All Talk, No Action Will Not Save Syria

On Wednesday, Syria experienced its worst day of violence yet in the increasingly vicious civil war. More than 300 people were killed in a series of bombings and attacks all over the country, with two massive bomb blasts near army headquarters in Damascus. The violence is spiralling out of control, and Syria faces increasing division […]

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Even The Gulf Monarchs Are Being Buffeted By The Winds Of Change

SINCE the wave of Arab uprisings started last year, the theory of “Arab exceptionalism” promoted by many Western governments to justify supporting dictatorships has looked a lot weaker. There was virtually no demand for democracy in rich, pro-Western or strategically valuable Arab countries, it was once breezily argued. Now the buzz phrase is “monarchical exceptionalism”. […]

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Food Diplomacy – Cheeseburger Pizzas, Designer French Fries and a Post-war Cinnabon: Fast Food’s Booming Middle East Market

What few Americans knew is that the Arab World‘s love for Western-branded fast food is seemingly bottomless, to the extent that in the region’s wealthiest oil exporting countries, high-end fast food restaurants offering $US40 hamburgers and French fries can find a willing clientele. Even ubiquitous brands such as McDonald’s and Burger King can sell their […]

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