News network Al Jazeera dominated coverage of the recent fighting the Gaza. Owned by the Emir of Qatar, and headquartered in the Middle East, the channel has a dominant presence in the Middle East. This was evident during the Gaza conflict when its intensive coverage put its competitors to shame. Al Jazeera knew it too. [...]
Gallery Archive
Why I’m Still a Big Fan of Dubai
The Dubai story has taken some hard knocks in recent months. Its massive construction program has tended to rely on debt rather than oil. Debt markets however have collapsed as a result of the financial crisis. There is also talk of oil-rich Abu Dhabi having to bailout its neighbor. Dubai’s critics claim that the emirate [...]
The Gaza Spotlight
Ahmed Mussa speaks good Chinese. He should. He’s the Palestinian Authority’s envoy in Beijing. I watched his interview on Xinhua, China’s state news agency, earlier this week. For thirty minutes he argued the Palestinian case in front of his Chinese host. He criticized Israel. But also opposed the rocket attacks by Hamas. He talked of [...]
Not Too Hot, Not Too cold
Is it the end of the Silk Road story? It’s tempting to assume falling oil prices is bad news for the region. After all, the Silk Road accounts for 49% of the world’s oil production. Yet, oil isn’t everything. The region is also the world’s largest manufacturing hub, its factories producing everything from steel to [...]
“China cheat sheet helps investors survive”, Bloomberg, September 1, 2010
“No more silver bullets for Beijing”, Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2010
“China’s historic return to the Gulf”, Foreign Policy, April 2, 2010
