Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Bahraini Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Khalifa attends the consultative meeting of interior ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in the Bahraini capital Manama on April 23, 2013. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Al-Shaikh)

Debate: The Gulf states will find it hard to join the Iranian nuclear talks

by Dr. Antoine Safer | Jul 21, 2014 | Debate

Negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) have been marked by years of wrangling, give-and-take, and mutual accusations of indirect subterfuge. Iran’s nuclear program will likely remain a point of...

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks with Kuwaiti officials during the second joint high committee meeting between Kuwait and Iran at the Foreign Ministry in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on December 1, 2013. (AFP Photo)

Debate: The Gulf states could participate in the Iranian nuclear talks

by Dr. Zuhair Al-Harthi | Jul 21, 2014 | Debate

Historically, conflicts between the Safavids and the Ottomans—the peak of which was seen in Basra—have created a sea of distrust and suspicion between the two sides that has only deepened over the centuries, easing at times and flaring up at others. Today, the two...

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US Secretary of State John Kerry leaving a press conference after closed-door nuclear talks on Iran take place in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, July 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Debate: Iran nuclear deal has a future

by David Patrikarakos | Jul 20, 2014 | Debate

So the interim nuclear deal reached between Iran and the P5+1 world powers, the UN Security Council powers and Germany, has been extended. In spite of last-minute efforts from international convoys fueled by hope and desperation in Vienna this weekend, it is now clear...

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European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton, left, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, speak to the press after closed-door nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Debate: Iran nuclear deal has no future

by Samih Maaytah | Jul 20, 2014 | Debate

When we talk about a possible agreement between Iran and the P5 +1, not only are we talking about a technical military agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program, but we are also implicitly engaging with Iran’s expansionist ambitions, which are part and parcel of...

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A Saudi woman looks at her mobile as she walks through a coffee shop in the capital Riyadh on June 17, 2013 AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE

Debate: Shura Council membership did not open new opportunities for Saudi Women

by Fahid Bin Suleiman Al-Shaqiran | Jul 12, 2014 | Debate

The problem facing women’s participation in national affairs relates to changing roles and ideas of personal status. I don’t think the entrance of women into the Shura Council truly fulfilled Saudi women’s ambitions. In truth, the struggle of women to play a full role...

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Saudi Shura Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat Photo)

Debate: Shura Council membership opened new opportunities for Saudi Women

by Hanan Bint Abdel-Rahim Al-Ahmedi | Jul 12, 2014 | Debate

I believe the decision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, to appoint a number of women to the Shura Council will positively affect the ability of women to compete in other fields, such as the planned elections to municipal counils....