Mideastwire.com

WHAT WE DO

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

03-Oct-2022

Bahrain

Politics

"…Why did the Bahraini king contact Putin by phone following his annexing of Ukrainian lands?" (Website, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy - Energy - Monarchies/Dictatorships

On October 2, the electronic Al-Khaleej Online daily carried the following report: "Hours following the announcement by Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on annexing Ukrainian areas to Russia, lights were shed on a phone conversation between the Bahraini king and the Kremlin master amidst the recent rapprochement between the two sides despite the crisis between Bahrain's ally, the United States, and Moscow. The bilateral communication between Bahrain and Russia probably falls in the context of Russia's main action in the past few months, which aims at expanding the list of allies in the Middle East in general, and the Gulf region in specific. This was clearly reflected through the communication calls and extensive meetings with Bahrain being part of these actions… (Read More)

Iraq

Politics

“Unannounced war in Basra between As-Sadr, Asa’ib” (Asharq al-Awsat, United Kingdom)

Military and Security

On October 1, the Saudi-owned London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper carried the following report from Baghdad and Basra: “Hundreds of elements from the Peace Brigades militia, which is affiliated with the leader of the Sadrist Movement, paraded through the main streets of Basra City on Thursday night, amid contradictory information about the purpose of this sudden action just a few hours before the launching of popular protests today on Saturday in Baghdad and other cities. Indeed, video clips circulated by activists on social media showed hundreds of Brigade elements parading with light and middle-sized weapons in the streets of Basra in pickup trucks. The parade paralyzed traffic in the streets until the late hours of Thursday night, before the elements “spontaneously” pulled out, as stated by a local source to Asharq al-Awsat… (Read More)

Kuwait

Opinion

"The parliament in Kuwait has changed. Will the approach change as well?" (Newspaper, Middle East)

Democracy and Party Politics - Monarchies/Dictatorships

On October 2, the London-based Al-Arab daily newspaper carried the following piece by Khayrallah Khayrallah: "While transparency was the headline of the parliamentary elections that took place in Kuwait in terms of the form, change was the headline of the outcomes in terms of the content where the proportion of change reached 54 percent. The elections resulted in a strong comeback for the former Speaker, Ahmad al-Saadoun, along with a number of MPs who are known for having done a good job in terms of legislation and surveillance… (Read More)

Lebanon

Politics

"The maritime demarcation is completed. The rest is details" (Website, Middle East)

Energy - Peace Process

On October 2, Josephine Dib wrote the following report on the privately-owned Asas Media website: "The file of the maritime demarcation between Lebanon and Israel has reached its end… Sources that are well-informed about the progress of the negotiations told Asas that the interesting part about the proposal carried by the American ambassador in Beirut who ran it by the three main officials is that it included a text that read that "the Qana field does not entirely fall within the Lebanese geography, as only its reserves do… (Read More)

Society

“Forced career change: From teaching to making Lebanese manakish” (Agencies, Middle East)

Poverty and Social Justice

On September 30, the Arabic page of the official Turkish Anadolu News Agency carried the following report from Sidon by its correspondent Wassim Saif Eddine: “The economic crisis that has been sweeping Lebanon for more than three years forced Nariman an-Nashef and Marie Matta to change their lives and work at a manakish bakery in one of the towns of Sidon District in the country’s South to improve their living conditions… Nariman (28 years old), from the town of Maghdoucheh in Sidon District, was an Arabic language teacher at a private school in the area. She is one of those forced by the economic crisis and the decreasing value of their salaries to change their profession, which is why she started working at a manakish bakery owned by her cousin. Nariman clarified to Anadolu why she went from being a teacher to working as a manakish and pizza baker… (Read More)

Middle East

Opinion

“Barren years at BBC Arabic” (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Media

On October 1, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following opinion piece by Palestinian writer and journalist at BBC Arabic Erfan Arab: “The closing of BBC Arabic did not come as a surprise and was not odd, despite all the expressions of sadness and disbelief that were voiced by many. Indeed, this service had been dying for years, and talk about its downsizing has been heard for a long time. This started at the end of 2020 when the administration dismissed some of its best anchors amid the corona crisis by deciding to move the broadcast from London to Amman in Jordan and Cairo. I spent around 15 years at the “famous” BBC. But unfortunately, it was not an experience that inspired pride. It was actually my worst media experience, while to me, the BBC is the worst media institution I ever worked at, despite all that is said about it being a school and reference… (Read More)

Syria

Politics

“Council led by Manaf Tlass contacts Syrian Army officers to build “national military institution”” [Part 1-2] (Al-Quds al-Arabi, United Kingdom)

Military and Security - USA Europe

On October 1, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper carried the following report from Damascus by its correspondent Hiba Muhammad: “Lately, the French capital Paris was the stage of meetings held between officers in the Military Council led by General Manaf Tlass and international sides, as well as contacts with figures with a military background inside Syria, particularly on the Syrian coast. Member of the Military Council Lieutenant Ahmad al-Qanatri told Al-Quds al-Arabi on the phone that the “meetings held in Paris in the last few weeks were attended by senior US officials, while Syrian officers inside of Syria attended through videoconference.” And he confirmed there was “concord between the officers inside and outside the country and high-level coordination between the officers who seceded from the Syrian regime from among the members of the “Military Council,” and officers who are still part of the regime’s military institution… and are criticizing the performance of the military institution and its hijacking of power… (Read More)

Tunisia

Politics

"Delay in finding solutions deepens economic crisis in Tunisia" (Newspaper, Middle East)

Financial Markets - Governmental Reform

On October 2, the London-based Al-Arab daily newspaper carried the following report: "The dealing with the economic crisis in Tunisia is limited to managing this file by securing small loans from the EU to secure food and wages for the civil servants while waiting for what's next. The government is placing all its hopes on obtaining a loan from the IMF with no clear idea of when an agreement will be reached in this regard, and whether this will be possible in the short run… (Read More)

Turkey

Opinion

“Turkish-Syrian normalization that is doomed to fail” (Newspaper, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy - Peace Process

On October 1, the Qatari-owned London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Rania Mustafa: “Ankara expressed its wish to restore the relations with the government in Damascus…, which the regime reciprocated through quasi-official media channels, political analysts, and the statements of its Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who expressed a preliminary acceptance to hold negotiations. No negotiations took place, as per Mekdad. But what is certain is that a security meeting was held in Damascus under Russian tutelage between the intelligence chiefs of both countries…, noting it was probably not the first. The Syrian regime welcomes all those who wish to restore their relations with it, and is benefitting from the media commotion that these movements are generating in the context of its victory propaganda… (Read More)

Yemen

Politics

“Yemen truce: Extensive steps to extend it, obstacles await solutions” (Agencies, Middle East)

Arab Diplomacy - Peace Process

On September 30, the Arabic page of the official Turkish Anadolu News Agency carried the following report from Yemen: “A few hours before the expiry of the temporary humanitarian ceasefire agreement, UN and international diplomatic efforts to ensure the extension and widening of the truce in Yemen are still ongoing, amid significant obstacles that require urgent solutions… On April 2, a truce had been announced between the Yemeni legitimate government and the Houthi group, which was twice extended for two months. And lately, UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg held a series of talks with the two Yemeni sides and international and regional sides to ensure the extension and widening of the truce… (Read More)