Prospects for peace in the Middle East may have eluded previous US presidents for years, but the topic still makes it to the Democratic-Republican scoreboard. After the third and final presidential debate got mired in the Mideast (leaving us tempted to believe that US foreign policy was all about the Middle East, with a dash of China, leaving the Monroe Doctrine and with it the Mexico borders consigned to the Wild Wild past), we were forced to accept that the Middle East still mattered for the superpower’s all-American election. As ...

It was a moveable feast for some who had to make other plans when certain celebs crashed and burned on them with concert cancellations. For some down-faced revelers in Lebanon and Egypt it felt more famine than feast, as they looked to top up their holiday spirits for Eid Al Adha 2012 elsewhere. Generally the Gulf's entertainment line-up was all a-go with fireworks and smiles all round. This Eid Al-Kabeer (Big Feast)'s entertainment world was a bittersweet brew of shows and no-shows -- entertainment buzzes and blues, as concerts went ...

When we think of the most coveted and for many, once-in-a-life-time journey, to the 'Hajj', we often consider only the honor and the perks that go with the experience. Many of us only see the benefits, like the dates and holy water (zam-zam) that smiling pilgrims proudly carry home to share. The Eid that directly follows the Hajj time , known as Eid al Adha (or Feast of Sacrifice), brings to mind only the sacrificed sheep and the cheery celebrations. But there is another side to the pilgrimage and the ...

Hajji - the honorific title given to a devout Muslim who has completed the once-in-a-life-time pilgramage to Mecca - carries the kudos of the knighthood in the Commonwealth world. Like turning 'Sir' one who has completed Hajj is vaunted with the proud pre-fix 'Hajj' before their name, and so joins the ranks of the global faithful and most typically grandparents everywhere. Celebrities with their eye on the glory, more than any other starry eyed members of society, love the chance to be piled with more titles and honors, especially if ...

The destruction of people is ever present in modern day Syria where lives are lost at the rate of hundreds per day. But on top of the loss of human life there is another assault happening, this time on the heritage of this ancient country. Although the two do not bear comparison, both catastrophes are irreversible. Syria is lucky to be the scene of multiple world heritage sites, including the entirety of old city in Aleppo . These are sites that have left stunned tourists staring in wonder at the ...

Two months ago the ramshackle brigades that make up the opposition fighters in Syria were told: ‘join the Syrian National Army (SNA) or disband.’ The disjointed divisions were causing chaos internally and undermining the credibility of a post-Assad government. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, SNA commander-in-chief, Major General Muhammad al-Haj Ali, said; “… the Free Syrian Army (FSA) reached a stage where it could no longer absorb all the opposition elements and brigades within its structure.” He added that uniting the opposition under one banner would help avoid further bloodshed once ...

The weather forecast was set – testosterone clouds teeming over Dubai signaled it would be raining men. Petty picture politics, Emirati hitches and all manner of stumbling blocks notwithstanding, the postponed date arrived and with it the man-parade that the ladies awaited. On Saturday 13 October, 23 strapping lads thrashed it out for the glory of being crowned 'Mr. World International 2012 Middle East'. And it was survival of the 'fittest' in the man-on-man battle at Dubai's luxury H Hotel. There was nowhere to hide as the judges cast their ...

With the big three talent shows out in force, all eyes are on who will make judge this year. While ordinary viewers will be looking to the quirky contestants and great singing voices, Arab celebrities are squinting for any spare chairs on those panels. Nancy Ajram , the Lebanese lady who has titled herself ‘super’ is the latest onto the list and is unsurprisingly thrilled. After all, a post on the ‘Idol ‘Talent' or ‘Voice' panel is a ticket to all things fame and fortune. Just ask Ragheb Alama, judge ...

As news emerged this week that the Free Syria Army (FSA) was harboring vendettas against Lebanon's Hezbollah and threatening to expand its battlefield to another country, some could no longer ignore the sneaking suspicion that things were not quite right with Syria's opposition. The crisis-ridden country's best bet out of the regime's stranglehold was starting to give off a stench of something rotten about the state of the FSA, and more widely, the Syrian National Council (SNC). Complaints were piling up against the amateurish rebel group, who displayed a record ...

While many Arab celebs have thrown themselves into the eye of the Social Media storm and taken to it like ducks to water, some may need a little guidance to avoid drowning in the rip-tides or stumbling across those pitfalls. It’s not always plain sailing for the stars who are often left floundering after social networking gaffes and blips. Where PR consultants or spin doctors may have once been able to handle their press statements and public manner, Twitter is now leaving indelible evidence and an online trail of drama ...

Given the self-professed failure of many UN peace-keeping missions (notoriously Bosnia and Rawanda) people have a hard time remembering the great good done by the UN , and its auxiliary bodies: the World Health Organization, which worked so hard to eradicate polio; the International Court of Justice, which has brought peace of mind, if justice to few; and Goodwill Ambassadors, who sent Angelina Jolie to Syrian refugee camps. Its flaws are easier to fault, but how did this giant beast come to exist, anyway? On the ashes of the Second ...