American funk
By Ian Buruma NEW YORK: The eccentric Bengali intellectual Nirad C. Chaudhuri once explained the end of the British Raj in India as a case of “funk,” or loss of nerve.…
Austerity vs. Europe
By Javier Solana MADRID: It is now increasingly clear that what started in late 2008 is no ordinary economic slump. Almost four years after the beginning of the crisis, developed economies…
Lavrov says Syrians should decide Assad’s fate
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, back from talks with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, pointedly declined to say Wednesday whether Moscow asked the embattled leader to go, stressing that Syrians…
Violence in Bahrain escalates ahead of Feb. 14 anniversary
MANAMA: The funeral march for Mohammed Yaacoub had barely ended last week when police and protesters faced off in the town of Sitra, an impoverished district of Bahrain that has…
Kuwait cabinet may be key to ending political gridlock
KUWAIT: Facing a bigger and bolder opposition swept into parliament by voters frustrated with Kuwait's dysfunctional politics, the country's rulers are under pressure to appoint a cabinet that can survive…
South Africa’s close ties to Iran under scrutiny
JOHANNESBURG: The West's increasing pressure on Iran has meant scrutiny for South African businesses that operate in the Middle Eastern nation accused of having nuclear ambitions. South African-Iranian political ties…
Living in a battlefield: Downtown residents say their lives are ‘on hold’
CAIRO: On Tuesday, Talaat Rashed Mansour spent his day salvaging what is left of his spare car parts shop that was burnt down during the latest clashes between protesters and…
Geopolitics, debt refinancing leave funds wary of Gulf
LONDON: Tensions over Iran, unrest in Syria and concern about refinancing of upcoming Dubai debt are making international investors wary of Gulf and other Middle Eastern markets this year, just…
Emerging markets most ‘resilient’ in economic crisis, says Agility
CAIRO: Despite the political unrest affecting the region, logistics professionals believe Egypt, Libya and Tunisia — along with other Arab countries that experienced popular uprisings last year — are becoming…
Egyptians must work to end military rule, says ElBaradei
LONDON: Egyptians must overcome economic and political differences to unite and put the country on the path to democracy and away from military rule, former presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei said…