Category Archives: Interests
First US-GCC Summit on Regional Security Tables Yemen on Agenda
Once upon a time, there were seven brothers. Mother Earth blessed the first six with gold. Father time buried the youngest one’s treasures very deep beneath the sand. Mothers and fathers worry about sibling rivalries. Sheba took care of the … Continue reading
Rosseau Isn’t the First, nor Last, to Negotiate a ‘Social Contract’ #BreakTheCycle
“50% of Arab world citizens are dissatisfied with public services in their area,” according to the World Bank survey — which prompted not one, but two sessions at the Annual World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring 2015 Meeting. So it was … Continue reading
#Egypt: Investing in Infrastructure Isn’t a “Fool/Full Proof” Plan
From March 13th to 15th , Egypt hosted a two-day economic summit to present its business case as THE emerging economy in the Mediterranean and African region. Meanwhile, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported on the status of the U.S.-Egypt … Continue reading
Not About WHO Is Governing, But HOW # UAE #YEMEN
Pick the Gulf country story you would prefer to read … but only one of them is true. The other is satire. (Hint: It is story involving the only Arab country that has banned human rights group, Human Rights Watch, … Continue reading
Line Between Defense Strategy & Development Assistance Continues to Blur
The United States will continue to provide support to its Afghan partners, counter terrorism abroad, maintain a strong forward presence in the Middle East region, and ensure U.S. military forces are ready to respond to a wide range of potential … Continue reading
Reducing Freedom Through #AutocraSisi #BloggerFlogger #OilSpoils … and torture
Freedom includes many things: freedom from autocracy and/or flogging. (The autocratic practices in Egypt, by, say, President Sisi, is what prompted us to coin the term “autocrasisi”. We are also a bit worried about the “blogger flogger” phenomena in Saudi … Continue reading
“Breaking the Cycle: Creating Solutions for Water Security in the Middle East”
In 2010, the U.S. World Threat Assessment listed water scarcity in MENA as a global threat. Source: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence The Hollings Center for International Dialogue asked: How to create solutions for water security in the Middle … Continue reading
Pivoting from Dispossession: Arab American’s Entrepreneurial Path
Dear Pita-consumers: Happy 2015! We want to start the year off right with some positivity and inspiration. Thankfully, one of our earliest PITAPALS, Asma Jaber, an Arab-American, has inspired this first week’s posting with her vision and explanation of establishing … Continue reading
Filed under Interests
Middle East Institute 68th Annual Conference: “Navigating the Storm” #MiddleEast
“What’s happening in the region is renegotiation of social contracts.”~ Randa Slim, Director for Initiative for Track 2 Dialogues at Middle East Institute This bodes true for countries that are in the middle of transitioning power… and can be argued … Continue reading
USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Office of Transition Initiatives is often referred to the first line of development in #USAID. OTI is an incubator”.~USAID’s New Deputy Administrator, General Lenhardt Washington, DC- On October 20th, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Transition Initiatives … Continue reading
