By Alon Ben-Meir

Due to a host of common denominators in the Arab world including the lack of traditional liberalism, the tribes’ power, the elites’ control of business, the hold on power by ethnic minorities, the military that cling to power, and the religious divide and Islamic extremism, the Arab Spring could sadly turn into a long and cruel winter. These factors are making the transformation into a more reformist governance, slow, filled with hurdles and punctuated with intense bloodshed. At the same time, each Arab country differs characteristically from one another on other dimensions including: history and culture, demographic composition, the role of the military, resources, and geostrategic situations. This combination of commonality and uniqueness has had, and will continue to have, significant impacts on how the uprising in each Arab country evolves and what kind of political order might eventually emerge.

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Whether western countries and ME liberals like it or not, Islamic parties have emerged victorious in elections in North African states. Before typecasting and dismissing them, Islamic parties deserve to get a fair chance at leading their people.

The Western world and media are terrified of the rise of Islamic parties in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. READ MORE HERE

By Alon Ben-Meir

November 8, 2011

The Arab uprising must be seen as an integral part of a world in transformation. The technological and informational revolutions that have spurred (and continue to spur) globalization and interconnectedness between cultures make it impossible for tyrants to rule for the entirety of their lifetimes while mercilessly subjugating their peoples to lives of servitude with no prospect of ever tasting the true meaning of freedom.
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The Arab Spring not only cost at least three dictators their jobs but also $56-billlion in lost GDP for the worst affected countries, according to a statistical study by a consulting firm. READ MORE HERE

Could the Arab Spring have been predicted? More significant, could we have predicted that Saudi Arabia will remain stable throughout the turmoil? Or even where Bin Laden was hiding? New data mining techniques suggest we can. READ MORE HERE

As Tunisia prepares for elections in October, the chronic and fundamental weaknesses in the country’s political and economic structures are becoming evident.

While long-standing structural issues will take some time to address, external factors - such as economic problems in key trading partner Europe, and civil war in neighbouring Libya _ are further straining fragile economic growth. This has left many Tunisians wondering if a grassroots revolution will not help alleviate their lot, what will? READ MORE HERE

Middle East’s oil-importing countries such as Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Syria could fall into recession this year, according to the International Institute of Finance (IIF), a group of 430 major international banks and financial institutions. Read More Here

Tunisia, the unlikely trail-blazer that sowed the seeds of the Jasmine Revolution, is finding life after the revolution far from rosy. Can the government’s 17-point plan help turn its economy around?

Tunisia is the unlikely poster child of the Arab Revolution, but its citizens are now coming to terms with life after strongman Ben Ali departed and left the nation’s reins to an interim government.
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Most Gulf states offer some of the lowest tax rates to Forbes 2000 companies. But is there a link between the trouble in other Middle East states and their tax rates? Read More Here

Which countries are ‘ripe for a revolution’ and is there a likelihood that the people of the Arab World will be able to shake the very foundations of the region’s autocracy, monarchy and dictatorships that rule their fates? Read More