JULY 2009

Staked in stability

For your information

Walid the weathervane
Walid Jumblat’s changing positions after turbulent elections

A government under the gun
The new government must now face its real challenge Hezbollah

Iran‘s inclement election
Iran faces a wave of clashes after its turbulent elections

Iraq’s vertigo
Iraq’s ability to self-govern is questioned

Peace at a crossroads
Talk of peaceful relations between Syria and the U.S

Slavery to emancipation
Bahrain cancels its sponsorship regulation

Pirated intellect bedevils WTO
The issue of intellectual property could cost Lebanon a global status

Hezbollah killed JFK
Hezbollah is a force to be reckon with on the regional and global level

The Dubai delusion
Dubai hit by the crisis is a miracle no more

The oath of leadership
After the global crisis leaders pledge to be responsible for their organizations and society at large

Lebanon‘s election campaigns brash but empty of content
Lebanese campaign elections creative but bold

GCC – A currency shortchanged
Four Gulf states push ahead with monetary union minus the UAE

News in Brief
Telecoms and Electricity

Reconstruction – The Jewish revival
Rebuilding the Magen Avraham synagogue and Lebanon

Energy – Like oil and water
Hydrocarbon politics in the Eastern Mediterranean

Architecture – Project Lebanon 2009
Beirut exhibition on the cutting edge of sustainable urban development

Environment – A carbon-neutral car dealer
RYMCO drives ahead in emissions reduction and CO2 offsets

Realpolitik in the pipeline
Vested interests sour plans for regional gas networks

Resurrecting the rail
Damascus getting the train back on track

Water from a desert well
Pipeline set to pump underground water from aquifers hundreds of kilometers to thirsty Amman

Stitching the economy
Ankara weaves a recovery plan

Cityscape in Jeddah
The region’s real estate giant struts its stuff

Going once, going twice
The UAE’s new property auction fad

Invested in tourism
Rabat banks on the high-end traveler

Development’s new digs
Investors from around the world pour billions into new properties

Tops in technology
ICT sector riding wave of investment

Al Hurra – Joaquin F. Blaya (Q&A)
Member of the US Broadcasting Board of Governors speaks to the Exxecutive

Brandcell – Joe Ayoub (Q&A)
A discussion on the crucial importance of strategic branding

Deyaar Development – Markus Giebel (Q&A)
CEO discusses company's first Lebanese undertaking, Saifi Village 2

Real estate – The Deyaar survival course
A five-step strategy to keeping afloat in a sea of loan defaults

Wings clipped but still flying
Economic downturn fails to ground the region’s executive airline industry

High time to set to sea
An armada of unsold boats float a buyers market

Paving the way for lavish rides
High-end car manufacturers change gears to fit conditions

Cheaper suites and empty beds
Financial crisis leaves businesses and tourists with less to spend on travel and accommodation

The price of being well-heeled
Once rich retailers struggle as customers cling to their dollars

Time winds down
High-end watch sales slow while industry layoffs clock-in

The finest of smokes
Havanna S.A., the king of Cuban tobacco, sets the global standard for cigars

Dr. Abdul Malik al-Jaber
Founding chairman of Young Arab Leaders – Palestine

IPO Watch – The Saudi vanguard
Kingdom jumps with both feet back into the market

Money Matters by BLOMINVEST Bank

Company bulletin

Regional equity markets
A look at Arab World indices for June

Politics – Obama in Cairo
President’s speech eloquent, innocuous and insufficient