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From This Collection

Women-only businesses thrive in Beirut

Aug 5, 2009
At the end of Lebanon's civil war, a series of laws was introduced to improve prospects for female entrepreneurs. Lebanese women have been playing catch-up to their male counterparts ever since. Now there is an emerging sector of services by women, for women. Don Duncan reports.

An unclear view

Mar 14, 2008
The air here in Dubai this morning was thick. Some strange combination of sand blowing off the desert, dirt from the construction sites, and fog...

Egypt is running out of water

Mar 14, 2008
Egypt is adding more than a million people a year, which is putting huge strains on its natural resources. Strains that are evident every time some people turn on the tap. Amy Scott reports.

Migrant labor problems hit Jordan too

Mar 14, 2008
The war in Iraq has brought a building boom to the capital of Jordan, Amman. But the men hanging out on street corners every morning looking for work aren't locals, which has turned a labor shortage into a regional problem. Alisa Roth reports.

Peace through business?

Mar 14, 2008
In his most recent book, "The War of the World," Harvard historian Niall Ferguson says economic instability leads to conflict but viable market economies can end it -- especially in the Middle East. He spoke with Kai Ryssdal.

World economy no longer trails U.S.

Mar 14, 2008
Usually when the U.S. economy slides, so slides the rest of the world. Commentator Robert Reich says that's not going to happen this time, thanks to China and the Middle East.

Construction signs of a new Silk Road

Mar 14, 2008
The port of Dubai offers a snapshot of the Middle East's place in the global economy. Goods and capital flowing between countries, with the U.S. rarely in sight. Kai Ryssdal and Scott Tong report from Dubai and the Chinese port city of Qingdao.

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The Cultures of the Future

by Meaw
Mar 14, 2008
I will have to learn how to ski one day. Just to know if I could have lied when the woman at the ski Dubai counter asked me if I knew how to ski. I...

Unlucky Thirteen

by Meaw
Mar 14, 2008
We took a few hours off to go to the beach today. Jumeirah Beach Park costs just 5 dirhams to get in (less than $1.50), and it's beautiful. The...

Modernity and Islam go together

Mar 13, 2008
When you see a woman in Dubai covered in black from top to bottom, including her face, but sporting hot-pink stilletto heels, you might assume some kind of disconnect between Islam and the present day. Commentator Samer Shehata says that's not the case at all.