Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi is a commentator on Arab affairs. On Twitter: @SultanAlQassemi

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY RIMA ABUSHAKRA A general view shows the Sursock Museum in Beirut on June 27, 2008. Gemmayzeh boasts some of Beirut's most magnificent mansions owned by the Sursock family. The Sursock Museum was once a private home built in 1912 and now is host to an impressive permanent art collection. The house had a splendid garden that kept it apart from its closest neighbour, also another Sursock mansion. But recently the garden was razed to allow for the construction of a 25-storey apartment bl

Beirut re-brushed

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Qatar's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah (front) attends an extraordinary session of the Arab League at the league's headquarters in Cairo July 14, 2014. Egypt launched an initiative on Monday to halt fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants, proposing a ceasefire to be followed by talks in Cairo on settling the conflict in which Gaza authorities say more than 170 people have died. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3YNM0

Why should Qatar reconcile with Egypt?

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

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Marwan's exhibition reminder of Syria's cultural destruction

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Secretary-General Hassan Al-Thawadi (C) of Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the nation's 2022 World Cup organising committee, speaks during a news conference to announce the start of work on the Al-Khor Stadium in Al-Khor June 21, 2014. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous (QATAR - Tags: SPORT BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION SOCCER) - RTR3UZO5

Qatar's annus horribilis

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ASAAD ABBOUD
A Saudi man prepares to login into his Twitter account on his laptop on October 6, 2013 at his office in Riyadh. Despite sitting on the world's largest wealth of oil, Saudis complain their salaries are not enough to make ends meet, and have taken to Twitter demanding better income. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Gulf atheism in the age of social media

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Regional strife destroying historical Arab treasures

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

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Correcting misconceptions of the Gulf’s modern art movement

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

A general view shows Dubai's cityscape September 24, 2013. Dubai's government is working on new rules to protect its real estate market and prevent any excessive rise of property prices that could end in a crash, a senior official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: REAL ESTATE BUSINESS CITYSCAPE) - RTX13Y0C

Gulf Cities Emerge As New Centers of Arab World

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

An employee walks past a screen displaying the worldwide locations of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, at the bank's headquarters in Abu Dhabi, April 3, 2013. The National Bank of Abu Dhabi named the banker who led Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's push into Asia as its chief executive on Wednesday, as it expands abroad from its saturated local market. REUTERS/Ben Job (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTXY6VB

Abu Dhabi’s Foreign Assistance Steals Spotlight

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

A portrait of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is seen on barbed wire outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo July 8, 2013. At least 51 people were killed on Monday when demonstrators enraged by the military overthrow of Egypt's elected Islamist president said the army opened fire during morning prayers outside the Cairo barracks where Mursi is believed to be held .REUTERS/Louafi Larbi (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX11GWI

Gulf States Embrace Post-Brotherhood Egypt

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Iran Picks Awkward Time to Escalate Gulf Tensions

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L), Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi (C) and Qatar's Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani pose for photos in Riyadh January 21, 2013. Saudi Arabia host a two-day meeting of Arab heads of state to discuss development plans in the region. The meeting is expected to focus on bolstering development in the Arab region and ways of achieving the Millennium development objectives. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS)

Qatar's Brotherhood Ties Alienate Fellow Gulf States

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi