The Economist's New Middle East Blog

The Economist has been around since 1843, and now they're joining the Middle East blogosphere with a Middle East blog known as Pomegranate.  Let me welcome them: more competition makes us all try harder, and I've always respected The Economist and those of their Middle East reporters I've met. The initial post is signed by "M.R., Cairo," which I'm assuming is Max Rodenbeck, whose wonderful book on Cairo led my list of essential books about that city a while back. Welcome, Pomegranate.