2007

Dubai’s history has long been associated with the sea. Todaymore than ever, the city rekindles with its marine past.Driven by sustained regional economic growth and oilabundance, prestigious waterside developments such …

I hadn’t been to Gaza since January. The kidnapping of theBBC’s Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston on March 12 had madethe strip a no-go zone, and during the vicious rounds offactional …

Most governments in the Middle East are increasingly supporting the idea that information and communication technologies (ICT) can be made available to all citizens to truly improve their lives. In …

Investing in a water desalination plant or a school was seenfor a long time to be a government’s job. Private companieswere usually interested to build such projects, but wererarely excited …

Last March, Lebanon requested to use $77 million (25% of itsquota) of IMF financing as Emergency Post-ConflictAssistance (EPCA) for the first time since it joined thisinternational financial institution on April …

Private equity in the region is like a limbering man: almostall acquisitions of this $20 billion industry are beingfinanced directly from the coffers of the private equityfunds. It is the …

The Gulf economies have moved ahead in the currentdecade. The extent of change is apparent when we rememberthat only eight years ago, the price of a barrel of OPECcrude went …

One of the world’s largest refugee crises is underway in theMiddle East. It has been going on for the last four years, but judging by the scant attention the issue …

It was the sort of invitation most people would avoid at all costs: ‘Please come and spend two hours flying on a plane that seats 550 – and end up …

Not many international meetings close in an optimistic mood.The phrases “failed to agree” or “agreed to meet again” are mentioned far too often at the conclusion of such events.But last …