Brian Whitaker is a former Middle East editor of the Guardian
December 2017
Ali Abdullah Saleh obituary
President of Yemen for 34 years whose refusal to leave the political stage plunged his country into further turmoil
June 2016
Everything you need to know about being gay in Muslim countries
The official fiction, Brian Whitaker explains, is that gay people don’t exist in the Middle East. They do – and for many of them, attitudes of family and society are a bigger problem than fear of being persecuted
January 2016
The Saudi execution will reverberate across the Muslim world
Brian Whitaker
Islamic sectarianism has been inflamed. Expect a hardening of positions in Syria, Iraq and beyond
September 2015
Saudi Arabia is worried – and not just about its king
Brian Whitaker
Not only are many Saudis jumpy about their incautious King Salman, the world surrounding the Gulf is also changing in all the ways they fear
March 2015
Yemen, long on the brink of catastrophe, may have tipped over the edge
Brian Whitaker
Friday’s mosque attacks, whoever was behind them, will intensify sectarian rivalries and invite bloody reprisals. The scene is set for a protracted civil war
January 2015
Saudi Arabia is right to be anxious over its ideological links with Isis
Brian Whitaker
Brian Whitaker: The Saudi authorities have condemned Islamic State, but they fear the destabilising effects of any detailed examination of their shared principles
December 2014
If homosexuality isn’t illegal, why is there a gay crackdown in Egypt?
Brian Whitaker
Brian Whitaker: A bath house raid instigated by complicit media looks like a bid to distract attention from bigger economic and political issues
November 2014
British fear of Islamists and Saudi fears about atheists are two sides of the same coin
Brian Whitaker
It’s dangerous to be so cosy with the Gulf’s autocrats
Brian Whitaker
October 2014
Cif belief
Most Arab states share Isis’s ideology. They’re trying to have it both ways
Brian Whitaker
Yemen is being reshaped by rebellion and intrigue
Brian Whitaker
September 2013
Beyond Syria: five Middle East stories you may have missed
Brian Whitaker
Brian Whitaker: Syria is rightly dominating the news. But from Egypt's spying stork to Israeli-Palestinian talks, here's a look at what else is going on
August 2013
The US view of Yemen as an al-Qaida hotbed is a travesty of the truth
Brian Whitaker
Brian Whitaker: Yemen is a real place where people are demanding social justice and democracy. Their cause is only harmed by the US
October 2012
Middle East Live
Syria conflict: Eid al-Adha ceasefire - Friday 26 October 2012
Middle East Live
Syria accepts ceasefire with conditions - Thursday 25 October 2012
Middle East Live
Syria crisis: regime 'accepts ceasefire' – Wednesday 24 October 2012
Middle East Live
Syria crisis: UN mulls peacekeepers but ceasefire hopes fade - Tuesday 23 October 2012
Middle East Live
Security chief dies in Beirut blast - Friday 19 October 2012
Middle East Live
Syria crisis: fears for '28,000 disappeared' – Thursday 18 October 2012
Middle East Live
Syria crisis: Brahimi pushes for truce - Wednesday 17 October 2012
