Steven A. Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations: Image Credit – CFR
There are two new blogs on that focus on the Middle East, both worth following:
1. From the Potomac to the Euphrates, by Steven A. Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations. Cook introduces the blog with the following post:
I hope the site will be a forum for readers who share my passionate interest in all things Middle East. Sometimes I will post longer pieces (400-600 words) and, at other times, link to interesting articles/posts. It’s a crowded field out there so I’ll be experimenting at first, trying to develop a rhythm and personality for the blog. You’ll excuse my occasional pop culture reference or devotional to the New York Yankees (very popular in the Middle East), but it’s all in good fun and hopefully an effort to make a larger point. After all, I am the guy who once wrote about Cairo traffic to expound on the importance of informal political and social institutions. Although I have taken time to study my favorite bloggers/friends like Marc Lynch and Issandr Imrani and others too numerous to list (see the blog roll), I hope the “from the Potomac to the Euphrates” tag line will infuse the blog with a foundational coherence. I’ll be doing a fair amount of posting from places in the region (check back next week for posts from Cairo and Istanbul), but the blog will also focus on the debates in Washington about the Middle East. I am not interested in scoring points here or getting into ideological debates, but rather an explication of how Washington connects to the region in ways both good and bad.
2. Jonathan Cristol of Bard College is now blogging on Middle East topics for The American Interest. His introductory post is here:
My name is Jonathan Cristol and I am the director of Bard College’s Globalization and International Affairs Program (BGIA) in New York City. Two months ago I had the pleasure of guest-blogging for Walter Russell Mead while he was in Pakistan. Now, I am thrilled to announce that I will be a regular blogger for The American Interest. I will be blogging about the Middle East; in particular I will focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict and on America’s role in the region. At BGIA and on the main campus in Annandale, NY I teach many courses in international relations (IR) theory and “The United States and the Modern Middle East.” Thus, some of my posts will have an infusion of IR theory. I am very grateful to Charles Davidson, Walter Russell Mead, and everyone at The American Interest for the opportunity to join TAI on its unique and important mission. My first substantive post, early next week, will be a brief commentary on Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman’s speech at the United Nations.