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Qatar – Modernity’s Neopatrimonial Edition?
Gulf Cooperation Council Meeting. by Matthew Machowski The widespread ‘rentier mentality’ in the Gulf has undoubtedly led to a massive…
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Islam – Democracy’s Dilemma?
While the recent Arab Spring uprisings toppled both the Tunisian President Ben Ali and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, other authoritarian…
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Turkey – The new Ottomans?
I truly recommend watching this episode of ‘Empire’ by Al Jazeera’s Marwan Bishara – this time on modern Turkey, its…
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Mapping Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
This is an extremely impressive map of Israeli settlements in the West Bank indicating also the Separation Barrier. One does…
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Mapping Saudi Arabia’s regional influence
Source: Der Spiegel International
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Saudi woman finally driving a car
One cannot miss the site of this amazing woman, Manal al-Sherif, who in defiance for the traditional rules of conduct in…
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Can the GCC Rentier States Democratise?
The Gulf region has proven to be one of the fastest developing areas in the world with enormous wealth and…
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Qatar-Israel Relations: A Historical Overview
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s Emir meeting Israel’s PM Ehud Olmert in Paris, Jul 2008. Source: LIFE Qatar,…
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Migrant workers in the Gulf: A Historical Perspective
Dr Adam Hanieh, lecturer in the Department of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University…
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Mapping Religion in the Middle East
This incredible map was created by Gary Sick of the Gulf 2000 Initiative at the Columbia University. I have recently come…