As the Syrian conflicts escalates, showing little sign of abating, or of effective intervention, the whole world has been abuzz with the prospect of Syria slipping into a sectarian scenario reminiscent of Iraq and Lebanon. Syria is a complex not homogenous landscape A breakdown of the ethnic minorities and the religious sects of Syria uncovers a picture of confused and conflicting allegiences beset by an ambivalence in orientation toward the regime. The diverse make-up of the minorities of the country alone are not simple to decipher. To make matters more ...

Syria's external relations As the Syrian 'lion' rages and the regime's clampdown on opposition forces reaches alarming death-toll figures, the media is ridden with questions addressing the peculiar deadlock or impasse in this Arab Spring country. Since international players often seem to 'help' to determine the fate of Arab regimes, it may be prudent to examine who exactly is set to profit from this regime's seeming inevitable demise, or else retention of power should the Arab League's (already shaky) Peace Plan be implemented. While a death toll that may have ...

On the eve of January 25th, the anniversary for Egypt's awe-inspiring "Jan 25" Revolution, we look back on a year ripe with burgeoning change and one long stop-starting protest. While the euphoria of 2011 has somewhat receded, we fully expect the Egyptians tomorrow to be giving themselves a pat on their back for what they have achieved- including the primary aim of namely getting rid of Mubarak- and what they have yet to achieve. In the meantime, a reminder of the flashpoints of the revolutionary year of 2011 for Egypt ...

Al Bawaba's pickings of some of the more colorful Tweeps operating in the Middle Eastern Twittersphere, include social networking Lebanese politicians and singers, preaching Egyptian and Saudi theologians, and hip and engaged Emirs and Queens of the region. Which Arab politicians or celebrities are dominating the Twitter-verse? We trace their orbits to provide some social media vitals: their traffic figures - their followers, who they are following, their tweet-count, their handles (a.k.a screen names) and their profile pictures (avatars). Arab celebrity Tweeps cover anything from royal contemplations to socio-political commentary ...

Masses of Tunisians marched in peaceful triumph Saturday Jan 14, 2012, to mark the one-year anniversary of the revolution that ended the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali — and indisputably sparked uprisings around the Arab world. Arab dignitaries too were out for the occasion of professing their pro-revolution stance, joining their hands in recognizing the momentous events that precipitated an Arab Spring. All attended an event at Palais des Congres in downtown Tunis Saturday 14 January. Perhaps the revelers marching the streets were celebrating the rise of the ...

In the Middle East, as with revolutions, there's no shortage of controversial fatwas. These are a source of debate for some, and entertainment or flippant disregard for others who refuse to engage seriously with some of the more bizarre, seemingly absurd rulings made in the name of Islam. Fatwas, thankfully, have always lived in the realm of individual jurisprudence or subjectivity that makes them by and large, not binding for the whole of the Muslim faith. Still, Muslim scholars, theologians and sheikhs can command a whole lot of authority and ...

A run-down of the top predictions for 2012 from the prominent men and women in their field of regional 'predicting' and fore-casting. These Arabian 'predictors', primarily for the Arab world but also for the global future, share some of their ominous foresights for the year ahead. Between them, the selection in our panel comes from a mixed stock of astrology, healing, fortune-telling and simply 'predictor' backgrounds. Most are self-proclaimed 'predictors' by trade and some are voices by now well-documented in the region, with fairly impressive track-records of realized predictions. Is ...

A preview of what the new year of 2012 holds in store for you, according to your star signs. Our Zodiac run-down, charts the rise or falls in the forecast for the year ahead, showing unanimous acknowledgement of a turbulent year gone by. Will this year be more promising on the personal or public level than the last? This year, more than others, people are increasingly looking to the stars for answers, as political forecasts fail to predict the surprises afflicting the natural and political world. Al Bawaba includes the ...

Spectacular displays of an international assortment of firework displays welcoming in the New Year of 2012.

Angry Year As the year comes to a close, many are relieved that a year of stormy clouds and unabated anger is behind us. Things can only get better, or is there still worse to come? In 2011, it turned out that we could not forecast the range of violent weather, nor could we predict the rage of people. From Joplin Missouri's tornado to Hurricane Irene that had NYC evacuated (the feared but softer touch to predecessor Katrina), even the super-power was not above being invaded by mad storms. Unemployment ...

A reminder in brief of the tumultuous news schedule of the year passed. 2011 saw news churned out globally at such a rate that had viewers transfixed to their TV screens, computers and phones for constant updates. In no order of importance or calendar chronology, Al Bawaba offers you its very own review in montage of the year in two parts: one slideshow can only go so far in a premium period that saw news editors doubling their efforts to keep abreast of the regional output alone, not neglecting the ...