which is to say, as US influence diminishes, Iran steps in to fill the vacuum, at least according to this piece in the LA Times. It certainly hasn't been a secret that Iran has been involved in events in Baghdad since the early days of the American presence there, but as Maliki asserts himself further […]
A while ago I met Ayatollah Fadlallah. Definitely, an interesting experience. After the Khomeini revolution in Iran, the Shia and other Islamic parties supported the revolution extensively since it represented the fall of the American policy with the fall of the Shah. This doesn't mean that the Shia outside Iran are linked to Iran in […]
You can download his farewell letter to the troops here. Current Lt. Gen, soon to be Gen. Raymond Odierno will take his place.
… for Mahmoud Abbas’ departure on 1/9/09. I am inclined to think that a man whose tenure may or may not end with tripartite violence between his party, the opposing party and an occupying force is not one on whom the US should rest their hopes for leaving a legacy of peace in the Middle […]
Hizbullah's second-in-command Sheikh Naim Qassem has set three conditions for the “speedy success” of the national dialogue to be re-launched next Tuesday. 1- Participants should unanimously agree that Israel is the only enemy. 2- They should be convinced of building a capable, just, well-balanced, strong and clean state which would put an end to all […]
I went tonight to the movies. I felt I need some time on my own. Get Smart is a 007 kind of film but more fun. I don't remember seeing so many kids, not to offend them, pre-teens and teens, at ABC mall during the day. Quite a picture to look at. I am not […]
Most news articles and blog posts deal with Egypt on political terms. Mubaraks’ succession and the role of Islam in politics is no doubt important, but the great attention paid to these issues can sometimes make us forget that Egypt is more than a topic in political science. This is all to say that yesterday […]
… in FY08 (fiscal years in the US government are from October to October). This is a big increase from the 1600 that were resettled here in FY 07.
Daughters of Iraq is a program run in the model of the Sons of Iraq, insurgents-cum-policemen that have been instrumental in minimizing violence throughout the country. The DoI program is a response to the rise in female suicide bombers in the country. The Monitor has an interesting piece on the women who have taken on […]
Bobby Ghosh has a piece in Time magazine celebrating the eradication of jihad from Saudi Arabia. I am inclined to think it's a little short-sighted. His evidence of the decline of Islamic extremism is, primarily, the relative absence of police checkpoints in the city of Riyadh. His treatment of the human rights violations that go […]
Moustafa Bayoumi, professor at Brooklyn College, published a book this year called How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America. It follows the stories of seven young Arab-Americans living in Brooklyn in the wake of 9/11 to illustrate their conflicted relationships with their country of residence. It was excerpted […]
The so-called polygamy bill, which would make it easier for a man to take a second (or third, or fourth) wife, was abandoned by the Iranian parliament. This comes after extended protesting by Iranian women, including the infamous Shirin Ebadi. Some of her colleagues were arrested and imprisoned earlier this month for voicing their opposition […]
Tarek Shahin, a mid-twenties Egyptian graduate from the American University in Cairo, is a financial analyst by trade and a cartoonist by heart. He pens the Al Khan comic strip in Daily News Egypt, the country's leading independent English daily. Tarek excels at showing how different groups in Egypt react to the world around them. […]
A car bomb explosion on Wednesday killed a ranking official of Druze leader Talal Arslan's Lebanese Democratic Party in the eastern resort of Baisour and wounded six people, police reported. Saleh al-Aridi, in his late 40s, a member of the party's central council, was killed instantly when the bomb ripped through his Mercedes car in […]
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace puts out a monthly newsletter with nuggets of analysis on the Middle East, and it's always a treat. September's issue is out today (in a new format!) so check it out. I am probably going to blog about the Kuwait article (Rentierism Revisited) tomorrow or Friday – or maybe […]