Middle East reading

This is a Dagens Nyheter-review of Joseph Massad's book Desiring Arabs, posing the question of why the West has a repeated problem with Arab sexuality! The question pinpoints the sexualized view of the Arab world, regardless of where on the scale this "otherness" is perceived to be.

Not only on the Middle East, but very useful reading also on this can be found on this Swedish foreign policy-blogg "Utrikesbloggen". It is more of a magazine, actually, than a blog, and very newsworthy. It both has it's own columnists and republishes and links internationally pulished other articles.

Here is former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer on the Middle East, circuling around the Annapolis meeting. Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt comments here and writes himself here on the same topic (both before the meeting).

A controversial Iranian visitor has been to Sweden, here in an article from Dagens Nyheter.

Barry Rubin has published a new book on democracy issues in the Arab world - the publisher's description can be read here.

BBC here interviews Tom Segev, on a number of issues controversial to his native Israel. Here prime minister Olmert comments on related issues in the context of Annapolis on BBC.

A Svenska Dagbladet-editorial on potential developments in Saudi-Arabia, set in the context of European developments on the views of the rights of women.

Iranian women are in dire straits, and no more so than those extra vulnerable for social and economic reasons. Here is Layla, a child prostitute, highlighted by the BBC.

Women in Iraq are also facing difficult times, now highlighted especially in Basra.

Bitte Hammargren here writes on Internet-censorship in Syria, now directed against Facebook. The same topic is discussed here by English Al-Jazeera.

The emigration of Iraqis and their impact on the region and neighbours is discussed in this report.