Author Archives: Tom Zaja

Kooky Qatar — More dough than you can sheikh a stick at, Part 2 of 2

Written by Tom Zaja on May 20, 2016 — 5 Comments

Part 1. Minorities have no chance to become refugees in the Gulf Arab states since they have scapegoated sectarianism from the start. With Druze you lose and what about that Alawite privilege? Christians and Yazidis have had their skin in the game from the beginning, and if a Tunisian report is to be believed, have […]

Posted in Featured Articles, Muslim Immigration

Kooky Qatar — More dough than you can sheikh a stick at, Part 1 of 2

Written by Tom Zaja on May 19, 2016 — 20 Comments

Midway down the Persian Gulf, a small peninsula the size of Connecticut rudely juts out opposite the world’s largest gas field. This fateful geomorphic kiss has made the state of Qatar the Gulf’s own version of The Provisions State, amassing vast wealth since its amicable independence from the British in 1971. An overnight cornucopia of […]

Posted in Featured Articles

Why Donald Trump should have held a Miss Universe pageant in Iran

Written by Tom Zaja on November 6, 2015 — 49 Comments

You know American politics is broken when the wealthiest candidate is the populist. As the larger than life Donald Trump continues to outpace the cardboard cut-outs of the Republican field, perhaps a greater number of his critics should also “not have time for political correctness” in giving the real estate mogul an appraisal. As the […]

Posted in Featured Articles, General