RIGHTS: Arab Spring Not Quite In the Air

Taking a cue from the 1968 uprising in former Czechoslovakia, many pundits are wondering whether the new breeze of democracy in various Middle East countries is an 'Arab spring'.

EGYPT: Uneasy Warmth Grows with Israel

In another reflection of warming diplomatic ties, Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom - a member of Israel's right-wing Likud Party - visited Cairo Tuesday to hold discussions with President Hosni Mubarak, his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Aboul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

IRAQ: Patchwork Presidency Finally Takes Shape

The Iraqi parliament that was elected some ten weeks ago has finally picked the three-men presidium of the Republic, making Jalal Talabani the first Kurdish president of Iraq. The appointments follow a breakthrough last week when the National Assembly at last agreed on a Sunni Arab speaker.

MIDEAST: That Wartime Feel Returns to Lebanon

Lebanon's recent string of bomb attacks directed against Christian areas around Beirut has resulted in a war-weary population returning to old behavioural patterns.

EGYPT: Opposition Waits for Democracy, Cynically

Ever since President Hosni Mubarak asked parliament for a constitutional amendment allowing multi-candidate presidential elections, speculation has grown around prospective contenders.

MIDEAST: Lebanon Fears, and Hopes

The political upheaval which has engulfed Lebanon following the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri has given rise to fears of renewed sectarian bloodshed - and hopes that it can be avoided.

RIGHTS: Women’s Movement Gathers Pace in Yemen

Women's groups are coming together in Yemen to demand a quota system in jobs and political representation.

IRAQ: Govt Begins to Take Shape

Close to two months after the announcement of election results, Shia and Kurd leaders say an agreement over the formation of a new government is imminent.

MIDEAST: Gaza Pullout Faces Rising Hurdles

Opposition leader Joseph "Tommy" Lapid recently bragged that he had been receiving calls from senior U.S. officials asking him to throw the weight of his 14-member Shinui party behind the government's budget for 2005. "I don't know whether this pressure is from the U.S. administration or if Sharon's office asked the U.S. to put pressure on us," Lapid said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

MEDIA-MIDEAST: The Artful Bloggers

The growth of personal websites, known as "blogs", in the greater Middle East is raising questions about whether this technology will eventually become the area's "new, new media" and provide an antidote to the one-sided "news" carried by government-controlled presses.

MIDEAST: Israeli Euphoria Over Lebanon Wearing Off

The initial reactions bordered on the euphoric. Lebanese citizens were pouring into the streets of Beirut in open defiance of Damascus, and Israelis were cheering. Talk in Israel of a democratic, Syria-free neighbour to its north abounded. Some even speculated Lebanon might be the next Arab country - after Egypt and Jordan - to forge a peace treaty with Israel.

MIDEAST: Hariri’s Legacy Includes a Massive Debt

Former prime minister Rafik Hariri left a controversial economic legacy, and his killing has put a question mark over the future of the troubled country's finances.

MIDEAST: Lebanese Movement Sets Its Own Agenda

The assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri proved a catalyst for the unfurling of exceptional public protest in Lebanon. Within 24 hours of the attack, a vigil was held at the site of the blast on Beirut's seafront. From there on, public mobilisation escalated to daily demonstrations and a permanent sit-in at Martyrs' Square in the heart of the Lebanese capital, next to the burial site of the slain Sunni leader.

RIGHTS-IRAN: The Fearless Voice of Taqi Rahmani

Iranian dissident author Taqi Rahmani, who has spent over 17 years in prison, is the winner of a prestigious award from a leading human rights organisation for his writings criticising the repressive fusion of religion and politics in Iran.

MIDEAST: Without a Government, Lebanon Waits

Syrian President Bashar Assad's announcement that Syria will soon pull back its troops from Lebanon may have eliminated some concerns about Syria's overall plans, but has done little to solve its internal crisis.

MIDEAST: Beirut Square Stands Firm Against Syria

Syrian President Bashir al-Assad's much anticipated speech before parliament Saturday on the status of the Syrian presence in Lebanon drew mixed reactions from the Lebanese.

MIDDLE EAST: Conflict Could Be Resolved Without Ceasefire, Says Palestinian Analyst

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict could be resolved even without a ceasefire, despite the demands set forth by the governments of Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush, Marwan Tahbub, a former Palestinian ambassador in Mexico and Central America, told IPS.

MIDEAST: Syria Runs Into Some Young Opponents

Ever since former prime minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a car explosion last week, two pillars of opposition have stood out.

IRAQ: Nation Within a Nation Takes Shape

Two years and three elections after the fall of the Saddam regime, Kurdistan is taking shape as a nation within a nation.

MIDEAST: Lebanon Slips Into Political Turmoil

Less than 24 hours after the unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Omar Karami, the dominant question here is, what next.

IRAQ: Shia Party Rises From the Ashes

In the early days of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, when the international media was discovering mass graves throughout the country, journalists of all types were documenting the full scope of the old regime's brutality.