Asharq Al-Awsat Editorial

Editorial desk and wire-service reports (AFP, Reuters, AP) as published in the Asharq Al-Awsat English Edition. This archive preserves the original text (2005–2017); attribution appears in the article dateline where provided by the source.

articles
World

Qatar Crisis Exposes its Fragility

London- The showdown with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has exposed the precarious position of Qatar. The soft power of the Qatar brand that was meant to protect it has never looked more fragile – Doha’s isolation is heading into a third week, said Bloomberg. Samer Shehata, an associate

World

Twitter Briefly Suspends Al-Jazeera Arabic

Social media platform Twitter briefly suspended the account of Qatar-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera Arabic early Saturday. Al-Jazeera is known to be a strong backer of extremism and terrorism through broadcasts of videos belonging to terrorist organizations in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bahrain. The

World

Cuba Denounces Trump’s New Measures

Cuba’s government on Friday criticized US President Donald Trump’s “hostile rhetoric” in announcing new restrictions on Washington’s ties to the island, but reiterated Havana’s willingness to continue “respectful dialogue.” In a statement read out on t

Erdogan Disapproves Persian Expansionism

Ankara- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Iran was taking each of Iraq and Syria as an arena for more than a sectarian expansionism, describing its behavior as a “Persian expansionism.” In an interview with the Portuguese broadcaster RTP late Thursday, Erdogan said: “I see that de

Libya: Once an Opportunity, Now Hell for Migrants

Agadez, Niger- Back in the days when Muammar Gaddafi was leader, Libya was billed as a top destination for those looking for jobs and money. But it has turned into the seventh circle of hell for migrants whose experiences range from exploitation verging on slavery to kidnapping and torture. Migrants