Qatar’s powerful prime minister is preparing to step down as part of a wider power transition that may also see the country’s ruler ceding power to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, Arab and Western diplomats said on Monday.

CMEC was pleased to host a delegation from the Qatar Leadership Centre at the Houses of Parliament yesterday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to focus on the ongoing crisis in Syria during his first official tour that will include stops in London, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Harriet Sherwood reports in the Guardian on the historic visit of the Emir of Qatar to Gaza.

We look at which figures from Middle Eastern politics and cultural life have been included in TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012″ list.

Writing exclusively for CMEC, Shashank Joshi from the Royal United Services Institute considers whether the Arab League can be an effective actor in the Middle East following the events of the Arab awakening and recent turmoil in Syria.