Nigerian hip-hop, long a copy, grows into its own
Nigeria's most talked-about hip-hop video exhibits all the excesses of its American counterparts — beautiful, scantily clad models, a mansion and a bathtub full of hundred-dollar bills. But the biggest…
Novice filmmakers open window on Iraq
As Baghdad writhed with violence in 2006, Emad Ali set out to make a film about the iconic Shabandar Cafe. But he turned the camera on himself after the teahouse…
The road to Arab democracy
By Shlomo Avineri JERUSALEM: During the turmoil of the French Revolution, a popular saying arose: “How beautiful was the republic — under the monarchy.” The revolution aimed at achieving liberty, equality,…
What’s in store for US-Pakistan relations post-bin Laden?
By Huma Yusuf WASHINGTON, DC: Scenes of rejoicing in Washington and New York accompanied the news that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed by US special forces on Sunday.…
The new Arab spirit
By Mahmoud Amin Hishmeh AMMAN: Over the past few years, we have often heard about a new Middle East, as envisioned by the United States and its allies. What is happening…
All the Queen’s children
By Ian Buruma NEW YORK: Does monarchy — constitutional monarchy, that is, not the despotic kind — have any redeeming features left? The arguments against maintaining kings and queens are mostly…
Israel’s Egyptian dilemma
By Shlomo Ben Ami JERUSALEM: The Arab revolt against inertia, despair, and decline has rightly inspired the admiration of civilized people everywhere — everywhere, that is, except in Israel. The fall…
Bin Laden and the Afghan endgame
By Shahid Javed Burki ISLAMABAD: Osama bin Laden’s death in a firefight with United States special forces will profoundly affect Pakistan’s relations with America. The death of Al Qaeda’s leader deep…
A new vision for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict now
By Michael Felsen BOSTON, Massachusetts; As the turbulent winds of the Arab Spring continue to blow, and efforts to bring a September vote in the UN General Assembly to recognize the…
Congratulations to the Egyptian People on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2011
CAIRO: This year’s World Press Freedom Day, with its focus on social media, is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary democratic transformation currently underway in Egypt. During the January…
