Jordan’s new Cybercrime Law: Fines, freedom concerns, economic impact
By Mohammed Abu Abu Dalhoum – Aug 20, 2023 Jordan’s contested Cybercrimes Law was passed on August 12 through a Royal decree. This new legislation encompasses a wide array of regulations, consisting of over 70 articles and sub-provisions. Of these, 40 sections combine imprisonment and hefty fines, some exceeding a substantial seventy thousand US Dollars….
What lessons does the Iranian uprising offer for the region?
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Dec 17, 2022 In early November, the chief Iranian investigator in charge of interrogating youth detainees said that he had spent his entire life questioning political figures, but found the recent interrogations the most difficult because he was unable to understand the responses. His remarks were in line with recent…
Can the Iran protests bring about regime change?
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Oct 26, 2022 For the past five weeks, Iranian women and youth have been protesting against the regime, demanding freedom and intrinsic, fundamental change to the 43-year-old theocracy, in response to the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the morality police. Since then, over 12,000 protesters have been…
Iraq’s necessary evil may see it move beyond sectarianism
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Aug 09, 2022 A Shiite-Shiite collision. This is how the recent turn of events in Iraq can be described. Following the announcement of Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s candidacy for prime minister last month, Muqtada Al-Sadr’s supporters stormed the Iraqi parliament in protest, leaving more than 125 people injured. A supporter of…
Kingdom’s Mideast alliances hold the key to security
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Aug 05, 2022 Two recent events have truly cemented Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional political power, perhaps more than anything before. First, US President Joe Biden’s visit, with its goals of reasserting America’s influence in the Middle East and finding a solution to the rising price of fuel, found…
How to end the Arab jobs crisis
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Jul 16, 2022 By most measures, unemployment in the Arab world has become one of the most important challenges facing the region, especially in the post-pandemic era. Data from the International Labour Organization suggests the unemployment rate across the Arab world increased from an average of 9.9 percent in 2018…
Strategic planning — walking a very risky tight rope
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Jul 06, 2022 Following the Arab Spring, governments in the region became keen on producing long-term national development plans. Such top-down visions, regardless of the extent of citizen input, have been designed by experts to address key concerns, achieve economic growth, and enhance productivity. With the exception of some well-designed…
Middle East’s response to climate risk is going backwards
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Jun 10, 2022 Tensions flared last week on the eve of this year’s World Environment Day, as Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem proclaimed the group’s readiness to use force against Israel if the Lebanese government said Israel was violating Lebanon’s water rights. The Israeli Navy is also preparing for a…
Give the ‘children of conflict’ their seat at the table
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Jun 04, 2022 In terms of numbers alone, the Arab world is unfortunately experiencing more conflicts than ever before, whether armed confrontations or financial crises. Many of the protracted armed conflicts in the region have entered their second decade or are deep into their first. Not only have these conflicts…
How to counter the West’s refugee double standards
By Mohammed Abu Dalhoum – Apr 22, 2022 Perhaps the only positive in the midst of a grim Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the universal outpouring of support to the people of Ukraine. Neighboring countries opened their doors for refugees, who were treated with respect and dignity, which should ideally be the universal norm….