Sitemap - 2015 - The Turbulent World with James M. Dorsey
Soccer: Iranian moderates and hardliner lock horns on the pitch
Trade unions test Qatari sincerity with demands for labour reform
Turkish-Russian tension set to spill onto European pitches
FIFA’s human rights litmus test: Will it clean house?
Fearful of protests, Egypt keeps stadia closed
Future of Islamic State: Not Merely Religion
Soccer unites China and UAE in pursuing global ambitions
Qatar’s World Cup hero becomes invisible man (JMD quoted on AFP)
Qatari labour reforms: Words but no actions
Le Golfe contrôle (JMD quoted in Liberation)
Breeding intolerance: Turkish soccer fans disrespect Islamic State victims
Soccer is Politics (JMD in The American Interest)
Soccer: Jihadists seek to exploit widespread sense of abandonment
Targeted Paris stadium symbolizes pitfalls of war against the Islamic State
Bahraini players’ support for Salman raise more questions than answers
Embattled World Cup host Qatar sends mixed messages
UAE chairman of Manchester City pressures UK to crack down on Muslim Brothers
AFC president’s FIFA presidential bid mired in abuse of human rights allegations
Turkish soccer offers Erdogan headaches instead of voters in walk-up to election
FIFA ‘resistant to wholesale reforms’ (JMD in Today)
New Qatari labour law: too little, too late
AFC Salman’s FIFA candidacy puts integrity checks to the test
Why has Israel gone quiet over ISIS? (JMD quoted on Al Arabiya)
Egyptian soccer fans put youth disillusion with elections on public display
OECD holds FIFA responsible for Qatari World Cup-related labour conditions
Israel suspends Israeli-Palestinian encounters on the pitch
A testimony to failed autocracies: Eritrean soccer team defects
Intervention in Syria: Russia Gambles Big Time
Racist Israeli soccer fans in the firing line
Syrian soccer: Succeeding against the odds (JMD on Aljazeera America)
World Cup qualifying: Japan beat war-hit Syria (JMD quoted on CNN)
Am Sabbat bleibt das Stadion leer (JMD quoted in Die Zeit)
Ein Tod in Athen – das Rätsel um Herbert Amry (JMD quoted)
Amid civil war, Syria pushes to qualify for World Cup for first time (JMD quoted in USA Today)
2022 World Cup sparks labour reform, just not in Qatar
Israel, Iran and Beijing’s delicate balance (JMD quoted in The Arab Weekly)
Staunch Sisi supporter calls for opening of stadia and dialogue with ultras
Fighting Islamic State: Getting Down To Root Causes
FIFA to rescue of troubled Saudi King Salman
Middle Eastern conflicts spill onto Spanish soccer pitch
The Gulf: Not All That’s Gold Glitters (JMD in Middle East Perspectives)
Two Indians abducted in Libya (JMD quoted in The Hindu)
Saudi Arabia’s Reach in Yemen: Fighting for Regional Dominance
CLEANING UP WORLD SOCCERGOVERNANCE (JMD in TPQ)
Religious support for Qatari labour reforms puts Gulf states on the spot
Militant soccer fans are on a roll across Eurasia
Egypt throws the dice with partial lifting of stadia ban
Israel’s fault lines spill onto the soccer pitch
The Middle East: Who says popular quest for change has been quelled?
Turkish soccer supports Erdogan’s war against the Kurds
Is Hamas Winning the Gaza War? (JMD in Global Education Magazine)
Mid-East Debate Turns to ISIS Longevity (JMD quoted in The Media Line)
Thinking the Unthinkable: Coming to Grips with the Survival of the Islamic State
Militant soccer fans claim responsibility for Cairo bombing
Saudi Arabia and Iran: Volatile Political Geography of Oil and Minorities
Victory in Yemen (Over Drug Smugglers) (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
A Turkish stadium harbours a stark message for multiculturalism
Israel and Palestine play high stakes soccer
Israel struggles with racist underground
Yemen Conflict and Arab Uprising: Regional Fissures and Repercussions
Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, le cheikh faiseur de rois de la FIFA (JMD quoted in Le Monde)
Mega Events: Qatar is too hot, Beijing has no snow
Qatar’s quagmire: existential fears and missed opportunities
AMarriage on the Rocks? Saudis Look Beyond U.S. After Iran Deal (JMD quoted on Bloomberg)
The Cairo derby: Politics vs. repression
‘Sports bodies must be monitored to end corruption’ (JMD in Today)
Israeli soccer violence moves racism up the government’s agenda
Anti-Chinese Protests in Turkey: Relations with China Under Test
More Corrupt Than FIFA: A Brief History of Syrian Football
Fan opposition to Qatar goes viral
Unprecedented Israeli action against Jerusalem club’s anti-Arab/Muslim racism
Re-configuring the Middle East: IS and Changing Demographics
FIFA’s Blatter unwittingly pinpoints soccer governance’s prime issues
Egyptian soccer player criticizes Sisi in reflection of mounting discontent
Pitfalls of Turkish-Chinese relations in a microcosm
Countering political violence: Tackle the root causes
Soccer's global corruption crackdown: should the AFC worry? (JMD in South China Morning Post)
A Study in Contrasts: Militaries in Political Transitions in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa
Advisory Council rejects labour reform as Qatar stiffens its back
The Middle East and North Africa: Adapting to a New Paradigm
Departure of AFC general secretary: Business as usual in a swamp of corruption allegations
ILO condemnation of Qatar likely to have ripple effects
Druze Mount next flashpoint in Syrian conflict: Implications for Israel
Stadium construction: A political barometer
ANALYSIS: One year since IS took Mosul, how fares the fight? (JMD quoted on Middle East Eye)
Reforming soccer governance: Tackling political corruption alongside financial wrongdoing
Keep the World Cup in Qatar even if it bought its way in (JMD in Arab Weekly)
Asia Central to Picking Next FIFA Chief (JMD quoted on Reuters)
Iran’s writing on the wall: Ethnic minorities and others assert themselves
Asian Football: A Cesspool of Government Interference, Struggles for Power, Corruption and Greed
Blatter enables AFC to keep its skeletons under lock and key
Stung by FIFA furore, Qatar's soft power at risk (JMD quoted on Reuters)
Qatar nervous amid threat to 2022 World Cup (JMD quoted in Financial Times)
Middle East and North Africa: Forcing China to Revisit Long-standing Policies
A shrewd financial investor, Qatar boasts dismal return on investment in soft power
Egypt’s targeting of football star may be a step too far (JMD quoted on Middle East Eye)
Red card for the ultras (JMD quoted in The Economist)
Qatar backtracks on engagement with critics
Egypt court bans diehard 'ulta' football fans (JMD quoted on Middle East Eye)
Egypt court bans popular, hard-core 'ultra' soccer fan clubs (JMD quoted on Associated Press)
Egypt bans ultras in bid to break anti-government protests
Ethnic tensions spill onto Iranian soccer pitches
Saudi Arabia Is Making Its First Real Attempt to Be a Military Power (JMD quoted on Bloomberg
Thinking the Unthinkable: Coming to Grips with Islamic State
"Fußball war hier entscheidend" (JMD in TAZ)
AFC suspends General Secretary as it keeps damning audit buried
Aboutreika: Bridging Egyptian polarization or signalling a shift in attitudes?
Indonesia steps to protect maids may fall short (JMD quoted on CNBC)
Qatari promises of labour reform ring hollow amid revived corruption allegations
AFC’s Salman re-elected amid renewed corruption and governance questions
HARESH SAYS: When (AFC) silence is not golden
Political Violence: Retiring the Word Terrorism
Velappan questions why probe video was not reported (JMD quote in Malay Mail)
Alleged AFC cover-up effort highlights Asian soccer’s lack of proper governance
Israel chides club for racism in bid to fend off FIFA suspension
Egyptian death sentence for soccer fans puts president’s iron grip to the test
Global Soccer’s Backslapping, Backstabbing Backroom Deal-making Politics
Questions about Qatar’s World Cup hosting get renewed boost
Egypt moves closer to labelling soccer fans as terrorists
CONSTRUCTING NATIONAL IDENTITY: THE MUSCULAR JEW VS THE PALESTINIAN UNDERDOG (Part 1)
Militant soccer fans: Egypt’s Hans Brink plugs the dam against radicalization
Iranian Arab soccer pitch emerges as flashpoint in Saudi-Iranian proxy war
ILO victory boosts Qatari hopes of defeating efforts to deprive it of World Cup
Gulf Alliances: Regional States Hedge Their Bets
Contours of future Israeli-Palestinian battles emerge on the soccer pitch
Soccer riots reflect long-standing discontent in Iran’s predominantly Arab Khuzestan
How Qatar is its own worst enemy
Attempts to ban Egyptian militant soccer fan group gather momentum
FIFA president Blatter signals mounting pressure on Qatar to tackle migrant worker problems
International sports associations caught between $ signs and human rights ideals
Blatter’s call on Iran to allow women into stadia reeks of opportunism
Soccer fields: A waystation en route to the Islamic State
Egyptian spectator ban: flashpoint for conflict and statement of weakness
Soccer racism highlights Europe’s struggle with transition and entrenched racism
Soccer deaths renews spotlight on Egypt’s notorious security forces
Why do so many Egyptian soccer fans die in confrontations with police? (JMD quoted on Global Post)
Death of Zamalek fans in riot stirs political conspiracies in Egypt (JMD quoted in The Guardian)
Egypt's Ultras: 'We don't believe in state justice' (JMD quoted on Al Jazeera)
UAE embarks on global campaign to market its brand of autocracy
Passionate, violent, powerful: The phenomenon of Egypt’s Ultras (JMD quoted on Al Arabiya)
"Die Ultras haben für ihre Regimekritik bezahlt" (JMD in Sueddeutsche Zeitung)
Football versus the Egyptian State (JMD quoted in Middle East Eye
Soccer Stadium Stampede Kills at Least 25 in Egypt (JMD quoted in The New York Times)
Soccer deaths raise stakes for Egypt’s general-turned-president Al Sisi
Keen to project a progressive image, the UAE picks its battles
Sports associations step up pressure on human rights violators
Qatar asks for time to implement labour reforms
Tug-of-war among Islamists behind Libya hotel attack: Experts (JMD quoted on AFP)
Egypt appoints controversial UAE hired gun as elections monitor
Government and Fans Battle in Court and on the Pitch in Egypt and Turkey (JMD in Research Turkey)
UK search for Jihadi John spotlights recruitment role of soccer
AFC official ‘happy’ to bar women spectators from stadia
Soccer soft power: A double-edged sword
Conflicting views of Islam spill onto the soccer pitch
Oil money is making pro soccer look a little different (JMD quoted in Global Post)
Turkish soccer body penalizes Kurdish club amid mounting tensions
Turkish soccer: Illiberal President Erdogan’s latest victim
Women’s Sporting Rights: The battle is in Philadelphia… and Riyadh
Deaths in Paris: Separating Fact from Fiction
Asian Cup Politics: more than just a game
Deaths in Paris: Refining the Post-9/11 Model
Qatar Football Association backs Blatter over Prince Ali for FIFA post (JMD quoted in Doha News)
JMD on Play The Game: A vote for Prince Ali is a likely vote for change – and for challenge
GCC abandonment of unified labour contract puts onus on Qatar
Setting benchmark in battle for statehood: Palestine plays in Asian Cup