1. Lebanon's Bernie Madoff, Hezbollah and the Shia millionaires. An investigation, with some telling anecdotes and asides, by Joshua Hersh.
2. President Saleh's main concern is to keep total economic and political power in his hands as long as he lives, and to hand it down to his son afterwards. Cogent analysis of recent Yemeni history and options for the way ahead by Yemeni academic Abdullah al-Faqih.