May 2014

At the League of Arab States’ (LAS) 25th summit, leaders gathered in Kuwait to address perennial concerns, ranging from the lingering Palestinian-Israeli dispute, to the more recent Arab uprisings and the devastating civil war in Syria. Inasmuch as significant differences remained, the delegates had considered not issuing a final communiqu’, although cooler heads prevailed and one was duly read out …

Ukraine, the terra incognita, once made world headlines in 1986 under Soviet rule, when the Chernobyl nuclear disaster claimed scores of dead, and thousands more suffered the long-term effects of nuclear radiation. This time, following political turmoil and the subsequent invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russian forces, Ukraine’s media infamy is part of a much larger situation. Though independent …

Afghanistan experienced yet another defining moment as millions of Afghans braved suicide attacks, roadside bombs, intimidations and even unexpected stormy weather conditions to take part in the presidential elections’ expected to produce the country’s first democratic and peaceful transfer of power. That is if, in spite of a possible run-off, the next steps in the electoral process will allow for …

Contest for Central Asia Both Putin and the West are wooing Central Asian leaders in energy-rich Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. If Russia weakens economically, they will want at least a foot in the Western camp. Russia Diminished Russia’s role in international affairs is diminished, at least temporarily. Moscow has been de facto excluded from the Group of Eight industrialised …

Groundbreaking Discovery, Bumpy Roads Ahead, Equality before Law, Lions Conquer the Cricket World, Parliament is Supreme, Sir!, Aftermath, Purely Irrational, Enter the New World, How Dare You Unite?, Tiny Nations Dreams Big, Asia Pivot Policy Groundbreaking Discovery On Mar 17, experts at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced detecting the waves of gravity that rippled through space right after the …

Foreign policy of a nation is always predicated on where you want to go as a sovereign and independent state. This is the basic determinant of a country’s foreign policy. In our case, at the time of our independence, like Alice in Wonderland, we did not know which way to go and this turned out to be the first dilemma …

After offshore oil was discovered in 1966, the Sheikh conceived a vision of a modern city-state and entrepot whose prosperity would outlast the flow of oil revenues: without far-sighted investment, he feared, the desert would one day reclaim its territory and his descendants would ride camels as his forebears had done. Mr William Duff became a key figure in transforming …

Thing which I like most about Dubai is its law and order. I think Dubai is the safest place in the world. Everyone, both native and expats, are equal before law and there is no discrimination at all. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am a chemical engineer by profession and I have been living in Dubai for …

It was hardly five years ago when Dubai made a shocking announcement that it wouldn’t be able to make timely repayments for the debt availed by government-owned entity Dubai World. The situation got worse with time and the emirate had to seek help from Abu Dhabi to avoid a default. This bailout package from an oil-rich emirate came as a …

(1) Dubai Museum, (2) Jumeirah Beach Park, (3) Burj Khalifa, (4) The Dancing Fountains, (5) Souk Al Bahar, (6) Friday Brunch, (7) Old Dubai, (8) Jumeirah Mosque, (9) Big Bus Tour, (10) A Cruise on the Creek, (11) The spice souk, (12) Hatta Pools, (13) Ski Dubai, (14) Deira Gold Souk, (15) The Dubai Mall 1. Dubai Museum Catch a …