Feb 23 Watch Arabesque Festival Brings Arab Arts to Kennedy Center An ambitious, three-week festival called "Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World" opens at the Kennedy Center in Washington Monday. Jeffrey Brown offers the first in a series of broadcast and online reports around the festival and the artists it is… Continue watching
Feb 23 Arabesque and Us By Arts Desk Regular visitors to Art Beat will remember that I was in the Middle East a few weeks back talking to artists (and, as it turned out, reporting on the Gaza conflict's fallout) for a series of profiles tied to Arabesque:… Continue reading
Jan 28 Watch Carter Reflects on Middle East Conflict, Obama's Diplomatic Road Ahead As President Obama tries to reinvigorate U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East, former President Carter has come out with a new book, "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work." In an interview, Mr. Carter… Continue watching
Jan 27 Watch Obama Addresses Arab World in First Post-Inaugural Interview In his first extensive post-inaugural interview, President Obama assured Muslims that America was not an enemy. Hisham Melhem, Washington bureau chief of Al Arabiya, discusses the Middle East's reaction to the Al-Arabiya interview and Obama's challenges ahead in the region. Continue watching
Jan 27 Watch Mitchell Travels to Middle East, Gates Announces Afghanistan Troop Increase U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell began his first trip to the region Tuesday, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Afghanistan America's "greatest military challenge" as he announced that thousands more troops will be sent there this spring. Continue watching
Jan 23 Watch Inauguration Elicits Varied Sentiments in Middle East Reporting from Egypt, Lebanon and Kuwait during the transition to the new presidency, Jeffrey Brown spoke with locals about their reactions to the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Continue watching
Jan 22 Watch Obama Moves Quickly to Name Mideast, Afghan Envoys President Barack Obama has named two diplomatic heavyweights to be special envoys to the Middle East and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Analysts discuss what the moves say about Mr. Obama's emerging foreign policy. Continue watching
Jan 22 Scenes From a Mideast Trip By Arts Desk News from Gaza on every television. One man said to me: "I feel as though I've seen every one of the 1,200 bodies of those killed." And on every tongue: expressions of outrage, helplessness, sadness. Continue reading
Jan 13 Watch Hearing Holds Clues to Clinton's Foreign Policy Approach Sen. Hillary Clinton took questions on Iraq, Iran and other foreign policy issues in her confirmation hearing Tuesday. Analysts examine what she may face as the nation's top envoy. Continue watching
Jan 13 Marcel Khalife...Don't Call Him Bob Dylan By Arts Desk Marcel Khalife is often described in articles as the "Bob Dylan of the Middle East." (In my preparation for this trip, by the way, I discovered two different women described as the "Oprah of the Middle East"). Continue reading