Thembisa Fakude
Middle East Monitor
South Africa
Contact Thembisa
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Thembisa:
Qatar chose to avoid domestic unrest over Western World Cup demands
One of the political challenges in Qatar is that most of the population is left behind when the royal family forges ahead with socio-political modernisation. Unlike in most countries where change is o... → Read More
Saudi Arabia is losing the war in Yemen after seven years of mayhem and destruction
According to the United Nations (UN), the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the Houthis have extended their truce for a further two months. This follows an initial two-month truce reached between the w... → Read More
Keep the Palestinian struggle out of Putin's war in Ukraine
With the focus on Ukraine, it is easy to forget that Russian President Vladimir Putin supports his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad's continuing destruction of his country, and the maiming of wome... → Read More
Archbishop Desmond Tutu a man of God who liked to laugh
Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away this morning. He will be remembered differently by many people around world. He was a Nobel Prize Laurate, a man of God, fervent freedom fighter and a man of pe... → Read More
Qatar gets the ultimate vote of confidence from the US for its pragmatic foreign policy
Qatar's foreign policy has been described by many as 'maverick'. Unlike most countries in the region which have at best been regarded as client states, Qatar has demonstrated a confident and pra... → Read More
Behind AUKUS security pact: a new perspective on the US’ rushed exit from Afghanistan –
The President of the United States (US) Joe Biden has suffered huge reputational damage following the secret pact signed between Australia, the UK and the US, which has become known by its acronym, AU... → Read More
Ties between Turkey and Ethiopia have been strengthened by their latest agreements –
The visit to Ankara of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on 18 August was significant. The signing of bilateral agreements between Turkey and Ethiopia introduces another world power into Horn of Afr... → Read More
Qatar’s deep pocket foreign policy could produce a miracle in Afghanistan –
Qatar has continued to set political and other trends in the Middle East. The small oil and gas rich Gulf state launched Al Jazeera TV in 1996, for example, which has grown to become a multimedia news... → Read More
Netanyahu’s exit brings some slight optimism –
Changes in the makeup of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, hardly cause for Palestinian optimism, even at the best of times. All governments of Israel since 1948 have pushed the Palestinians and th... → Read More
Stop comparing Israel to Apartheid South Africa; it is worse –
It is common these days to compare the institutional racism in Israel, and its occupation of Palestine, to Apartheid South Africa. Up to a point, it's a reasonable comparison. Up to a point. For all... → Read More
Iran is under siege, and has a growing concern about the enemy within –
A number of people have been arrested in Iran over the years accused of spying against the government. Last year, the authorities arrested five Iranians on charges of spying for Israel, Britain and Ge... → Read More
Blame the dictatorship in Egypt for the Suez Canal fiasco –
Impunity rules the day when those assigned with responsibilities are allowed to abandon them without consequences. This happens frequently in dictatorships, where economic opportunities favour those w... → Read More
Speculation grows about the launch of Al Jazeera’s Rightly digital US platform –
News emerged last night that Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN) is to launch a new online channel called Rightly. This was confirmed by the network today. 'Al Jazeera Media Network today announced the ... → Read More
Qatar could replace Saudi Arabia as an important ally of the US in the Gulf –
The former administration of Donald Trump has widened the political divide in the US, leaving behind unprecedented political challenges for the future of the country. Trump might have lost the electio... → Read More
The hacking of Al Jazeera journalists’ phones should be of great concern to Qatar –
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt started their blockade of the State of Qatar in mid-2017. They accused their neighbour of, amongst other things, 'supporting terrorism and c... → Read More
An attack against Iran seems likely as Trump prepares to leave the White House –
The war drums started beating when Joe Biden was declared to be US President-elect, and Iran is again the target. Senior American officials made unprecedented trips while the country was still digesti... → Read More
The UAE has bought Sudan’s normalisation with Israel –
The UAE has been accused of complicity in Sudan's internal political turmoil for quite some time. Some believe that even the political machinations in eastern Sudan are actually sponsored and sustai... → Read More
Government incompetence is responsible for the floods in Sudan –
Many major cities and human settlements around the world have developed on riverbanks. There are sound historical, geographical and economic reasons for this fact. Living in close proximity to large v... → Read More
Another bad day for the Palestinians as Israel and UAE normalise relations –
After the 1967 Israeli-Arab war between Egypt, Jordan and Syria on one side and Israel on the other, the Arab countries sponsored and pushed for the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242. The... → Read More
Egypt must accept that the Nile belongs to Ethiopia and 8 other African states –
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) continues to create political tensions between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. The GERD is a $4 billion hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile, in the Benishangul... → Read More