Surf Arab States

Arab States Weekly Review 5-11 Dec 09

Worries over the Emirates’ financial health were fueled when Moody’s cut its rating for state-owned companies in Dubai.

A series of bombings targeting government buildings in Baghdad killed at least 120 people. An Al-Qaeda or Baathist group is believed to be behind the attacks, in an attempt to destabilise Iraq in the run-up to a general election in early March. An election law had been ratified two days prior to the bombings. The December attacks follow November’s lowest violent-death toll (88) since the American invasion in 2003.