Articles from the author

Dr Mustafa Barghouti, the Director of Palestine Monitor in Ramallah, has called on the international community to make "urgent efforts to save the Palestinian children from dying unnecessarily."

Why should a country like Britain be so impressed by the Israeli-made Spike anti-tanks missiles (ATMs), which have only been used to kill civilians since it was put to practice about five years ago?

A very selective small multi-national group of specialists and commentators on Middle East got together privately last week on the outskirt of the French Capital.

"A mighty crash shook our house, the worst we had experienced in months of shooting, explosions and mortar bombing. We were virtually the last family remaining in our street. All the others had left weeks before, terrorised by the snipers hidden in the buildings, and random attacks and the eruptions of fighting."

It is becoming increasingly obvious that settling the question of Cyprus is probably the most difficult hurdle Turkey needs to overcome, if it really wants to win sympathetic ears to support its desire to join the European Union at Thursday's summit in Copenhagen.

This is a decisive week for the Palestinians, indeed for the entire Middle East, as representatives of the "quartet" hold two vital meeting this Wednesday in New York, and on Friday in Washington.

When the Syrian president and British Prime Minister Tony Blair stood before mediapersons in Downing Street at the end of their talks on Monday, they both looked different men.

It makes you wonder why United Kingdom Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has reduced his full fledged commitment to "revive final status negotiations by this year's end", to merely a conference to "speed up reforms in the Palestinian Authority" next month.

The election of the former tank commander and Haifa mayor Amram Mitzna, to the leadership of Israel's Labor Party is an important development, but not necessarily decisive.

It might not be a Westminster- type democracy, nor a Capitol Hill style for casting votes, but many well-established and commonly known democratic elements and practices have clearly characterised the two-round parliamentary elections, completed last Thursday in Bahrain.

The world has just ended the first round of its 21st century long and dangerous fight, in order to establish the new balance of power which, in turn will shape the world's New Order.

"God save the Queen", a British columnist has recently written, as she is "desperately in need of divine intervention, or at least a small miracle, since all the powers and principalities of this world seem to be hell-bent on bringing the monarchy down."