crisis: France backs no-fly zone - Friday 24 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Aug 2012<br /> Follow live updates as France calls for a no-fly zone amid continued fighting</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/23/syria-crisis-chemical-weapons-live">Syria crisis: Obama and Cameron issue chemical weapons warning - Thursday 23 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 23 Aug 2012<br /> David Cameron joins President Obama in warning Syria about its chemical weapons</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/22/syria-crisis-live">Syria crisis: shelling in Damascus - Wednesday 22 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 22 Aug 2012<br /> A reported offer by Syria to 'discuss Assad's resignation' is downplayed by the US</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/21/syria-crisis-weapons-obama-live">Syria crisis: Obama warns on chemical weapons – Tuesday 21 August</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 21 Aug 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they happened</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/17/syria-un-ends-observer-mission-live">Syria: Renewed shelling as UN ends observer mission - Friday 17 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Aug 2012<br /> UN ends its observer mission in Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/16/syria-suspended-islamic-summit-live">Syria crisis: many dead in Azaz airstrike - Thursday 16 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 16 Aug 2012<br /> Fighting continues in Syria and the OIC moves to isolate the Damascus regime</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/15/syria-bashar-al-assad-iran-saudi">Syria crisis: US accuses Iran of training militia – Wednesday 15 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 15 Aug 2012<br /> Blasts hit Damascus and Islamic countries move to isolate Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/14/syria-crisis-live">Syria crisis - Tuesday 14 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 14 Aug 2012<br /> Rolling coverage of the latest developments in Syria, plus Egypt, Yemen and Bahrain</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/10/syria-aleppo-live">Syria: UK to give £5m to rebels - Friday 10 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Aug 2012<br /> Follow live updates on the latest news from Syria as the UK pledges extra funding to Syrian rebels</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/09/syria-conflict-defection-aleppo-live">Syria conflict: rebels withdraw from Salahedin, Aleppo - Thursday 9 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 Aug 2012<br /> Free Syrian Army announces a tactical retreat from Salahedin after intense bombardment</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/08/syria-crisis-rebels-kill-russian-general-live">Syria crisis: Assad's new offensive in Aleppo - Wednesday 8 August</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 8 Aug 2012<br /> Syrian government launches a new offensive against the rebel held district of Salahedin in Aleppo</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/07/syria-crisis-hostages-aleppo-defections-live">Syria crisis: Iranian hostages, Aleppo battle, and defections - Tuesday 7 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 7 Aug 2012<br /> Tehran says the US is responsible for fate of Iranian hostages held by rebels and the fight for the control of Aleppo continues</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/03/syria-conflict-annan-live">Syria crisis: UN general assembly backs new resolution – Friday 3 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 Aug 2012<br /> More mass killings are reported in Hama and Damascus amid recriminations over Kofi Annan's resignation</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/02/syria-crisis-damascus-massacres-live">Syria crisis: Kofi Annan resigns as peace envoy</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 Aug 2012<br /> International mediator announces his resignation as international envoy to Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/aug/01/syria-crisis-aircraft-attack-aleppo-live">Syria crisis: rebels 'execute shabiha' in Aleppo - Wednesday 1 August 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 1 Aug 2012<br /> Jet and helicopters hit eastern Aleppo for the first time while the standoff in the south-western district of Salaheddine continues</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/31/syria-aleppo-fighting-goes-on-live">Syrian rebels 'overrun Aleppo police stations'</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 31 Jul 2012<br /> Renewed clashes are reported in Syria's biggest city</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/27/syria-us-fears-aleppo-massacre-live">Syria crisis: US fears Aleppo 'massacre' - Friday 27 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Aleppo braces for an assault by President Bashar al-Assad's forces amid mounting international fears over what could happen</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/26/syria-crisis-aleppo-battle-looms-live">Syria crisis: Aleppo battle looms - Thursday 26 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Syrian troops mass on Aleppo and Arab states seek a new UN resolution on political transition</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/25/syria-assad-strikes-back-aleppo-live">Syria crisis: Assad strikes back with jets in Aleppo and Damascus - Wednesday 25 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as President Assad's forces continue a major counter offensive in Aleppo and the suburbs of Damascus</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/24/syria-crisis-aleppo-clashes-live">Syria crisis: clashes and prison mutiny in Aleppo - Tuesday 24 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates after activistsl claimed up to 20 people were killed in a prison mutiny in Aleppo amid continuing clashes in the city</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/20/syria-crisis-rebels-seize-borders-live">Syria crisis: UN mission given 30 day extension - Friday 20 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Jul 2012<br /> Follow how the day unfolded as UN monitors were given an extension and Assad regained some control lost since Wednesday's assassinations</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/blog/2012/jul/20/syria-twitter-sana">Syria crisis: Tweeting for Assad</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Jul 2012<br /> Seven days in the life of a state news agency</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/19/syria-crisis-aftermath-damascus-assassinations-live">Syria crisis: Russia and China veto UN resolution</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Jul 2012<br /> Russia and China block a UN resolution on Syria for the third time</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/18/syria-crisis-damascus-diplomatic-battles-live">Syria crisis: three members of Assad inner circle killed in Damascus</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 18 Jul 2012<br /> Attack kills key regime figures and fighting continues in Damascus</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/17/syria-crisis-damascus-clashes-live">Syria crisis: Damascus clashes continue - Tuesday 17 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as fighting in Damascus continues while Ban Ki-moon visits Moscow ahead of a vote in the security council</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2012/jul/17/political-changes-arab-world-interactive">Political changes in the Arab world – 2002-12</a> </strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Jul 2012<br /> War, protest, western intervention and elections have changed parts of the Arab world greatly in the last 10 years</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/13/syria-hama-massacre-live">Syria crisis: Tremseh 'massacre' - Friday 13 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Jul 2012<br /> Syrian government troops and militia loyal to Bashar al-Assad have killed more than 200 people in Hama province, opposition activists say</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/12/syria-crisis-ambassador-defects-live">Syria crisis: ambassador to Iraq defects - Thursday 12 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 12 Jul 2012<br /> • Syria says defected ambassador has been sacked • Egypt's President Morsi accepts court order on parliament</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/11/syria-russia-un-draft-live">Syria crisis: first diplomat has defected, reports say - Wednesday 11 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Russia's draft resolution proposed extending UN monitoring mission</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/10/egypt-morsi-military-showdown-parliament-live">Syria: Annan's 'hotspots' peace plan leaked – Tuesday 10 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Kofi Annan shuttles around the Middle East and a confrontation between the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian generals is put on hold</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/06/defection-friends-of-syria-live">Syria crisis: top defection as 'Friends of Syria' meet - Friday 6 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 6 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as the Friends of Syria meeting in Paris has been buoyed by the reported defection of Manaf Tlass</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/05/syrians-paid-to-protests-assad-live">Syria: top-level defection reported - Thursday 5 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as WikiLeaks releases more than two million emails from Assad's inner circle</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/04/syria-crisis-opposition-chaos-live">Syria crisis: Turkey finds bodies of downed pilots - Wednesday 4 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Jul 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Turkey finds the bodies of two pilots shot down by Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jul/02/syria-libya-live-blog">Syria crisis, Libya unrest – Monday 2 July 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 Jul 2012<br /> • Russia agrees to meet Syrian opposition leaders • Libya releases detained staff of International Criminal Court</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/29/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: Assad vows to 'annihilate terrorists' - Friday 29 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 29 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Bashar al-Assad warns against outside interference in Syria as the action group prepares for talks on a political transition</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/28/syria-crisis-annan-proposes-unity-goverment-live">Syria crisis: Kofi Annan proposes unity government - Thursday 28 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Russia keeps diplomats guessing on whether it will back a unity government that excludes President Bashar al-Assad</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/27/syria-at-war-assad-live">Syria in a state of war, says Assad - Wednesday 27 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as the UN's human rights council told that violence in Syria is as bad or worse than before the ceasefire</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/26/syria-crisis-nato-meeting-live">Syria crisis: Erdogan threatens military retaliation - Tuesday 26 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as Turkish prime minister Erdogan threatens Syrian soldiers approaching the border as tanks are dispatched</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/25/egypt-morsi-election-president-syria">Mohamed Morsi prepares for government in Egypt – Monday 25 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Jun 2012<br /> Mohamed Morsi prepares to take office as Egypt's first freely elected president</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/22/egypt-protest-ahead-of-election-results-live">Egypt protests ahead of election results - Friday 22 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 22 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as protesters gather in Tahrir Square urging the military council to 'return to legitimacy'</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/21/egypt-election-result-delay-coup-live">Syrian colonel 'defects' in jet to Jordan - Thursday 21 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 21 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as a Syrian pilot seeks asylum after landing a jet in Jordan</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/20/egypt-crisis-mubarak-coma-live">Egypt: Mubarak 'improves' as crisis worsens - Wednesday 20 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as conflicting reports about Hosni Mubarak's health add renewed volatility to Egypt's political crisis</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/19/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: US and Russia divided on Assad's future - Tuesday 19 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates as US and Russia call for an end to escalating violence in Syria but fail to agree on regime change</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/15/egypt-reels-judicial-coup-live">Egypt reels from 'judicial coup' - Friday 15 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 15 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates after Egypt's highest court dissolves parliament and clears former PM Ahmed Shafiq of standing in this weekend's presidential runoff</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/14/syria-crisis-war-crimes-evidence-live">Egypt's transition plunged into chaos - Thursday 14 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 14 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates after an Egyptian court dissolves a third of the seats in the new parliament but clears former PM Ahmed Shafiq to contest this weekend's presidential runoff</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/13/syria-civil-war-attack-helicopters-live">Assad regime and activists deny Syria has reached civil war - Wednesday 13 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates after Hillary Clinton accused Russia of escalating a conflict that the UN peacekeeping chief says has descended into civil war</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/12/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis: UN says children used as human shields - Tuesday 12 June 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 12 Jun 2012<br /> Follow live updates after the UN documented incidence of children being used as human shields by the Syrian army</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/08/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria live: UN monitors arrive in al-Qubair</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 8 Jun 2012<br /> 'Stench of burnt flesh in al-Qubair" – BBC reporter • Agreement in Egypt over new body to draft constitution</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/07/syria-massacre-un-security-council">Annan at UN amid reports of new Syria massacre</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 7 Jun 2012<br /> World leaders respond to reports of a massacre in a village near Hama</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/06/syria-egypt">Syria 'to admit aid workers' – Wednesday 6 June</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 6 Jun 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/jun/01/syria-unhcr-emergency-meeting-live">Syria crisis: UNHRC emergency meeting - Friday 1 June</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 1 Jun 2012<br /> The UN's human rights council meets to discuss the Houla massacre</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/31/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syrian rebels urge Annan to declare end of ceasefire - Thursday 31 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 31 May 2012<br /> The head of the Free Syrian Army calls on Kofi Annan to declare an end to the shattered ceasefire</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/30/syria-crisis-unsc-annan-briefing">Syria crisis: Turkey expels diplomats - Wednesday 30 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 30 May 2012<br /> UN security council briefed on Kofi Annan's meeting with President Bashar al-Assad</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global/middle-east-live/2012/may/29/syria-bashar-al-assad">Governments around the world expel Syrian diplomats – Tuesday 29 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 29 May 2012<br /> Kofi Annan meets President Assad in Damascus</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/25/egypt-elections-early-results-live">Egypt election: latest results</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 May 2012<br /> Follow the latest twists in a tight race between the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohammed Morsi, the leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahy and former PM Ahmed Shafiq</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/24/egypt-election-day-2-live">Egypt election 2012 day two - live</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 May 2012<br /> Follow live updates on day two of the presidential election after former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq was attacked after casting his vote</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/23/egypt-presidential-elections-live">Egypt's historic election – Wednesday 23 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 23 May 2012<br /> Egyptians head for the polls to find a replacement for the ousted president Hosni Mubarak</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/22/syria-un-peacekeepers-visit-homs-live">Syria crisis: UN peacekeeping chief visits Homs - Tuesday 22 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 22 May 2012<br /> Assad regime exchanges detainees for a damaged tank • Jail sentences for police who killed Egyptian protesters</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/18/syria-aleppo-university-protests-live">Syria: 'Heroes of Aleppo university' protests - Friday 18 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 18 May 2012<br /> Protests across Syria in tribute to Aleppo students • Abul Foutouh in the lead among Egypt's expat voters</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/17/syria-crisis-live-updates">Syria opposition rift widens - Thursday 17 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 May 2012<br /> Opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun resigns after local activists threaten to leave the Syrian National Council</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/16/syria-crisis-live-updates">Syria: UN monitors return to safety - live updates</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 16 May 2012<br /> Follow live updates as detailed accounts emerge of an attack on UN monitors in Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/15/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria: UN monitors attacked -Tuesday 15 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 15 May 2012<br /> Video shows UN monitors under fire north of Hama • Palestinians and Israeli police clash on Nakba day</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/11/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria, Egypt and Algeria - Friday 11 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 May 2012<br /> Islamists routed in Algeria's parliamentary elections • Expatriate Egyptians go to the polls</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/10/egypt-presidential-election-debate">Egyptian presidential election TV debate – as it happened</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 May 2012<br /> Egypt hoped to break new ground in Arab election coverage with first-ever presidential television debate</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/10/syria-damascus-explosions-live">Syria: Damascus explosions - Thursday 10 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 May 2012<br /> Dozens are reported killed and injured in a bomb attack in Damascus</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/09/syria-libya-bahrain-live">Syria: blasts defy Annan's peace plea - Wednesday 9 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 May 2012<br /> Syrian troops targeted in bus attacks in Dera'a and a suburb of Damascus in defiance of a plea by Kofi Annan to 'give peace a chance'</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/09/algerian-prime-minister-arab-spring">Algerian prime minister calls Arab spring a 'plague'</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 May 2012<br /> Ahmed Ouyahia's election campaign speech backfires as Libyan government summons ambassador to complain</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/08/syria-egypt-bahrain-liveblog">Syria, Egypt, Bahrain – Tuesday 8 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 8 May 2012<br /> Syrian opposition derides parliamentary poll, and 'insult' triggers presidential election row in Egypt</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/04/syria-egypt">Protesters clash with security forces in Cairo - Friday 4 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 May 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/03/egypt-syria-bahrain-libya">Syrian forces raid university – Thursday 3 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 May 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global/middle-east-live/2012/may/02/egypt-syria">Egyptian protesters killed in attack – Middle East live blog Wednesday 2 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 May 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/01/syria-bahrain-middle-east-live">Syria, Bahrain and Middle East - Tuesday 1 May</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 1 May 2012<br /> Ten reported dead in Idlib mortar attack • BBC allowed to see Bahraini hunger striker</p> <p><strong><a href="www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/27/syria-annan-plan-failing-live">Syria: Damascus 'suicide bomb' - Friday 27 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Apr 2012<br /> Follow live updates after bomb blast in the Syrian capital confirms fears about the failure of the peace initiative</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/26/syria-attack-shatters-ceasefire-live">Syria: 'rocket attack' shatters fragile ceasefire - Thursday 26 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Apr 2012<br /> Up to 70 people killed in attack in Hama, activists claim • Jordan's prime minister resigns after only six months • Mubarak's former PM reinstated as presidential candidate</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/25/syria-annan-alarmed-violence-live">Syria: Kofi Annan alarmed at surges in violence - Wednesday 25 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Apr 2012<br /> Kofi Annan condemns 'reprehensible' surges in violence after visits by UN monitors</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/24/syria-crisis-bahrain-unrest-live">Syria crisis and Bahrain unrest - Tuesday 24 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Apr 2012<br /> Follow live updates as the full scale of an alleged massacre in Hama is becoming clearer as the US warns Syria that its patience is running out</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/20/syria-crisis-bahrain-unrest-live">Bahrain's 'days of rage' - Friday 20 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 21 Apr 2012<br /> The US mulls alternatives to the incomplete ceasefire in Syria and protesters in Bahrain start three 'days of rage' to coincide with the grand prix</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/19/syria-crisis-bahrain-unrest-live">Syria crisis, Bahrain unrest - Thursday 19 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Apr 2012<br /> Panetta: Pentagon has plan to establish Syria buffer zones • 23 protesters in Bahrain injured in clashes</p> <p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/18/syria-bashar-al-assad"><strong>Syria crisis and Bahrain unrest - Wednesday 18 April 2012</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 18 Apr 2012<br /> Gunfire during UN visit to monitor ceasefire in Syria • Ban on 10 Egyptian presidential candidates upheld</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/17/syria-violence-un-peace-mission-live">Syria violence throws UN peace mission into doubt - Tuesday 17 April 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Apr 2012<br /> Hague attacks Syria's "grudging" compliance • Amnesty accuses Bahrain of failing to tackle rights abuses</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/13/syria-ceasefire-protests-bahrain">Syria: security forces confront protesters – Friday 13 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Apr 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2012/apr/13/ahdaf-soueif-art-arab-spring">Ahdaf Soueif: Egyptian writers' energy used to be spent on describing how bad things were</a></strong><br /> Video(3min 44sec),13 Apr 2012<br /> Ahdaf Soueif speaks about the emergence of a new wave of creativity in the wake of the revolution in Egypt</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/12/syria-ceasefire-begins">Syria ceasefire fragile, says UN chief - Thursday 12 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 12 Apr 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they happened</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/11/syria-annan-optimistic-on-ceasefire-but-violence-continues-live">Syrian government says it will abide by ceasefire</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 Apr 2012<br /> The world watches to see if a ceasefire will take effect in Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/10/syria-crisis-live-updates-ceasefire-bahrain-tunisia">Syria: Annan pushes ceasefire deadline back two days</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Apr 2012<br /> Government attacks continue as first deadline passes • "No indication" of government move to join truce</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/apr/06/syria-crisis-live-updates">Syria crisis, Bahrain unrest, Egypt turmoil - Friday 6 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 6 Apr 2012<br /> Syrian forces step up offensive ahead of ceasefire • Fears for life of activist on hunger strike in Bahrain</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/05/syria-attacks-ceasefire-live-updates">Syria: Heavy fighting amid claims of troop withdrawals</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 Apr 2012<br /> Follow the latest updates as fresh attacks are reported ahead of the 10 April deadline for a truce</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/04/syria-bashar-al-assad">Syria crisis - UN peacekeeping team heading for Damascus - live updates</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Apr 2012<br /> Follow live updates as a UN peacekeeping team is bound for Syria and the security council drafts a new statement calling for the immediate implementation of Kofi Annan's peace plan</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/03/syria-crisis-live-updates">Syria crisis - Tuesday 3 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 Apr 2012<br /> Syria's pledge to partially implement Kofi Annan's peace plan is greeted with scepticism</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/mar/30/syria-israel-land-day-palestinian-territories">Syria and Middle East live: Land Day demos in West Bank</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 30 Mar 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/mar/29/syria-crisis-arab-league-summit-live">Syria crisis: Assad responds to peace plan - Thursday 29 March</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 29 Mar 2012<br /> The continuing violence in Syria tops the agenda at the Arab League summit in Baghdad</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/mar/28/syria-crisis-live-updates">Syria crisis - Wednesday 28 March</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Mar 2012<br /> Clashes continue despite an apparent acceptance of Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/mar/27/syria-crisis-live-updates">Syria 'accepts Annan peace plan'</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Mar 2012<br /> Follow live updates as diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed in Syria continue</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2012/mar/27/wadah-khanfar-new-journalism-arab-world-video">Wadah Khanfar: a new journalism for a new Arab world - video</a></strong><br /> Video(3min 12sec),27 Mar 2012:<br /> At the Guardian Open Weekend festival, the former director general of the al-Jazeera network, shares his vision of a more flexible and interactive post-revolution journalism in the Middle East</p> <p><a href="http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/12/the_continuing_battle_for_gay_rights_in_the_middle_east"><strong>The ongoing battle for gay rights in the Arab world</strong></a><br /> The Middle East Channel, 12 March 2012</p> <p><a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/slow-thaw-for-gays-in-arab-world-1.415997"><strong>Slow thaw for gays in Arab world</strong></a><br /> Haaretz, 2 March 2012</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/mar/02/syria-bashar-al-assad-homs">Syria: Red Cross barred from Baba Amr - Friday 2 March</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 Mar 2012<br /> Relief supplies are sent to Homs, Iranians go to the polls and injured journalist Edith Bouvier returns to France</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/01/syria-annan-talks-assad-live">Syria: rebels withdraw from Baba Amr - Thursday 1 March</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 1 Mar 2012<br /> Kofi Annan says he plans to travel to Syria for mediation talks with the Assad regime</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/29/syria-us-drafts-new-un-resolution-live">Syria: Baba Amr awaits its fate - Wednesday 29 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 29 Feb 2012<br /> Spanish journalist reported safe in Lebanon</p> <p><strong><a href="www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/28/syria-un-talks-homs-bodies-found-live">Syria: the Homs rescue - Tuesday 28 February</a> </strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Feb 2012<br /> Wounded British journalist is reported to be 'safe and sound' in Lebanon after being smuggled out of Homs</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/27/syria-rescue-wounded-homs-live">Syria: Qatar and splinter group back arming resistance - Monday 27 February 2012</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Feb 2012<br /> Follow how the day unfolded as efforts to rescue wounded journalists from Homs ended in failure</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/26/syria-beware-foreign-friends-saudi-arabia">Syrians should beware of some of their foreign 'friends'</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Feb 2012<br /> Syrians should fear eastern, not western, intervention – especially autocratic 'friends' like Saudi Arabia</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/24/friends-of-syria-meeting-ceasefire-live">Syria: Qatar calls for Arab force to impose peace - Friday 24 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Feb 2012<br /> Foreign ministers gather in Tunis for the first meeting of Friends of Syria group and negotiations continue over evacuating wounded reporters from Homs</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/23/syria-marie-colvin-homs-bombardment-continues-live">UN accuses Syria of crimes against humanity - Thursday 23 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 23 Feb 2012<br /> Syrian army renews its bombardment of Homs on the eve of the first meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Tunisia</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/22/syria-yemen">Syria: Marie Colvin among journalists killed in Homs – Wednesday 22 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 22 Feb 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they happened</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/21/syria-yemen-election">Yemen votes, Damascus revolts –Tuesday 21 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 21 Feb 2012<br /> Follow the day's developments as they happened</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/20/syria-calls-arm-opposition-live">Syria: calls to arm the opposition - Monday 20 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Feb 2012<br /> The US debates arming the opponents of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/17/syria-libya-live">Libya celebrates, Syria burns – Friday 17 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Feb 2012<br /> Britain promises £2m aid to Syrian civilians</p> <p><a href="www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/feb/16/syria-libya-deraa-live"><strong>Syria: activists arrested as assault on cities continues – Thursday 16 February</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 16 Feb 2012<br /> Blogger and human rights campaigner detained • Report highlights problem of militias in Libya</p> <p><a href="www.theguardian.com/global/blog/2012/feb/15/hama-shelled"><strong>Syria: critics deride referendum plan – Wednesday 15 February</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 15 Feb 2012<br /> Assad sets date for elections and vote on constitution • France re-issues call for humanitarian corridors</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/14/syria-bahrain-and-middle-east-unrest-live-updates">Syria, Bahrain and Middle East unrest – Tuesday 14 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 14 Feb 2012<br /> Bombardment of Homs 'worst for five days'</p> <p><a href="www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2012/feb/13/syria-bashar-al-assad"><strong>Syria: UN general assembly begins discussion of crisis</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 13 Feb 2012<br /> Follow the latest developments as the international community struggles to react to the continuing violence</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/09/syria-un-helps-homs-assault-live">Syria: live from the frontline in Homs</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Feb 2012<br /> The Guardian's Martin Chulov describes intense fighting between the Syrian army and military defectors near Homs</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/07/syria-attack-on-homs-continues-russians-visit-damascus-live-updates">Syria: attack on Homs continues as Assad talks of dialogue - Tuesday 7 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 7 Feb 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as they unfolded</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/feb/06/syria-troops-continue-assault-on-homs-live-updates">US and UK vow further pressure on Syria as Homs assault continues – Monday 6 February</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 6 Feb 2012<br /> Follow the day's events as Syrian government troops continue the bombardment of Homs, inflicting scores more casualities, according to activists</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jan/09/syria-protesters-arab-league">Syria's protesters are on their own</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 Jan 2012<br /> While Arab League monitors have failed to stop the bloodshed, this may be preferable to protracted talks about political 'reform'</p> <p><strong><a name="2011" id="2011">2011</a></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/dec/30/egypt-raids-ngos-beleaguered-regime-light">Egypt's raids on NGOs are about control</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 30 Dec 2011<br /> Restricting NGO funding is typical of authoritarian regimes happy to take foreign aid but less happy about human rights</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/29/egypt-raids-ngo-crackdown">Egypt raids on NGOs hint at wider crackdown</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 29 Dec 2011<br /> Even charitable work can be a sensitive matter in Arab regimes if it highlights the state's failure to provide basic services</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/dec/20/alwaleed-bin-talal-twitter-saudi-prince">Alwaleed bin Talal: from Saudi prince to king of Twitter?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Dec 2011<br /> The $300m deal has caused some alarm, but this royal family member is much more progressive than his relatives</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/24/yemen-ali-abdullah-saleh-resigns">Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh resigns – but it changes little</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 24 Nov 2011<br /> The president's regime, and all it stands for, remains intact. What Yemen needs is a more effective parliament</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/09/us-media-iran-scare-stories">Why do the US media believe the worst about Iran?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 Nov 2011<br /> In their eagerness to recycle flimsy scare stories about Iran, the US media have failed to absorb the lessons of Iraq and WMD</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/01/alaa-abd-el-fattah-jailing-egypt-military">Egypt's military may soon regret jailing Alaa Abd El Fattah</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 1 Nov 2011<br /> The imprisonment of the high-profile revolutionary could escalate tensions between the ruling junta and the protest movement</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/17/yemen-un-resolution-saleh">Yemen needs more than a UN resolution to oust Saleh</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Oct 2011<br /> As his country faces economic and humanitarian disaster, Yemen's president seems concerned only with retaining power</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/sep/20/al-jazeera-arabic-channel-key-player">Al-Jazeera – how Arabic news channel became a key player in global media</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Sep 2011<br /> Pioneering TV station credited with aiding Arab spring and opening up political debate in the Middle East</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2011/sep/19/yemen-power-struggle-who-interactive">Yemen power struggle: who's who – interactive guide</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Sep 2011:<br /> As more protesters are killed by security forces we look at the main political figures in the country</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2011/sep/19/middleeast-palestinian-territories-un">Guardian Focus podcast: What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Sep 2011<br /> Audio(30min 27sec): We discuss the implications of Palestinians asking for UN recognition of statehood, with views from the Middle East, the US and Britain</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/15/syria-stalemate-civil-war-assad">Syria's stalemate raises the spectre of civil war</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 15 Sep 2011<br /> Assad's opponents are putting pressure on the international community to act in Syria, but who would intervene, and how?</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/13/turkey-arab-street-political-development">Turkey strides down the Arab street</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Sep 2011<br /> Turkey is on a roll in the region, as many Arabs admire its political development – but now it will have to start taking sides</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/10/tunisia-un-human-rights-women">Tunisia is leading the way on women's rights in the Middle East</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 10 Sep 2011<br /> Tunisia is the first country in the region to withdraw reservations to the UN convention granting equal rights to men and women</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/30/arab-uprising-algeria-next">Algeria's regime: out on a limb that looks set to fall</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 30 Aug 2011<br /> By giving the Gaddafi family refuge, Algeria's gerontocracy is putting itself on the wrong side of history</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/22/muammar-gaddafi-arab-leaders-analysis">Gaddafi's fall unlikely to alarm Arab leaders</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 22 Aug 2011 Assad, Saleh and others will not lose any sleep and are unlikely to draw lessons from the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya "</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/22/gaddafi-hope-libya">After Gaddafi, let's hope for the best in Libya</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 22 Aug 2011<br /> Yes, Gaddafi's fall will expose factional rivalries, but Libya is unlikely to turn into another Iraq, let alone Afghanistan</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/15/no-stalemate-libya-gaddafi">No stalemate in Libya – the writing is onthe wall for Gaddafi</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 15 Aug 2011<br /> A quick exit for the colonel is less important than a well-managed transition, setting the country on course for representative government</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/saudi-arabia-message-to-syria">Saudi Arabia's message to Syria, decoded</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 8 Aug 2011<br /> It is Iranian influence, not the killing of civilians, that Saudi Arabia is concerned about as it recalls its ambassador in Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/03/mubarak-trial-egypt">Egyptians must guard against a show trial as Mubarak faces the people</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 Aug 2011<br /> Seeing the Mubaraks behind bars will be widely viewed as poetic justice, but it's accountability – not humiliation – that matters</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/04/gaddafi-libya-opposition-offer-internal-exile">Could Gaddafi stay in Libya?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Jul 2011<br /> The opposition's offer to the Libyan dictator of internal exile may be pragmatic but it raises some tricky issues</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/30/france-arm-libyan-rebels">Is France right to arm Libyan rebels?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 30 Jun 2011<br /> Live discussion with France has been arming Libyans for their 'self-defence'. Debate the rights and wrongs of this with our Middle East editor</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/28/arab-governments-human-trafficking">Arab governments are failing on human trafficking</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Jun 2011<br /> The poor record of Middle Eastern countries on trafficking stems from the primacy given to protecting regimes over individuals</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/13/gay-girl-in-damascus-hoax-blog">Gay Girl in Damascus was an arrogant fantasy</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Jun 2011<br /> Tom MacMaster's hoax blog undermines, rather than illuminates, awareness of the realities of being gay in the Middle East</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/07/yemen-politics-democratic-transition">Yemen, and the trouble with 'democratic transition'</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 7 Jun 2011<br /> Politics in Yemen is beset by personal rivalries – it will be hard to keep the various players from each other's throats</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/05/yemen-saleh">Saleh is gone. What next for Yemen?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 Jun 2011<br /> The president's departure for medical treatment has created an opportunity to resolve Yemen's political crisis</p> <p><strong><a href=" http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/03/yemen-attack-president-saleh">Yemen: attack on president keeps observers guessing</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 3 Jun 2011<br /> Confusion reigns in Yemen over President Saleh's injuries. Whatever the truth, the country is facing a decisive moment</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/09/syria-assad-uprising">Syria will change – with or without Assad</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 9 May 2011<br /> Even if Syria's president manages to quell the current uprising, it doesn't mean he has won</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/05/libya-liberals-military-intervention">The liberal-left are at odds on Libya</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 May 2011<br /> Significant voices outspoken in their opposition to war in Iraq are more equivocal on military intervention in Libya</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/02/sea-burial-osama-bin-laden">Sea burial of Osama bin Laden breaks sharia law, say Muslim scholars</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 May 2011 US decision to dispose of body in the sea prevents grave site becoming a shrine but clerics warn it may lead to reprisals</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/may/02/bin-laden-body-buried-sea">Bin Laden's body buried at sea</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 May 2011 US officials say Osama bin Laden's swift burial complies with Islamic custom, although burial at sea is uncommon for Muslims</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/27/arab-kings-middle-east-uprisings">God save the Arab kings?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 27 Apr 2011<br /> Arab monarchies underpinned by religion have been unscathed by the Middle East uprisings – but they may yet be toppled</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/25/syria-protest-crackdown-assad">This time, brutal crackdown in Syria may not work</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Apr 2011<br /> Assad's promises of reform have failed to stop the widespread protest – but Syria is no longer cut off from the outside world</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2011/apr/20/middle-east-protest-law">The vagueness of the law keeps Middle Eastern protests in check</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 20 Apr 2011<br /> Virtually all Arab countries allow citizens to demonstrate – but there is always a clause that prevents serious subversion</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/19/bashar-al-assad-syria-strategy">Bashar al-Assad's strategy in Syria is self-defeating</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Apr 2011<br /> Syrians will not be won over by promises of reform from a regime that continues to kill protesters and spread disinformation</p> <p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/13/mubarak-saleh-ali-"><strong>Hosni Mubarak: from detention to where?</strong></a><br /> The Guardian, 13 Apr 2011<br /> From hospitalisation to immunity pleas, the dictators of Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen will do anything to escape justice</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/2012/apr/12/syria-ceasefire-begins">Syria ceasefire fragile, says UN chief - Thursday 12 April</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 13 Apr 2011<br /> From hospitalisation to immunity pleas, the dictators of Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen will do anything to escape justice</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/apr/08/syria-reform-bashar-al-assad">Syria has heard all this reform talk before</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 8 Apr 2011<br /> Bashar al-Assad is promising change in a bid to placate Sunnis and Kurds – but how many people in Syria believe him?</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/05/yemen-20-things-to-know">Twenty things you need to know about Yemen</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 5 Apr 2011 All you need to know about Yemen, from its tribal and often bloody politics to its coffee and qat culture</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/31/syria-boldness-bashar-al-assad">Syria: the boldness of Bashar al-Assad</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 31 Mar 2011<br /> Bashar al-Assad's seemingly relaxed attitude to reform is either supreme confidence or extreme recklessness</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/28/libya-negotiation-nato">Libya: is negotiation the answer?</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 28 Mar 2011<br /> Nabila Ramdani and Head to head: As the fighting continues, Nabila Ramdani and Brian Whitaker debate Nato's next move</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/25/syria-20-things-need-to-know">20 things you need to know about Syria</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 25 Mar 2011 A brief guide to key facts everyone should know about Syria</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/23/libya-bahrain-yemen-un-responsibility-protect">The difference with Libya</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 23 Mar 2011<br /> Unlike Bahrain or Yemen, the scale and nature of the Gaddafi regime's actions have impelled the UN's 'responsibility to protect'</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/yemen-egypt-resignations">Yemen needs balance, not another strongman</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 21 Mar 2011<br /> Yemen is not Egypt – a flood of high-level resignations could trigger a battle for the top</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/audio/2011/mar/18/saif-gaddafi-archive-interview-audio">Saif Gaddafi and the democracy project –audio</a></strong><br /> Audio(14min 23sec),18 Mar 2011<br /> In a 2004 interview, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi says democracy in Libya is a personal project – it doesn't sound like the man urging a fight 'to the last bullet'</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/17/bahrain-saudi-intervention-sectarian-conflict-protests">Bahrainis cannot be subdued for ever</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 March 2011<br /> The Saudi intervention has sectarianised the conflict even more, and thus may well have sealed the Bahrain regime's fate</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/14/arab-spring-protest-crackdown-freedom">The Arab spring is brighter than ever</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 14 Mar 2011<br /> Crackdowns on protest merely postpone the day of reckoning – Arabs now have a shared, unstoppable drive for freedom</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/04/oman-sultan-qaboos-despot">Oman's Sultan Qaboos: a classy despot</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 4 Mar 2011<br /> He may be a Britain-friendly, music-loving 'renaissance man', but Oman's Sultan Qaboos still tolerates no dissent</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/01/saudi-arabia-protests-middle-east">Saudi Arabia's subtle protests are serious</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 1 Mar 2011<br /> Saudis may not be massing on the streets like others in the Middle East, but their petitions and complaints are momentous</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/23/muammar-gaddafi-madness">Muammar Gaddafi: method in his 'madness'</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 23 Feb 2011<br /> Gaddafi has lost touch with his people, but though his actions may seem bizarre, there is a kind of logic to his behaviour</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/11/mubarak-egypt-hosni">Mubarak teases Egypt as his regime fragments</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 11 Feb 2011<br /> Hosni Mubarak's insulting speech showed why he ought to go, but the struggle on the streets is no longer the only game in town</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/08/egypt-muslim-brotherhood-uncovered">The Muslim Brotherhood uncovered</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 8 Feb 2011<br /> In an exclusive Guardian interview, Egypt's Islamist opposition group sets out its demands</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/feb/02/egypt-protests-arab-media">Egypt protests give Arab media a headache</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 2 Feb 2011<br /> This week in the Middle East: In their Egypt coverage the Arab media – like the regimes they report on – have failed to move on from the old ways</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/26/tunisia-egypt-jordan-yemen">This week in the Middle East</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 26 Jan 2011<br /> This week in the Middle East: Protests in Tunisia have sent shock waves across Egypt, Jordan and Yemen, where the appetite for ousting autocrats is strong</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/19/tunisia-uprising-saudi-arabia-spinsters">This week in the Middle East</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 19 Jan 2011<br /> This week in the Middle East: Tunisia's God-free uprising and the role of the internet; the growing trend of Saudi spinsters; Yemen's tribal politics</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jan/17/tunisia-old-guard-yes-men-reappear">Tunisia analysis: Old guard, 'new' government</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 17 Jan 2011 Many Tunisians are asking whether ousted president Ben Ali's old guard can be trusted with free and fair elections "</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/12/tunisia-uprising-twitter-russia-tiger">This week in the Middle East</a></strong><br /> The Guardian, 12 Jan 2011<br /> This week in the Middle East: Tweeting about the Tunisian uprising; Iran, Russia, and the shady morals of Putin's tiger, and the price of presidents</p> <p><strong>.../<a href="http://al-bab.com/node/2350">2010</a></strong></p> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-3 sidebar"> <div class="block homepage-artwork"> <div class="views-element-container form-group"><div class="view view-homepage-artwork view-id-homepage_artwork view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-f7068af4644dd1e985940763106426312ae04ebbc6d818d5342d354f08565f45"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-field-art-image"><div class="field-content"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-09/susan-hefuna-patience.jpg" width="380" height="307" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="img-responsive" /> </div></div><div class="views-field views-field-body"><div class="field-content"><p><strong>ARAB ART ONLINE:</strong> Susan Hefuna: <em>Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful)</em> 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. <a href="/node/3719#susan-hefuna">More information</a> | <a href="/sites/default/files/susan-hefuna-patience.jpg">Click to enlarge</a> </p> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block blue-boxes"> <h2 class="block-title">News Background</h2> <div class="views-element-container form-group"><div class="view view-blue-boxes view-id-blue_boxes view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-bd4f24dca102e5bfcdb46a0cf62043b98c3959159516d5d1a2a8d6a3cd1dcce6"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/gaza-other-war"> <div class="blue-box-container Blue"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Yellow"> <h2>Gaza the other war</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container White"> A collection of blog posts related to the Gaza war – not so much about the war itself but about the public discourse outside Israel/Palestine. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.al-bab.com/denying-the-obvious"> <div class="blue-box-container Yellow"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Black"> <h2>Denying the Obvious</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container Black"> Brian Whitaker's new e-book tells the story of the disinformation campaign surrounding chemical weapons attacks in Syria: how it began, the ideas that drove it, and how it was choreographed with assistance from Russia. Read it online or download a PDF. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/blog/2016/02/transgender-issues-middle-east-1"> <div class="blue-box-container Blue"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Yellow"> <h2>Transgender rights in the Middle East</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container White"> In a region where gender segregation is widespread and dress codes are sometimes enforced by law, the problems of transgender people are especially acute. Read al-bab's four-part special report. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/degrees-deception"> <div class="blue-box-container Yellow"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container Black"> <h2>Degrees of deception</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container Black"> Fake qualifications – forged certificates or "degrees" issued by unrecognised universities – are proliferating in many parts of the world, and especially in the Middle East. Read the reports from al-bab's ongoing investigation. </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-nothing"><span class="field-content"><a href="https://al-bab.com/blog/2016/08/qatar-christian-crusaders"> <div class="blue-box-container Blue"> <div class="box-image-container"> </div> <div class="box-title-container White"> <h2>Qatar's Christian crusaders</h2> </div> <div class="box-sub-title-container White"> An investigation </div> </div> </a></span></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer-mailchimp-container"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-12"> <div class="mailchimp-inner"> <p>Keep up to date. Subscribe to receive al-bab's blog posts by email.</p> <form class="webform-submission-form webform-submission-add-form webform-submission-mailchimp-form webform-submission-mailchimp-add-form webform-submission-mailchimp-node-2351-form webform-submission-mailchimp-node-2351-add-form js-webform-details-toggle webform-details-toggle" data-drupal-selector="webform-submission-mailchimp-node-2351-add-form" action="/index.php/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" method="post" id="webform-submission-mailchimp-node-2351-add-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"> <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-email js-form-type-email form-item-email js-form-item-email form-no-label form-group"> <input data-drupal-selector="edit-email" class="form-email form-control" type="email" id="edit-email" name="email" value="" size="60" maxlength="254" placeholder="enter your email..." /> </div> <div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions webform-actions form-group js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions--2"><button class="webform-button--submit button button--primary js-form-submit form-submit btn-primary btn" data-drupal-selector="edit-actions-submit" type="submit" id="edit-actions-submit" name="op" value="go">go</button> </div> <input autocomplete="off" data-drupal-selector="form-3yoxebsag5dpj4p-ls4f4y21k3ae0-ixg1mm8n6sneu" type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-3YoXeBsAG5DpJ4P_ls4f4Y21K3aE0-IXG1mm8N6snEU" /><input data-drupal-selector="edit-webform-submission-mailchimp-node-2351-add-form" type="hidden" name="form_id" value="webform_submission_mailchimp_node_2351_add_form" /> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer-container"> <div class="footer-top"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-3"> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Important Links</h2> <ul class="menu menu--important-links nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/about-al-bab" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/43">About al-bab</a> </li> <li> <a href="/blog/archive/all" data-drupal-link-system-path="blog/archive/all">Blog posts</a> </li> <li class="active active-trail"> <a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" class="active-trail is-active" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2351">Other articles</a> </li> <li> <a href="/privacy-policy-0" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3564">Privacy policy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/form/contact-us" data-drupal-link-system-path="webform/contact_us">Contact Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/submission-articles-and-blog-posts" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3664">Write for al-bab</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/rss/feed">RSS</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Society & Politics</h2> <ul class="menu menu--society-politics nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/civil-society" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/44">Civil society</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/corruption" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/45">Corruption</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/economic-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/46">Economic reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/educational-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/47">Educational reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/free-expression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/48">Free expression</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/human-rights" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/49">Human rights</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/minority-groups" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/51">Minority groups</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/political-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/52">Political reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/rule-law" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53">Rule of law</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/sexual-diversity-2" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/50">Sexual diversity</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/social-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/54">Social reform</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/index.php/society-politics/wasta" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/55">Wasta</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-3"> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Arabic Language</h2> <ul class="menu menu--arabic-language nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/67">Introduction to Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language-2" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/68">Is Arabic difficult?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language-1" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2931">How to learn Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language-7" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3682">Where to learn Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language-4" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/69">Arabic words in English</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language-5" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/70">Transliteration</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/index.php/arabic-language/arabic-language-3" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/71">Arabic proverbs</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Special Topics</h2> <ul class="menu menu--special-topics nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/index.php/special-topics/arab-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/72">Arab history</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/special-topics/arab-islamic-science" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/73">Arab-Islamic science</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/books-about-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3717">Books on the Middle East</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/coronavirus-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4230">Covid-19 in the Middle East</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/special-topics/food-and-recipes" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/74">Food and recipes</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/special-topics/hajj-pilgrimage" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/75">Hajj (pilgrimage)</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/special-topics/where-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3716">Where is the Middle East?</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/index.php/special-topics/who-are-arabs" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2752">Who are the Arabs?</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Latest News</h2> <ul class="menu menu--latest-news nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/index.php/middle-east-news-%E2%80%93-latest" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/92">Middle East news – latest</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/online-news-media" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/101">Online news media</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/useful-news-sources" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/93">Useful news sources</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="https://al-bab.com/official-government-news-services">Official news agencies</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-3"> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Country Guides</h2> <div class="views-element-container form-group"><div class="view view-countries view-id-countries view-display-id-block_1 js-view-dom-id-8f9683b156110f6f2cd13add86ae47ed2ab80baf7cefd9cb11c9e6a13bdd03d7"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/algeria" hreflang="en">Algeria</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/bahrain" hreflang="en">Bahrain</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/comoros" hreflang="en">Comoros</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/djibouti" hreflang="en">Djibouti</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/egypt" hreflang="en">Egypt</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/iraq" hreflang="en">Iraq</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/jordan" hreflang="en">Jordan</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/kuwait" hreflang="en">Kuwait</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/lebanon" hreflang="en">Lebanon</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/libya" hreflang="en">Libya</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/mauritania" hreflang="en">Mauritania</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/morocco" hreflang="en">Morocco</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/oman" hreflang="en">Oman</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/palestine" hreflang="en">Palestine</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/qatar" hreflang="en">Qatar</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/saudi-arabia" hreflang="en">Saudi Arabia</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/somalia" hreflang="en">Somalia</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/sudan" hreflang="en">Sudan</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/syria" hreflang="en">Syria</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/tunisia" hreflang="en">Tunisia</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/uae" hreflang="en">UAE</a></span></div></li> <li><div class="views-field views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><a href="/index.php/country/yemen" hreflang="en">Yemen</a></span></div></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-lg-3"> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Arts & Culture</h2> <ul class="menu menu--arts-and-culture nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture/arab-and-islamic-architecture" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/56">Architecture</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture/art" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/57">Art</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture/arabic-calligraphy" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/58">Calligraphy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/cinema-section/arab-cinema-0" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/59">Cinema</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture/dancing-arabs" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/60">Dance</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture/hennatattoos" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/61">Henna/tattoos</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture-liiterature-section/literature" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/62">Literature</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/music-section/arab-music-introduction" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/63">Music</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/liiterature-section/arabic-poetry" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/64">Poetry</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/index.php/arts-and-culture/arab-theatre" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/66">Theatre</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer-menu-item"> <h2>Documents</h2> <ul class="menu menu--documents nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/index.php/documents-section/documents" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/31">General documents</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/documents-section/country-documents" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2334">Country documents</a> </li> <li> <a href="/index.php/documents-section/documents-human-rights" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/96">Human rights documents</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="http://al-bab.com/documents-section/documents#League">Arab League documents</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-12"> <p class="copyright-text">all text and images (c) Al Bab and Brian Whitaker | Website (c) 2024 - by Ugli | all rights reserved</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="region region-footer"> <section id="block-eucookiecompliancebuttonblock" class="block block-eu-cookie-compliance block-eu-cookie-compliance-button-block clearfix"> This block requires the "Enable floating privacy settings tab and withdraw consent banner" to be enabled in <a href="/index.php/admin/config/system/eu-cookie-compliance/settings">EU Cookie Compliance settings</a>. </section> </div> <aside id="offCanvasMenu"> <div class="offcanvas-menu-list-main"> <h3>Menu</h3> <ul class="menu menu--main nav navbar-nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/" data-drupal-link-system-path="<front>">Home</a> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown active active-trail"> <a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" class="dropdown-toggle active-trail is-active" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2351">Articles <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/blog/archive/all" data-drupal-link-system-path="blog/archive/all">Blog posts</a> </li> <li> <a href="/articles-section/articles-brian-whitaker" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2351" class="is-active">Other articles</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/articles-section/middle-east-international-articles-about-yemen" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3130">Yemen articles</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/middle-east-news-%E2%80%93-latest" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/92">News <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/middle-east-news-%E2%80%93-latest" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/92">Middle East news – latest</a> </li> <li> <a href="/online-news-media" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/101">Online news media</a> </li> <li> <a href="/useful-news-sources" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/93">Useful news sources</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="https://al-bab.com/official-government-news-services">Official news agencies</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/society-politics/civil-society" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/44">Society & politics <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/society-politics/civil-society" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/44">Civil society</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/corruption" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/45">Corruption</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/economic-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/46">Economic reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/educational-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/47">Educational reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/free-expression" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/48">Free expression</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/human-rights" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/49">Human rights</a> </li> <li> <a href="/minority-groups" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/51">Minority groups</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/political-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/52">Political reform</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/rule-law" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/53">Rule of law</a> </li> <li> <a href="/sexual-diversity-2" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/50">Sexual diversity</a> </li> <li> <a href="/society-politics/social-reform" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/54">Social reform</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/society-politics/wasta" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/55">Wasta</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arab-and-islamic-architecture" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/56">Arts & culture <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arab-and-islamic-architecture" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/56">Architecture</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/art" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/57">Art</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arabic-calligraphy" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/58">Calligraphy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/cinema-section/arab-cinema-0" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/59">Cinema</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/dancing-arabs" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/60">Dance</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture/hennatattoos" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/61">Henna/tattoos</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arts-and-culture-liiterature-section/literature" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/62">Literature</a> </li> <li> <a href="/music-section/arab-music-introduction" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/63">Music</a> </li> <li> <a href="/liiterature-section/arabic-poetry" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/64">Poetry</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/arts-and-culture/arab-theatre" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/66">Theatre</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/67">Arabic language <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/67">Introducing Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-2" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/68">Is Arabic difficult?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-1" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2931">How to learn Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-7" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3682">Where to learn Arabic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-4" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/69">Arabic words in English</a> </li> <li> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-5" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/70">- Transliteration</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/arabic-language/arabic-language-3" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/71">Arabic proverbs</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown"> <a href="/special-topics/arab-history" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/72">Special topics <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/special-topics/arab-history" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/72">Arab history</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/arab-islamic-science" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/73">Arab-Islamic science</a> </li> <li> <a href="/books-about-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3717">Books on the Middle East</a> </li> <li> <a href="/coronavirus-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4230">Coronavirus pandemic</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/food-and-recipes" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/74">Food and recipes</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/hajj-pilgrimage" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/75">Hajj (pilgrimage)</a> </li> <li> <a href="/special-topics/where-middle-east" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3716">Where is the Middle East?</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/special-topics/who-are-arabs" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2752">Who are the Arabs?</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="expanded dropdown last"> <a href="/documents-section/documents" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/31">Documents <span class="caret"></span></a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="first"> <a href="/documents-section/documents" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/31">General documents</a> </li> <li> <a href="/documents-section/country-documents" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2334">Country documents</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/documents-section/documents-human-rights" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/96">Human rights documents</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </aside> </div> <div class="hidden-ads-container" style="display:none;"> <img src="/sites/default/files/728x90-albab-ads.png" class="ads-image"> </div> </div> <script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/index.php\/","scriptPath":null,"pathPrefix":"","currentPath":"node\/2351","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"bootstrap\/popover,bootstrap\/tooltip,core\/drupal.dialog.ajax,eu_cookie_compliance\/eu_cookie_compliance_default,sharethis\/sharethis,sharethis\/sharethispickerexternalbuttons,sharethis\/sharethispickerexternalbuttonsws,system\/base,views\/views.module,webform\/webform.element.details.save,webform\/webform.element.details.toggle,webform\/webform.element.message,webform\/webform.form","theme":"uglitheme","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"form_action_p_pvdeGsVG5zNF_XLGPTvYSKCf43t8qZYSwcfZl2uzM":true,"\/index.php\/search":true},"eu_cookie_compliance":{"cookie_policy_version":"1.0.0","popup_enabled":true,"popup_agreed_enabled":false,"popup_hide_agreed":false,"popup_clicking_confirmation":false,"popup_scrolling_confirmation":false,"popup_html_info":"\u003Cdiv aria-labelledby=\u0022popup-text\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-banner eu-cookie-compliance-banner-info eu-cookie-compliance-banner--opt-in\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022popup-content info eu-cookie-compliance-content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022popup-text\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-message\u0022 role=\u0022document\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch2\u003EWe use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy clicking the Accept button, you agree to us doing so.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022find-more-button eu-cookie-compliance-more-button\u0022\u003EMore info\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022popup-buttons\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-buttons\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022agree-button eu-cookie-compliance-secondary-button button button--small\u0022\u003EAccept\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022decline-button eu-cookie-compliance-default-button button button--small button--primary\u0022\u003ENo, thanks\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","use_mobile_message":false,"mobile_popup_html_info":"\u003Cdiv aria-labelledby=\u0022popup-text\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-banner eu-cookie-compliance-banner-info eu-cookie-compliance-banner--opt-in\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022popup-content info eu-cookie-compliance-content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022popup-text\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-message\u0022 role=\u0022document\u0022\u003E\n \n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022find-more-button eu-cookie-compliance-more-button\u0022\u003EMore info\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022popup-buttons\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-buttons\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022agree-button eu-cookie-compliance-secondary-button button button--small\u0022\u003EAccept\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022decline-button eu-cookie-compliance-default-button button button--small button--primary\u0022\u003ENo, thanks\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","mobile_breakpoint":768,"popup_html_agreed":false,"popup_use_bare_css":false,"popup_height":"auto","popup_width":"100%","popup_delay":1000,"popup_link":"https:\/\/al-bab.com\/privacy-policy-0","popup_link_new_window":true,"popup_position":false,"fixed_top_position":true,"popup_language":"en","store_consent":false,"better_support_for_screen_readers":false,"cookie_name":"","reload_page":false,"domain":"","domain_all_sites":false,"popup_eu_only":false,"popup_eu_only_js":false,"cookie_lifetime":100,"cookie_session":0,"set_cookie_session_zero_on_disagree":0,"disagree_do_not_show_popup":false,"method":"opt_in","automatic_cookies_removal":true,"allowed_cookies":"","withdraw_markup":"\u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-withdraw-tab\u0022\u003EPrivacy settings\u003C\/button\u003E\n\u003Cdiv aria-labelledby=\u0022popup-text\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-withdraw-banner\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022popup-content info eu-cookie-compliance-content\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022popup-text\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-message\u0022 role=\u0022document\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch2\u003EWe use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou have given your consent for us to set cookies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022popup-buttons\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-compliance-buttons\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cbutton type=\u0022button\u0022 class=\u0022eu-cookie-withdraw-button button button--small button--primary\u0022\u003EWithdraw consent\u003C\/button\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","withdraw_enabled":false,"reload_options":0,"reload_routes_list":"","withdraw_button_on_info_popup":false,"cookie_categories":[],"cookie_categories_details":[],"enable_save_preferences_button":true,"cookie_value_disagreed":"0","cookie_value_agreed_show_thank_you":"1","cookie_value_agreed":"2","containing_element":"body","settings_tab_enabled":false,"olivero_primary_button_classes":" button button--small button--primary","olivero_secondary_button_classes":" button button--small","close_button_action":"close_banner","open_by_default":true,"modules_allow_popup":true,"hide_the_banner":false,"geoip_match":true},"bootstrap":{"forms_has_error_value_toggle":1,"modal_animation":1,"modal_backdrop":"true","modal_focus_input":1,"modal_keyboard":1,"modal_select_text":1,"modal_show":1,"modal_size":"","popover_enabled":1,"popover_animation":1,"popover_auto_close":1,"popover_container":"body","popover_content":"","popover_delay":"0","popover_html":0,"popover_placement":"right","popover_selector":"","popover_title":"","popover_trigger":"click","tooltip_enabled":1,"tooltip_animation":1,"tooltip_container":"body","tooltip_delay":"0","tooltip_html":0,"tooltip_placement":"auto left","tooltip_selector":"","tooltip_trigger":"hover"},"sharethis":{"publisher":"8c591c8d-65e7-4ae3-a3f7-1493bbcc5a4f","version":"5x","doNotCopy":false,"hashAddressBar":true,"doNotHash":false},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"5a152f6d632e986ade952da75fa19ba7093899ec696264c1df27cbd64e1b5047"}}</script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery/jquery.min.js?v=3.6.0"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/underscore/underscore-min.js?v=1.13.3"></script> <script src="/core/misc/polyfills/element.matches.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/polyfills/object.assign.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/polyfills/nodelist.foreach.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/css-escape/css.escape.js?v=1.5.1"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/once/once.min.js?v=1.0.1"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery-once/jquery.once.min.js?v=2.2.3"></script> <script src="/core/misc/drupalSettingsLoader.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/drupal.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/drupal.init.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/version-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/unique-id-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/plugin-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/data-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/disable-selection-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/focusable-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/form-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/ie-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/jquery-patch-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/keycode-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/safe-blur-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/safe-active-element-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/scroll-parent-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widget-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/controlgroup-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/form-reset-mixin-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/mouse-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/labels-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/checkboxradio-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/resizable-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/draggable-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/button-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/jquery.ui/ui/widgets/dialog-min.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/sharethis/js/sharethis.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/tabbable/index.umd.min.js?v=5.3.2"></script> <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@3.4.1/dist/js/bootstrap.js"></script> <script src="//unpkg.com/js-offcanvas@1.2.8/dist/_js/js-offcanvas.pkgd.min.js"></script> <script src="/themes/custom/uglitheme/js/script.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/drupal.bootstrap.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/attributes.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/theme.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/core/assets/vendor/js-cookie/js.cookie.min.js?v=3.0.1"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/eu_cookie_compliance/js/eu_cookie_compliance.min.js?v=9.4.9" defer></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/popover.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/tooltip.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/core/misc/debounce.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/jquery.once.bc.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/form.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/misc/form.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/webform/js/webform.behaviors.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/states.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/misc/states.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/webform/js/webform.states.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/webform/js/webform.form.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/webform/js/webform.element.details.save.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/announce.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/webform/js/webform.element.details.toggle.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/modules/contrib/webform/js/webform.element.message.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/progress.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/misc/progress.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/core/misc/ajax.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/misc/ajax.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/core/misc/displace.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/jquery.tabbable.shim.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/position.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/modal.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/dialog.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/modal.jquery.ui.bridge.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="/core/misc/dialog/dialog.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/dialog/dialog.position.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/modules/ckeditor5/js/ckeditor5.dialog.fix.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/core/misc/dialog/dialog.ajax.js?v=9.4.9"></script> <script src="/themes/contrib/bootstrap/js/misc/dialog.ajax.js?shnkbt"></script> <script src="https://ws.sharethis.com/button/buttons.js"></script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Articles by Brian Whitaker | al-bab