Bahrain feels as divided as ever
Western powers worry at the lack of political progress, which could inflame Shia unrest in neighbouring Saudi Arabia
Middle East protests
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Autocratic regimes in the Arab world are facing a wave of social unrest and popular pressure in the wake of Tunisia’s ‘Jasmine Revolution’
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BNP opens Dubai offices after Bahrain unrest
The French bank has established back-office and wealth management centres in the emirate following the violence in Manama last year
Five killed as Yemen votes for transition
Large turnouts in areas where it was safe to vote suggested that many Yemenis were keen to back symbolic break with the past
Election attacks highlight Yemen’s fragility
Yemeni gunmen blew up polling station ahead of election that is meant to bring down curtain on President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule
Bahrain counts the cost of year of unrest
The island’s economy and reputation as a commercial hub have suffered since a Shia uprising was met with a severe crackdown 12 months ago
Michael Peel: Former leader retains infrastructure
The big question as the country votes is whether the former leader might ride out regime change and re-emerge as a political force
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Bahrain’s unfinished revolution holds lessons for the west
The US and Britain, which at best have condoned Saudi influence and at worse have been complicit in it, must work to counter it, writes Kristin Smith Diwan
It is time to banish wishful thinking about Islamism
Islamist parties will sweet-talk their electorate and the west and then govern like the Iranian regime or Hamas, writes Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Middle East: Tumultuous Arab states take centre stage
Roula Khalaf finds the region at the top of agendas far beyond its own borders
The march of democracy
There are nearly twice as many democracies today as there were a little over 20 years ago, a reaffirmation of the global appeal of the democratic idea
Crowd behaviour: United they stand
The throngs driving the year’s most memorable events, from the Arab uprisings to the eurozone crisis, may be social and political worlds apart – but they share more than at first appears. By Clive Cookson and Daryl Ilbury
Islamism and the Arab awakening
Many Arabs like what they see in Turkey: not just a vibrant democracy but a dynamic economy. It’s not the model. It’s the success
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