Sitemap - 2014 - The Turbulent World with James M. Dorsey
Qatar gambles that labour reforms will satisfy critics
Gulf-Iranian proxy war spills onto the soccer pitch
Qatar’s World Cup year of scandal (JMD quoted in Al Arabiya)
Potential UK club acquisition could help Qatar polish its image
From Syria and Iraq to Iran: Kurdish Minorities Push For Autonomy
Gulf human rights declaration increases heat on Qatar to act on migrant workers’ rights
Government and fans battle in court and on the pitch in Egypt and Turkey
Blood Sport: The Ultras White Knights vs. Mortada Mansour (JMD quoted in LA Review of Books)
'Ultras' fuel Egypt's campus protests (JMD quoted on Al Jazeera)
Militant soccer fans reassert their key role in protest with storming of Cairo stadium
'Ultras' fuel Egypt's campus protests (JMD quoted on Al Jazeera)
The Arab spring idealist who died for Isis (JMD quoted in the FT)
Angry Saudi soccer clubs pinpoint Gulf labour market contradictions
Gulf agreement on improved migrant worker conditions unlikely to fend off activist pressure
Iran, P5+1 still hope for final deal (JMD quoted on Azernews)
Likely Qatar deportation of striking workers raises concerns
Activists expand labour and human rights campaign beyond Qatar to include all Gulf states
Gulf soccer diplomacy highlights regional divisions
Moroccan refusal to host African Cup rooted in fear and prejudice
Qatar’s hosting of GCC summit in further jeopardy following Gulf states’ handball boycott
Qatar at a crossroads: Reform labour laws or risk revived calls for relocating the World Cup
Volleyball federation sanctions Iran in new assertiveness on women’s sporting rights
Study asserts that controversial Gulf labour regime reduces global inequality
Sponsorship of FIFA: a new front in Gulf political rivalry
School shootings and lone wolf attacks: What’s the difference?
Kurdish soccer team sparks Swedish FA ire over battle for Kobani, sparks debate on what is politics?
Egyptian campuses and soccer emerge as flashpoint in resistance to President Al Sisi
Mounting Israeli-Palestinians tensions reverberate on the soccer pitch
Saudi War With Islamic State Echoes Kingdom’s Own Past (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
Bahrain rattled by UK court’s opening of door to investigation of torture allegations
Soccer and militant Islam intersect in incidents across the Middle East
Reshaping the Middle East: UAE Leads the Counter-revolution
Les dessous du Qatar bashing (JMD quoted on Orient XXI)
Women’s sporting rights put Saudi Arabia and Iran on the defensive
Torture investigation of Bahraini prince puts IOC and AFC on the spot (Updated)
Soccer fan support for the Islamic State: Protest or a new generation of jihadists?
US-Led Strikes on IS Militants Could Create More Extremism: Expert (JMD quoted on RIA Novosti)
War against Islamic State: Sowing seeds of more extremist groups
Gulf proxy war: UAE seeks to further damage Qatar’s already tarnished image
Omkoperij volgens de regels (JMD quoted in Knack)
The rise of the Islamic State: Who is to blame?
Israel mobilizes to deprive Qatar of the World Cup
IOC president’s call for transparency challenges Middle Eastern/Asian political dominance of soccer
SOCCER CAN'T FIX SHIT IN ISRAEL OR ANYWHERE ELSE (JMD quoted on Vice)
Women’s right to attend sports events at centre of Iran’s culture wars
China and the Middle East : Embarking on a Strategic Approach
Palestinians pressure UEFA not to award the tournament to Israel
Fighting the Islamic State: What about the day after?
Responding to the Islamic State’s Foreign Fighters: Retribution or Rehabilitation?
Turkish prosecutor demands life sentences for protesting soccer fans
الأزمات للتغطية على مصير بريطانيين مختفيَيْن بالدوحة (JMD quoted in Al Arab)
Egypt’s banning of ultras constitutes effort to outlaw legitimate opposition
Brits’ disappearance casts shadow over Qatari World Cup efforts and shines light on UAE
Islamic State: Ideological Challenge to Saudi Arabia
North African soccer pitches return as venues for anti-government protests
Final whistle for football diplomacy? (JMD quoted in The Gulf)
Saudi-Qatari rivalry spills onto the soccer pitch
So… who has won the Gaza war? (JMD quoted on Al Arabiya)
Is Hamas winning the Gaza war?
Behind the Gaza ceasefire: Israel and Hamas talk potential peace
Gulf states and their US critics seek to shape US perceptions on the soccer pitch
Gaza war puts sporting boycott of Israel back on the front burner
Syria’s Fallout: Rise of Islamic State jihadists
Year after Cairo carnage, Sisi turns page on Arab Spring (JMD quoted on AFP)
Saudi efforts to professionalize soccer marred by politics
The Cairo Talks: Mediation or End Game in the Gaza War?
Lessons from Gaza for Israel’s military: Unprepared for unconventional warfare
Gaza War: New Palestinian Resolve Changes Paradigm
Gaza casts shadow over Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup
Netanyahu’s Dilemma: From the War in Gaza to the War at Home
Qatar invests in Israeli soccer despite Gaza and war of words with Jerusalem
Battle of the Ceasefires: Israel, Hamas Struggle for Moral High Ground
In death, soccer fan-turned soldier embodies Israeli-Palestinian gap
Middle East Conflict: Need for Credible Mediator
Attack on Gaza by Saudi Royal Appointment (JMD quoted on Huffington Post)
Iran-Russia oil barter deal not in Iran’s interest (JMD quoted on Azernews)
P5+1,Iran unlikely to reach deal before July 20 deadline (JMD quoted on Azernews)
"Rassistich und Ant-Arabisch" (JMD on Deutschlandfunk in German)
The truth cannot be concealed (JMD quoted on Play the Game)
Soccer pitches: An emerging battleground for control of Iraq
Why Qatar’s World Cup may spur big changes (JMD on CNBC)
Qatari labour report offers solutions but is unlikely to reduce pressure on World Cup host
Israel and Saudi Arabia: Forging Ties on Quicksand
How Israeli soccer hooligans fanned flames of hate (JMD quoted in The Washington Post)
The politics of football in the Middle East (JMD quoted in The National)
Islamic State urges FIFA to deprive Qatar of the World Cup
Israeli investigation into murder of Palestinian focuses on Jerusalem soccer fan group
The Secret History behind the Algerian – German World Cup Duel
World Cup broadcasts: The Middle East’s opportunity to miss an opportunity
Middle East Briefing for IDFC Securitues
Middle East fights propaganda wars on World Cup side lines
Only a game? Not in Egypt (JMD quoted in The National)
World Cup boosts Iran’s image and highlights political sports battles
Targeting fans: Jihadists get World Cup fever
U.S. pays price for misguided Iraq policies (JMD on Dow Jones MarketPlace)
Politics, political interference, and mismanagement hamper Middle Eastern soccer
The World Cup: Nationalism vs Disillusion (JMD quoted in World Policy)
World Cup sparks Islamist debate on rectitude of soccer
Israel evades FIFA sanctions – for now
AFC power struggle reflects sorry state of soccer governance
The stakes are high in Qatar’s World Cup drama (JMD on Al Jazeera America)
Coming clean: Pressure mounts for Qatari transparency and proper FIFA investigation
Rocky road ahead for Egypt president-elect Sisi (JMD quoted by AFP)
Qatar’s World Cup: Looking for the Smoking Gun
Leaked emails: Qatar’s $5m World Cup bribe (JMD quoted on Al Arabiya)
Qatar in the hot seat again over new 2022 bribery allegations (JMD quoted in Doha News)
Qatar corruption allegations: A potential massive governance, geo-political and social fall-out
FIFA braces for Israeli-Palestinian showdown
Protest and human rights shape debate on awarding of mega events
Qatar misses the plank on labour reform
Lax FIFA policing of political interference in soccer focuses on Egypt
2022 World Cup emerges as engine of change
Jail sentences re-position Egyptian soccer as potential protest venue
Egypt's Sisi uncompromising in first TV appeal to voters (JMD quoted)
The battle for Taksim, a battle for Turkey’s soul
New online journal focuses on sports, politics and society
UN fires shot across Qatar’s bow
World Cup sparks change as soccer puts chink in Qatari segregation
Qatar to cut ‘one third’ of World Cup stadiums (JMD quoted on Al Arabiya
Workers’ Cup 2014 speeds to the finals (JMD quoted in Doha News)
Syrian jihadists employ soccer as propaganda and recruitment tool
Experts say Russia-Iran barter deal harmful (JMD quoted)
Scandal-ridden Asian football body stymies reform efforts
EURO 2020 set to polish Turkey’s tarnished image
Erdogan chooses soccer for first-post election strike against Islamist opponents
Human rights violations raise spectre of Gulf soccer acquisitions as reputation laundering
Controversial soccer club chief declares candidacy in Egypt’s presidential election
Egypt's Sisi ditches uniform, quits as defence minister (JMD quoted on AFP)
Qatar likely to reform controversial labour system
Military-backed house cleaning extends to Egyptian soccer
Qatar firm ‘paid $2m’ to FIFA official, family (JMD quoted on Al Arabiya)
Bin Hammam payments question Qatar World Cup bid and FIFA/AFC anti-corruption efforts
Qatar labour controversy becomes part of Gulf dispute over Muslim Brotherhood
The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer (Review Middle East Monitor)
Turkish soccer politics: a mesh of murky politics and alleged corruption
Rival fans unite to claim ownership of Egyptian stadia
Al Saadi Al Qaddafi trial likely to shed light on dark history of Libyan soccer
جيمس دورسي: ملعب كرة القدم هو حلبة كسر التابوهات (JMD on Radio Netherlands)
Trade union call for a freeze on kafala puts Qatar to the test
The Iranian Nuclear Deal: Rewriting the Middle East Map (JMD in Insight Turkey)
Egyptian autocrats struggle with soccer’s political pros and cons
Mounting workers’ deaths increase pressure on Qatar, FIFA and Asian countries
Murky Turkish soccer politics mesh with massive corruption scandal
Qatar unwittingly forces potential improvement of soccer governance
Workers’ welfare in Qatar: Navigating a minefield
Saudi soccer debates broadens over women’s rights and nationalism
Saudis debate societal merits of soccer
Qatar’s sports-focused public diplomacy backfires
Conflicts wracking Egyptian soccer reflect country’s political malaise
Turkish match fixing: A precursor to corruption scandal rocking the government
Singapore court overturns order to disclose sources (Play the Game)
Egypt charter opens road for Sisi but youths alienated (JMD quote)
Israeli pitches: A tale of racism, bigotry and double standards
IFJ Welcomes “Ground-breaking” Decision by Singapore Court to Quash Order on Journalist’s Sources
SINGAPORE JUDGES OVERTURN SOURCE DISCLOSURE ORDER (Media Lawyer)
The Middle East and North Africa: Cauldron of Conflict
Egypt Brotherhood charities may impact referendum (JMD quoted on AFP)
Soccer fans threaten to revive stadia as battle fields
Bahrain detains soccer teams and scores of players and athletes