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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.

Our Corrections Policy: We adhere to an honest and open corrections policy. Please email info@mideastwire.com if you notice any typo or if you disagree with our translation choices. Since we do not produce our own content, we only will consider corrections that highlight typos or dispute our translations, not the veracity or accuracy of the original content. Accepted corrections are applied directly to the relevant translations as soon as they are approved by the editor and our database is updated accordingly for all subscribers.

TODAY’S DAILY BRIEFING

08-Apr-2021

Algeria

Politics

“Why are the secularist parties in Algeria absent from the elections?” (Website, Middle East)

Democracy and Party Politics - Religion

On April 6, the Egyptian Arabi 21 news website carried the following report from Algiers by its correspondent Mohamed Salem: “Most of the parties affiliated with the “democratic current” in Algeria have announced their boycott of the legislative elections that will be held on June 12, under the pretext of siding with the popular action against the regime. The “democratic current” is a term used in Algeria to refer to the parties adopting secularist and modernist views, which is a political classification inherited from the days of the bloody crisis that swept the country in the 90s of last century. The current’s parties have various political backgrounds, oscillating between the moderate left represented by the Socialist Forces Front and the Rally for Culture and Democracy, and the far left represented by the Trotskyist Workers’ Party and the Democratic and Social Movement, an outgrowth of the Communist Party in the country… (Read More)

Egypt

Politics

"…Egypt alone in the crisis of En-Nahda Dam" (Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security - Peace Process

On April 7, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: "…During the celebrations for the re-launching of the work at the Suez Canal, the Egyptian leadership sent decisive and direct messages to Addis Ababa regarding the En-Nahda Dam… Egyptian President, Abdul Fattah es-Sisi, spoke once again about a red line…, a real straying away from Cairo's usual patient and balanced tone, and an expression of its limited options on this file coupled with the disappointing position of influential regional actors mainly the UAE and to a lesser extent, Saudi Arabia… (Read More)

Iraq

Politics

“Gov. Advisor for Electoral Affairs Hussein Hindawi in exclusive interview with Al-Mada...” (Al-Mada, Iraq)

Democracy and Party Politics

On April 7, the independent Al-Mada newspaper carried the following interview with the government’s advisor for electoral affairs, Hussein Hindawi, by its correspondent Muhammad Sabah… (Read More)

Jordan

Politics

"Bin Salman seeks to appease Abdullah II…" (Al-Akhbar Lebanon, Lebanon)

Arab Diplomacy

On April 7, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: "When the dust raised by the coup in Jordan subsided where Saudi Arabia appeared as the number one suspect, the Kingdom rapidly dispatched its Foreign Minister, Faisal Bin Farhan, to Amman to save whatever can be saved in terms of the Saudi regime's reputation specifically that of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman… (Read More)

Lebanon

Opinion

“...What does France want from Lebanon?” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Democracy and Party Politics - Energy

On April 7, the Lebanese Al-Binaa newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, carried the following opinion piece by Roseanna Rammal: “It seems that the French president’s interest in earning Saudi support to help form a government headed by Al-Hariri is more difficult to solve than the mystery of the Saudi retreat from the Lebanese file in general and the government file in particular. Indeed, the talk about strong ties between Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron is neither clear nor accurate until now, and there are no signs that France might secure the strongest “breakthrough” in the Kingdom and especially with Bin Salman to ensure the launching of the formation wheel. Still, there was no escaping this file during the recent phone call held between the two… (Read More)

Politics

The latest on the Lebanese cabinet formation (Ad-Diyyar, Lebanon)

Democracy and Party Politics - USA Europe

On April 7, the Ad-Diyyar daily newspaper carried the following report: "There is much noise and chaos on the Lebanese side and much silence and secrecy on the French side with some justifying that by saying that it is Easter in Paris and people are on vacation. Meanwhile, prominent sources within the Free Patriotic Movement told Ad-Diyyar that an official invitation has been extended to the movement's head, MP Gibran Bassil as well as the appointed PM Sa'd al-Hariri, adding that Bassil will respond to the invitation and will visit France where he will attend his pre-planned meetings despite all the media and political obfuscation and the fact that some parties are upset over the French dealing with the largest parliamentary and Christian bloc. They are upset because France values this bloc's position and political role… (Read More)

“Lebanese parties preparing for parliamentary race one year ahead” Part 1-2 (Asharq al-Awsat, United Kingdom)

Democracy and Party Politics

On April 7, the Saudi-owned London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper carried the following report from Beirut by its correspondent Paula Astih: “Around one year ahead, most Lebanese parties and civil society groups have started preparing for the parliamentary elections that should be held before May 2022, and constitute a major challenge, especially to the forces in power, following the October 17, 2019 uprising and the ongoing financial and economic collapse... So, with the exception of the Progressive Socialist Party, all the main parties are saying they are getting ready despite all the talk about the potential postponement of the 2022 parliamentary and presidential elections. At this level, Deputy Bilal Abdullah from the PSP recognized that his party had not started preparing for the elections, saying that its members and apparatuses were mobilized to help the people and support their steadfastness in the face of corona and the difficult economic and social situation… (Read More)

Middle East

Opinion

“The Ethiopia dam and Egypt’s and Sudan’s open options!” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security - Peace Process

On April 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following lead editorial: “Yesterday on Wednesday, for the second time in a row, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah es-Sisi reiterated his implicit threats to Ethiopia in regard to Egypt’s share of the Nile water, saying that “all options are on the table” in dealing with the Ethiopian Nahda Dam, and that all states should “learn” from the previous confrontations. After Es-Sisi’s statements regarding the “red line” on March 30, the Egyptian and Sudanese sides threatened with military force by carrying out the “Nile Eagles 2” joint air drills that concluded their activities on Sunday and during which Egyptian MiG-29 jets flew in Sudan’s skies after taking off from Merowe Airbase. Likewise, Khartoum hosted Egyptian Air Force Intelligence Chief Khaled Megawer, General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, and Chief of Staff Muhammad Fareed… (Read More)

Politics

"Lebanon, the target of the next Israeli strike?" (Newspaper, Middle East)

Military and Security

On April 8, Toni Issa wrote the following report in the Al-Joumhouria daily newspaper: "The reigning impression is that the US is the most affected party by the shock of the Iranian-Chinese agreement. However, upon closer scrutiny, the Joe Biden Administration might actually endorse the method of softening the edges to prevent friction. The only party that will be forced to settle the situation either via confrontation or by caving to "the Persian empire" is Israel. No matter what the decision is, it will be costly and will produce some collateral damages… (Read More)

Sudan

Politics

"The En-Nahda Dam: What will Egypt do after the collapse of the last chance?" (Newspaper, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy - Military and Security - Peace Process

On April 7, the London-based Al-Arab daily newspaper carried the following report: "Everyone on the local and regional arenas is waiting for the next steps that Egypt will be taking following the failure of the negotiations with Ethiopia over the En-Nahda Dam knowing that Cairo had called these negotiations "the last chance" and hinted at possibly reverting the military option. The negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia under the sponsorship of the African Union had failed to yield a new mechanism after three days of meetings at the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa… (Read More)

Syria

Politics

"Golani presents his credentials" (Al-Watan Syria, Syria)

Terrorism - USA Europe

On April 7, the Al-Watan daily newspaper carried the following report: "What the head of the Tahrir al-Sham organization, Bou Mohammed al-Golani, said during his last interview with the American journalist, Martin Smith, who said he visited Idlib last February via Turkey where he stayed for seven days…, goes beyond an attempt at improving the image of the man whose name was listed in 2018 on the American terrorism lists… The interview parts were selected with a great deal of attention, and the media outlet where the man appeared worked on removing the unnecessary bits as the man sought to present his credentials to the West in general and the Americans in specific… (Read More)

Yemen

Politics

“Yemen: Military situation explodes between Tareq Saleh forces, GPC leaders, in Mocha...” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On April 8, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report from Taiz by its correspondent Khaled Hammadi: “Local sources mentioned that the situation had militarily exploded in the coastal city of Mocha in Taiz Governorate between the forces of General Tareq Saleh, the nephew of late President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and local leaders in the General People's Congress Party, against the backdrop of a political conflict between the GPC wings over Ali Saleh’s political inheritance, after they were excluded from power by the 2011 revolution. They indicated that dead and wounded had fallen in armed clashes that erupted between both sides during the last two days and that the ongoing confrontations foreshadowed a military confrontation if the senior leaders of the party are unable to contain the situation… (Read More)

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