Full Coverage: Middle East

31.05.2005 The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri set off a chain of events in Lebanon leading to Syria's military withdrawl from the country and new elections. Now it appears that Hariri's son is sweeping to victory in the polls, but is anything really changing in Lebanon?

27.05.2005 With confidence in the Pentagon at its lowest levels since the Vietnam War, explaining away the Abu Ghraib tortures as the work of a few "bad apples" is insufficient, says Col. Daniel Smith (Ret.), arguing that the repeated reports of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay point to a larger problem--one for which the Pentagon's senior policymakers should ultimately be accountable.

27.05.2005 The House of Representatives rejected a measure Wednesday calling on President Bush to devise a plan for an Iraq withdrawal. With talks of a pullout taboo a few months ago--by even progressive lawmakers--some argue that the proposal--and the 128 "yay" votes it received--indicates a change of attitude in Congress toward Iraq.

26.05.2005 ARBIL, Iraq, May 26 (IPS) - The two main Kurdish parties have still not reached agreement on setting up a regional government and parliament after elections held Jan. 30.

26.05.2005 President Mahmoud Abbas' White House visit this week--the first between a Palestinian leader and President Bush--will likely be feted as an example of the Middle East's democratic potential. But it will also serve as an example of democracy's uncertainties, says journalist Howard LaFranchi, as Bush refuses to lessen support for Israel and Congress is unwilling to finance Palestinian aid.

26.05.2005 High level "celebrations" of the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline have made no reference to the continuing disregard for the rights and safety of people who live in its path. BP is the major shareholder.

21.05.2005 Rachel Corrie was killed by a Caterpillar bulldozer whilst protesting against the actions of Israeli troops. Caterpillar also makes boots which are sold in UK department stores. You can play a part in persuading the stores to remove these products from the shelves.

19.05.2005

Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) helps families build small rooftop greenhouses. © Grassroots International

Jake Miller's photo essay titled "Haiti: Water for Life" documents the impact of one of the worst dry seasons in Haiti. In "Gardens Against the Wall" Jennifer Lemire and Stephanie Sluka Brauer show how the Wall physically separates Palestinian farmers from their land and livelihoods.

19.05.2005 Two years of failure by the US-led administration in Iraq to improve the infrastructure and create employment opportunities may be creating an environment which allows the insurgency to flourish. A UNDP survey reveals the miserable quality of life endured by ordinary Iraqis.

18.05.2005 Internews Network will be providing grants between $5,000 and $20,000 to NGOs and individuals in Middle East and North Africa that propose innovative projects related to monitoring information media, educating professionals and students, and supporting new media programs or publications designed to improve the situation of women and youth in the region.

18.05.2005 A Canadian authority on genocides of the 20th century is surprised that Israelis and Armenians have not shown greater affinity with the victims of Rwanda.

16.05.2005 Though it hailing January's Iraqi elections, the U.S. government has prevented the new Shi’ite government from taking full control of its own intelligence services, even moving sensitive files to the U.S. military headquarters and launching an Iraqi secret police organization that reports only to the CIA--not to any Iraqi agency or official.

13.05.2005 The Open Media Fund for the Middle East and North Africa opens its second round of funding to support diverse media in the region.

13.05.2005 George Galloway may be exercising the headline writers on the oil-for-food scandal but the real target of the Senate committee is Kofi Annan. This useful analysis unpicks some of the myths about the shortcomings of the UN programme.

13.05.2005 The Community Youth Mapping effort in Egypt--based on a similar program in the U.S.--is teaching students how to collect community data and discover untapped resources in their neighborhood. On-the-ground observations by Shoroke Zedan illustrate how these students are not only learning more about their communities, they are uncovering a wealth of new job opportunities.

13.05.2005 Showing that true democracy cannot be stage-managed, Palestinian municipal elections ended favorably for Hamas. In spite of repeated demands that democratic reform be carried out before beginning peace talks, Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom has called on the Palestinian Authority to prevent Hamas from participating in July’s parliamentary elections. What will the rise of a legitimate Hamas party mean for peace in the Middle East?

12.05.2005 An inevitable legacy of the Paul Bremer administration in Iraq is a regulation permitting 100% foreign ownership of Iraqi companies. The new government is obliged to introduce a programme of privatisation. There are fears for both jobs and control of the economy.

12.05.2005 BRASILIA, May 11 (IPS) - The summit of South American and Arab countries took on clearly political overtones, in contrast to what the Brazilian government apparently intended when it organised this "alliance of civilisations" aimed at bolstering economic ties between the two regions.

11.05.2005 One quarter of a planned $200 million U.S. grant to the Palestinian Authority meant for humanitarian purposes will be diverted to pay for building and manning Israeli checkpoints, thereby furthering the illegal occupation of Palestine. Helping Israel by using money pledged to the Palestinians is tantamount to rubbing salt in a wound, writes Palestinian university director Daoud Kuttab.

11.05.2005 Countries in the Gulf region are amongst the richest in the world but violence and discrimination against women remain accepted practice. Amnesty has published a report calling on these governments to catch up with the modern world in gender issues.