By Alex Shams The Arab Spring electrified progressives around the world in a revolutionary momentum unlike any we have witnessed in a generation. Images of square after Arab square filled to the brim with protesters calling for democratic reforms have helped provide those of us struggling to maintain our faith in “people power” with a [...]

by Adam Pourahmadi WASHINGTON – Qatar’s independent foreign policy is proving to be a formidable response to the changing geopolitical dynamics of the Arab Spring’s Middle East. A new cadre of diplomatic cables released by the whistle-blowing site Wikileaks reveals the shrewd policies of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The ability of this small [...]

While discussions of the budget deficit have been common in US politics for the last 20 years, the 2010 midterm elections and emergence of the Tea Party have drawn unprecedented attention to demands that the US government dramatically reducing spending and shrink the federal debt. Unusually, these calls for reducing government spending have reached the [...]

Trying to stay cool? Syrians have been using these earthen houses for that exact purpose since 3,700 BC. Made from mud, straw, dirt, and stones, the beehive-like dwellings are lean, green, and super-cool to look at. Beehive houses, built throughout the rural farming communities of Syria’s hottest deserts, are also found in it’s largest urban [...]