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While there is a broad range of Arabic language media outlets reporting stories from and about the Middle East, there is currently no affordable and reliable means for English speakers to gain access to this content. As a result, many English speaking businesspersons, students, journalists and others who have an interest in the affairs of the region are largely unaware of what the Middle East media is covering and how they are covering these stories.

Mideastwire.com aims to close this gap by offering a daily menu of translations covering some of the key political, cultural, economic and opinion pieces appearing in the media of the 22 Arab countries and the Arab Diaspora. Through this effort, we hope to address at least one aspect of a global disconnect that continues to threaten a wide spectrum of socio-political and economic relationships, both here in the region and beyond.

It is also important to note that, since our founding in 2005, Mideastwire.com is wholly funded by the content license fees paid by individuals and organizations. As such, there is no government, commercial or non-profit support, an aspect that we believe provides a relatively independent platform for better understanding.

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TODAY’S DAILY BRIEFING

14-Mar-2016

Iraq

Politics

“Peshmerga: We will deal with Popular Mobilization like [Islamic] State organization...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On March 14, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in Irbil Omar al-Jaburi: “Kurdish Peshmerga officers and elements warned the Popular Mobilization militias against coming near the cities of Khanaqin and Hawija, along with the other cities controlled by the Peshmerga, lest they deal with them like the [Islamic] State organization and consider them a terrorist force to which they will respond with great strength. At this level, Peshmerga officer Bakr Khalil said to Al-Quds al-Arabi: “We reject the entry of the Popular Mobilization militia or any other military side to all the cities in which the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are present, and we will deal with these militias as though terrorist groups and outlaws, just as we deal with the [Islamic] State organization… (Read More)

Lebanon

Opinion

“Methodical targeting of resistance axis” (Teshreen, Syria)

On March 13, the state-controlled Teshreen newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Nizar ar-Rafih: “The Arab League’s classification of the Lebanese national resistance represented by Hezbollah as “terrorist” appears to have had little impact on the Lebanese political scene, even on the street with all its partisan and popular formations…, and its decision only reaped an “Israeli” welcoming. This is due to the fact that the attempt to lead Lebanon into the eye of the crises in the region, to corner both the national resistance and the Lebanese army, is a common goal shared by the Gulf kingdoms and the Zionist entity. And it was complemented by ISIL’s threats to Lebanon a few hours after the Gulf escalation, through a new video addressed to the Lebanese and the state institutions, including the army, and not excluding the resistance… (Read More)

Politics

“The Islamic State’s announcement: a launching signal or a maneuver to attract jihadists?” (Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon)

Terrorism

On March 14, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: “Seven young men left the Ain el-Helweh camp and headed to the land of Islamic succession in the Syrian Al-Reqqah last month. No security measures or military checkpoints could stop them. A few weeks following their “jihadist migration,” the first official announcement of the Islamic State was published under the title of “O grandchildren of the Prophet’s companions in Lebanon.” The announcement was issued by the media bureau of the Al-Reqqah state… (Read More)

“Samir Geagea: Aoun’s nomination prevents the collapse” (Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon)

Democracy and Party Politics

On March 14, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following interview with the head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea: “…Q. One politician said that Samir Geagea spent 11 years in jail and another 11 years in his relationship with Al-Hariri?… (Read More)

Middle East

Politics

“Will the Kurdish Democratic Union declare a federation in Nowruz?” (Website, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy - Democracy and Party Politics

On March 13, the electronic Al-Modon daily carried the following report: “Al-Modon learned from private sources at the “self-administration” that the Democratic Union party will make an announcement on March 21 on connecting the three Kurdish cantons – Al-Jazira, Kobani, and Efrin – to each other as part of a federal ruling system. A first row official from the Democratic Union told Al-Modon that the Nowruz celebrations this year will serve “to announce the federal regime” adding that the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan territory, Massoud Barazani, has given his blessing to the federal regime and praised it in Syria… (Read More)

“Az-Zayani to Al-Hayat: Gulf States have military strength to deter any attack” (Al-Hayat, United Kingdom)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security

On March 13, the Saudi-owned London-based Al-Hayat newspaper carried the following report by its correspondent in Dammam Munira al-Hudayb: “GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif az-Zayani revealed the existence of threats facing the Gulf States, but pointed to the insistence of the latter on confronting them, and on achieving Gulf military complementarity and integration on all levels. In statements to Al-Hayat, Az-Zayani assured that the GCC states now enjoyed enough military power to deter any attack, saying that since its establishment in 1981, the Gulf Cooperation Council has maintained its status as an active, influential and ambitious regional organization, working hard for the achievement of its noble goals… (Read More)

Palestine

Politics

“Hamas is courting Egypt so will it respond?” (As-Safir, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy

On March 13, the independent, leftist As-Safir daily carried the following report: “After a period of boycott that went on for more than two years between Egypt and the Hamas movement on the backdrop of the latter group being an extension of the MBs, a banned group in Egypt, and the Egyptian authorities accusing the movement of being involved in the assassination of the former General Prosecutor, Hisham Barakat, several meetings are taking place in Cairo between an official Hamas delegation and the leadership of the Egyptian military intelligence services, an effort aimed at settling the political differences between the two sides… (Read More)

Qatar

Politics

“News of negotiations with Qatar to transfer Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Al-Arab channel to Doha” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Media

On March 14, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report by its correspondent in London Ahmad al-Masry: “Al-Quds al-Arabi has learned from reliable sources at Al-Arab satellite channel that negotiations were ongoing to move the channel to the Qatari capital Doha. The sources said that a prominent delegation headed by Chairman of the Board Fahad as-Sukait and General Director Jamal Khashoggi will soon visit the State of Qatar, to complete the measures to move Al-Arab to Doha and launch the satellite channel from there. Al-Arab channel, which is owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, was headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain. However, its broadcast was halted the day it went live, on the evening of Sunday February 1, 2015, after it hosted Bahraini oppositionist and Assistant Secretary General of the opposition Al-Wefaq Association Khalil Marzouk… (Read More)

Syria

Opinion

“On fifth anniversary of revolution: Can Syria be divided in four?” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Peace Process - USA Europe

On March 14, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the Syrian revolution, which erupted on March 15, 2011 from the southern city of Daraa... On that occasion, we will witness a new Geneva negotiations session between the political opposition and the regime, preceded by the noticeable statements of US Secretary of State John Kerry, in which he described the Syrian government officials’ talk about President Bashar al-Assad being a “red line” as a provocation, and said that Russia and Iran must prove that the Syrian government will “respect” what is agreed on... What was also noticeable were the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in which he said that the Turks were entrenching themselves on the Syrian side of the border, and that Turkey was starting to demand its sovereign right to create buffer zones on Syrian soil… (Read More)

“Senior Syrian negotiator speaking about the inevitable Al-Assad departure or ‘assassination…’” (Newspaper, Middle East)

On March 13, Abdul Bari Atwan wrote the following piece in the electronic Rai al-Youm daily: “The international envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, indicated yesterday that the negotiations between the Syrian regime and the opposition delegations have three objectives: first, forming a global cabinet; second, coming up with a new constitution; and third, conducting presidential and legislative elections under the supervision of the UN… This UN plan that is supposedly supported by the Security Council is seemingly smooth and easy. However, when the negotiators will start to discuss it, things might prolong for years and perhaps even decades in order to reach an agreement on this plan and to implement it on the ground… (Read More)

Politics

“Is Al-Assad really a red line…?” (As-Safir, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy - Peace Process - United Nations

On March 14, Sami Kleib wrote the following report in the independent, leftist As-Safir daily newspaper: “The American-Russian train is proceeding calmly. It is not listening to the screams of the people waiting along its side. It is open to anyone who wishes to come onboard but it won’t stop for any reason, at least until the conclusion of the U.S. president’s term, Barack Obama… In less than a week, both Iran and Turkey announced their rejection of partitioning and federalism; Houthi-Saudi meetings took place; the Syrian negotiations were re-launched in Geneva; the international Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, said that the parliamentary and presidential elections will take place in 18 months; the Syrian minister of foreign affairs, Walid al-Muallem responded quickly by saying that President Bashar al-Assad is a red line; most of the Arab foreign ministers blacklisted Hezbollah; Iranian President Hassan Rouhani revealed that [Iranian] diplomats might be visiting Saudi Arabia… Meanwhile, a delegation close to Ansarullah went to Saudi Arabia… (Read More)

Turkey

Opinion

“Turkey, the master of the game” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Refugees - USA Europe

On March 13, the Qatari-owned Al-Arab newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Ismail Yasha: “In an article published by the Russian governmental Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Russian political analyst Yevgeny Shestakov tried to read into the agreement signed between Turkey and the European Union states regarding the measures to solve the refugee crisis, and described Turkey as per the headline. Yes, Turkey is the master of the game, if the negotiations can be referred to as such, because the European countries are well aware of the fact that the refugees’ flow into Europe is threatening the Union’s and the Schengen system’s future, and that Greece alone cannot prevent the arrival of new waves of illegal immigrants to European soil. But this may not be to the liking of Russia, which is trying to besiege and punish Turkey, following its army’s downing of a Russian warplane that breached Turkish airspace… (Read More)

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