Five working days in Doha, QATAR
I spent five working days in the Qatari capital of Doha teaching a course on writing opinions behalf of the International Center for Journalists. Forty Qataris between journalists and public servants involved in media issues attended in two repeated sessions held at the Qatar News Agency with twenty in either morning or afternoon session.
Jordan’s government and reformers at a crossroad
After last Friday’s violent breakup of the Ministry of Interior Circle gathering, the question everyone is asking is where we go next. Does the atmosphere of confrontation, suspicion about the other, dual narratives and competing claims of loyalty continue in the weeks ahead?
Have Jordanian security forces lost their neutrality and credibility?
Any country’s security force system is made up of various apparatuses that are unified at the top. Police, anti riot forces together with intelligence units are networked together to enforce a country’s overall security strategy. Uniformed and civilian dressed professionals are used as are various forms of hand equipment, sophisticated technologies, ground vehicles and air […]
Hamas and Israel Are Responsible for Latest Escalation
Daoud Kuttab Who is responsible for the sudden escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip? All of a sudden rockets are coming out from Gaza after a period of calm and Israel tanks are shelling residential areas, which killed four members of the Helu family in the Shejaiya refugee camp in the Strip. […]
Wanting an end to the split
By Daoud Kuttab March 15 marked the launch of yet another Arab youth movement, following those in Egypt on January 25 and in Libya on February 17. The aim of this youth-led movement appears simple: end the split between Gaza and the West Bank and between the PLO and Hamas. Popular uprisings are not new […]
Palestinian Authority recalibrating its strategy
For the first time in many months, Palestinian spokesmen appear to indicate a revisit of their political strategy towards liberation and independence.It is not clear what the new ideas are, but it is obvious that Palestinian plans focusing on a September landmark seem to be in question. The present Palestinian strategy is based on the […]
What can Palestinians learn from Egyptian and Tunisian revolts
By Daoud Kuttab Many activists in Palestine believe that they are the inventors of the concept of popular uprisings in the modern Arab history. After all, many say, the Palestinian Intifada has been hailed as a shining example of an entire people rising up in unison against a ruthless aggressor.Palestinians know very well what it […]
20 FAQs about demonstrations in Jordan
By Daoud Kuttab 1.     Does the Jordanian regime risk falling as has been the case in Tunisia and Egypt? No demonstrator has  publicly called for the end of the monarachy on the contrary many insist on it. Jordanians are generally supportive of the present monarchy and the King, however demonstrators are requiring reform and more political […]
Jordanian thugs need a journalistic investigative report
By Daoud Kuttab Freedom of expression and the right to assemble are two basic human rights guaranteed in the Jordanian Constitution and in international treaties signed by Jordan. Naturally the right of expression should be defended irrespective of the content. The executive branch, namely the police, is entrusted with defending the citizen, whether he is […]
Another shameful veto
By Daoud Kuttab US President Barack Obama was on the right side of history when he supported the young, nonviolent protesters in Egypt, but his administration will go down in history as unjust after Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, vetoed, on Friday, a UN Security Council resolution condemning Jewish settlements illegally build […]