Foreign Policy Blogs

Who’s Who IN the Arab World? Examining Arab Identity

Who’s Who IN the Arab World? Examining Arab IdentitySo many of us whose work, lives and studies involve the Arab world have spent the last year making sure everyone realized that each country’s ‘Arab Spring’ experience is unique. That said, there is a need to step back and take a moment to see what unites the peoples (and their aspirations) across the region.

In today’s The Atlantic, Massoud Hayoun (@mhayoun) wrote an interesting post on “The Coming Arab Identity Crisis” where he takes that look back and asks some tough questions. Through conversations with very diverse voices in the Arab Diaspora, Massoud proposes several ways of devising a “formula” for pan-Arab identity. You will also find it interesting that Massoud explores the role that Arab Jews might play in resolving this “identity crisis.” (He interviews the well-known and highly respected Jewish advisor to the King of Morocco, André Azoulay.) Check out the post AND the comments, very thought-provoking.

 

Author

Calvin Dark

Calvin Dark is an international policy and strategic communications professional based in Washington, DC. For more than 10 years, he has advised US and international bodies and organizations, primarily focusing on political, economic and cultural relations with Latin America, Western Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. Calvin is also a social media enthusiast trying to connect the world one tweet, post and #hashtag at a time.

Calvin was a Fulbright Scholar to Morocco where he conducted research on civil society’s role in increasing transparency and public confidence in Morocco’s government institutions and services. Calvin received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and French from Duke University and has studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Paris, France. He speaks French, Spanish, Arabic and English (North Carolina’s special dialect.)

Calvin is also passionate about Southern storytelling and oral histories and is the author of Tales From My Dark Side [www.talesfrommydarkside.wordpress.com], a collection of stories about the Darks, a central North Carolina family and their unique ways of reconciling the complex notions of race, community and family.

Anything else? Oh yea, he loves to spin and is a spin instructor. http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/01/just-ask-for-directions/

Contact Calvin at [email protected]