Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Mark Zuckerberg, shown in Spain last year, defended his company this week from President Trump’s assertion that “Facebook was always anti-Trump.” Credit Pau Barrena/Bloomberg

Zuckerberg’s Preposterous Defense of Facebook

by Zeynep Tufekci | Oct 2, 2017 | Opinion

Responding to President Trump’s tweet this week that “Facebook was always anti-Trump,” Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, defended the company by noting that Mr. Trump’s opponents also criticize it — as having aided Mr. Trump. If everyone is upset with...

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President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Trump Stands at the Edge of a Cliff with Kim Jong Un. Time to Start Dealing.

by David Ignatius | Oct 2, 2017 | Opinion

Top US officials have said repeatedly that America is seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis with North Korea. But President Trump’s insulting comments toward North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appear to have made such a negotiated settlement more difficult....

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A rally of armed Houthi followers in Yemen. (Reuters)

Steering the Battle Towards Saada

by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed | Oct 2, 2017 | Opinion

Saada is the Yemeni governorate south of Saudi Arabia and home to the Iran-affiliated Houthi and Ansar Allah’s militias. It is not an exaggeration to assume that through those militias, Iran wants to establish a presence on Saudi Arabia’s southern borders which...

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A man holds an Estelada (Catalan separatist flag) as people gather at Plaza Catalunya after voting ended in the independence referendum, in Barcelona. (Reuters)

From Barcelona to Irbil

by Ghassan Charbel | Oct 2, 2017 | Opinion

My British neighbor has been anxious for days. He has been following up on the news on the television and internet. He has a feeling of imminent disaster. He has forgotten all about the Brexit and his current and future concerns. He ignored the conference of the...

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Why Macron Doesn’t Fear France’s Unions

by Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry | Oct 1, 2017 | Opinion

The first street protests against Emmanuel Macron’s proposed labor-market reforms have been underwhelming. Several major unions stayed away. Estimates of the turnout varied — from 223,000, according to fairly reliable police figures, to 500,000, according to the...

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Kurdish people protest outside the Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

Before the Spark Breaks Out in Kurdistan

by Salman Al-dossary | Oct 1, 2017 | Opinion

On Sept. 25, the region woke up on a decisive moment with 92.7 percent of Kurdish people voting for independence from Iraq. Then events accelerated and the Iraqi government announced, in coordination with Ankara and Tehran, its willingness to restore control over four...