Qais Ghanem, MD

Until last summer, I was associate professor of medicine and a practicing physician, who is passionate about social justice in this country. I feel strongly that our Medicare system should be strengthened instead of eroded and dismantled.

This issue has come to attention yet again because of the dispute between...

On the eve of the presidential elections in France, commentators were saying there is so much apathy in the French population, the old leader of democracy in Europe, that only 40 per cent of eligible voters were expected to exercise that sacred right last Sunday.

And yet this...

No one would be surprised if I said that during the past six months or so, I had numerous discussions with some intelligent and well informed friends about the ongoing Arab Spring. And while everyone agrees that the Arab Spring simply had to happen eventually, most are pleasantly surprised at...

How many times have we all heard the expression "Too little, too late?" A problem arises, and a solution is possible based on compromise, but the two sides remain dug in their original positions, because the stronger side cannot begin to imagine, at that time, that the balance of power...

The very recent developments in Syria have clearly shown the impotence of the Arab League, not because of lack of effort, but due to its inability to put its recommendations into effect. The resolutions on Syria have not only been ignored; they have been scoffed at by the Bashar Assad...

On the 23rd of February, Abdu-Rabbo Mansoor Hadi, the acting president of Yemen, and former vice president will, without a doubt, be "elected" president of Yemen. That is according to the agreement sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in its effort to secure the signature of former president Saleh...

Muslims for Progressive Values is a newly formed North American organization, with a smaller Canadian chapter, which has been gathering momentum for the past two years. Their website states, "MPV endorses separation of religious institutions, whether church, mosque, synagogue, or otherwise, from state institutions. The imposition of religious...

On December 16, Yemeni Nobel Laureate Tawakkol Karman gave an impressive presentation, and answered questions at Chatham House in London. I heard her say that the Gulf Initiative, which called for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign from presidency but that has led to violence,...

Government soldiers opened fire on a giant demonstration in Yemen's capital on Christmas Eve, killing at least nine protesters, and injuring many others. The demonstration, which started in the city of Taiz, was against the immunity given to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his associates by the Gulf...

Three Arab brutal dictators are gone, one way or another. For the one in Damascus, the indications are that the noose is being slowly and progressively tightened, and it is likely to be a matter of weeks rather than months.

So, why is the brutal dictator of Yemen different? His...

There is an Arabic saying that goes: If you are departing, do as much damage as you can. And for those few of my readers who speak Arabic, "Ya rayeh, katter bil fadhayeh!"

On Nov 23, President Saleh signed a power transfer deal to give up power after...

In the past few blogs on Yemen, I have mainly described a rather pessimistic outlook for Yemen, enumerating the reasons why I felt so. In the most recent blog I stated "Yemen has the misfortune of long, common borders with Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, which...

In my blog about Yemen, published by the Huffington Post dated Sept. 28, I said, "Saleh will offer some real concessions which will stop short of his relinquishing power. Unless, of course, there is sufficient international pressure to force him to leave. I cannot see that happening, at...

It is not uncommon, even in real democracies, to find famous and influential political families. Good examples would be the Kennedys and the Bushes. In India we have Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv, both assassinated. In Pakistan, there was former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged by...

In all the turmoil currently gripping the Arab nations, nothing has been more distressing for me than abuse of the human rights of the medical staff of the famous Salmaniya Medical Centre in Bahrain.

I must admit that I might be biased, simply because I am a...

When I heard on the news that King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia met with President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen last week, I was nearly certain that the latter would return to Sanaa. Why else would the potentate of the Middle East meet with such a relatively insignificant...

Dear Abu Bakr,

We have known each other since 1960, when we were medical students at the University of Edinburgh. Since then your two fine sons have been my close friends and nephews. In the '80s we worked together to establish the faculty of medicine of the...

In my blog last week "Good News From Yemen - at Last," I referred to the tightening noose around Tripoli. It was clear last week that it was only a matter of time. But today we hear that this tightening is occurring even faster than most had predicted....

The revolution of the Yemeni people, initiated by the youth movement six months ago, has reached an important landmark yesterday, with the announcement of the composition of a national council formed democratically to hasten the demise of the 32-year-old Saleh dictatorship.

The published list in English, containing 143...