🖤 Donations of all sizes power our public service journalism Give Now

A New Oprah Rising in the Middle East

Jun 23, 2011
This may come as a surprise, but television designed to make the world a better place is still possible. Amira Al Fadl is a charismatic interview...

How Much? The Costs of Economic Security

Jun 22, 2011
For Emiratis, getting a cushy government job is the easy and preferred choice. In fact, the government provides amble benefits with little work. ...

My Visit to Another Planet

Jun 22, 2011
As a kid during the Apollo project, I very much wanted to walk on the moon, or even better, another planet some day. I seem to have just missed N...

A Private Sector for the Public Good in Egypt

Jun 22, 2011
The World Bank may not have anticipated the Arab Spring uprisings, but they claim to have a plan for the future. They've announced billions of do...

In Egypt, Affordable Housing is the Price of Love

Jun 21, 2011
Think affordable housing is just a matter of number crunching and government regulation? How about sex? OK, so maybe not just "sex," but in Egy...

Oasis or Mirage? The Costs of a Sustainable City

Jun 21, 2011
Masdar City sounds like a utopia. Located in the deserts outside Abu Dhabi, the capital of the U.A.E., it was envisioned as the world's first car...

Building Community in Cairo's Satellite Cities

Jun 21, 2011
In Egypt's capital, good affordable housing isn't just a concern -- It's a demand. While Cairo's swelling population clings to the Nile, some Egy...

For public good, not for profit.

Egyptian Entrepreneurs Face Red Tape

Jun 20, 2011
For most Egyptian entrepreneurs, starting a business is like waiting in line at the DMV: Numerous forms, endless lines and a tangle of red tape m...

Hernando de Soto on the Middle East's 'Informal' Revolution

Jun 20, 2011
Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto is best known for the big, paradigm-shifting idea of his 2000 book: The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Tr...

The Changing Role of Labor Unions in Egypt

Jun 20, 2011
Before the uprisings in Egypt, unions had an uncomfortably close relationship with the government. Now, with newer, independent unions taking the...