Paris Review article on Language

So one of my dreams in life is to get published by the Paris Review...blog. Anyway here is an article by them about language effects are view of the world.

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2010/11/09/guy-deutscher-on-%e2%80%98through-the-language-glass%e2%80%99/

Richard Holbrooke on where we are in Af-Pak

Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan was on both PBS's News Hour and was interviewed by Fareed Zakaria on CNN's GPS.

Here is a mash-up of what he said on both shows. NH is News Hour and FZ is Fareed Zakaria


&&&&&&
On Pakistani efforts to deny the Taliban a base in Pakistan

they are doing gradually more, not as much, perhaps, as we would want. But I want to stress that the situation in terms of what they are doing is a lot better than it was a year-and-a-half ago. They're engaged. They have lost 30,000 of their own people in this terrorist war. And, right now, 70,000 troops are diverted to flood relief. But they said they will do more. –NH

On  the delicate partnership with Pakistan and why a cross border attack is not possible
- We have to work with the Pakistanis. It's very difficult at times. But one has to understand that it is a sovereign country. I know because I run into this when I go out on the street. The people come up to me and say, we have got to tell the Pakistanis that they got to do X, or else.

Well, the correct answer is, or else what? We are working together. And we have different situations, and we have to reconcile them. This strategic dialogue, which Hillary Clinton has now headlined three times in seven months here and in Islamabad and which will continue next year with a visit here by President Zardari and a visit to Pakistan by President Obama, is a -- has made a tremendous set of moves forward. -NH
On Securing the Af-Pak Border
That border is not sealable. We have trouble sealing our own borders in a peacetime situation with Mexico. But the -- the Pakistanis are doing more, say they want to do more and we want to work closely with them. And that's about all I feel free to say on that subject. –NH
But there always seems to be a reason why they [The Pakistani Army] can't get to North Waziristan…This has Been going on for five years- Zakaria
I'm not here to defend the Pakistani military or to attack them. They know our views on the importance of this area you're talking about, and that's really all I feel comfortable saying on that issue, except to acknowledge the importance of the subject you've raised. - FZ
On the ISI
“there is evidence on both sides of the issue. They -- as Secretary Clinton said today, they are our closest collaborator in the counterterrorism efforts. And there's an enormous amount that goes on where we work together. On the other hand, there are areas which are very disturbing. And General Keane in that "Charlie Rose" excerpt alluded to them.

But I think, with all due respect to a man I greatly admire, I think he somewhat overstated the facts. But I'm not going to get into a dispute of details. The fact is that we -- that I think people are so into the narrative that you are hearing, that they have not examined the fact that we are working together closely against the terrorists, but not in every area.

And in one area in particular, North Waziristan, where the Haqqani Network is poised against the eastern part of Afghanistan and cuts in towards Kabul, is an area of enormous concern to us.”-NH
On negotiations between Pakistan and India over Kashmir
“we would welcome any reduction in tensions or any agreements… We will be happy to be of help, if both sides want us to be. But we are not going to unilaterally put ourselves in the position of intermediation on issues” -NH

On Rumors of “negotiations” or “talks” on the Taliban”

Pakistanis aren’t being cut out of the talks and that's all that is happening. And the Pakistanis are not being cut out. We have talked extensively to them about it in the last few days. I met with General Kayani on this very issue yesterday, and we had some extensive discussions. And they understand what is going on.-NH

“I think the press has left the impression that negotiations of the type which ultimately ended the war in Vietnam in 1973 and ultimately ended the war in Bosnia in 1995 are somehow breaking out. That is just not the case, Fareed.”-FZ

What we've got here is an increasing number of Taliban at high levels saying, hey, we want to talk. I think this is a result, in large part, of the growing pressure they're under from General Petraeus and the ISAF command - FZ

you've used the word "negotiation." I would not use that word. I know what a negotiation looks like, and these are -- things that you're referring to, are mostly described by contacts and discussions not involving the United States.”- FZ

Who are we dealing with in Afghanistan? Who is the enemy?
“There's no Ho Chi Minh. There's no Slobodan Milosevic. There's no Palestinian authority. There is a widely dispersed group of -- of people that we roughly call the enemy. There's al Qaeda, with which there's no possibility of any discussion at all. There is the Afghan Taliban, sometimes called the Quetta Shura, under Mullah Omar, and that seems to be a loose organization with a very shadowy arrangement.

There's the Pakistani Taliban, the TTP, the ones who trained, rather fortunately, ineptly trained the Times Square Bomber, targeting Pakistan. There is the Haqqani network, a notorious, separate group of Afghan Taliban inside Pakistan who do a great deal of the -- of the mayhem and carnage inside Afghanistan.

And then, finally, there's the LET, which you're very familiar with. You did that extraordinary "Terror in Mumbai" program. And the LET is one that Americans don't pay much attention to, but their goal here is clearly to provoke the maximum amount of conflict between India and Pakistan.” –GPS FZ

On the Future

“there is no solution in Afghanistan unless Pakistan is part of that solution”- NH

It's certainly not another Vietnam, for reasons you and I discussed before. And it is certainly not hopeless. But anyone who doesn't recognize what a daunting task it is is misleading. -FZ

Freed Zakaria on How to Save the American Dream

 I'd be interested to hear some thoughts on what other people thought on Fareed Zakaria's first cover story for Time Magazine. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him two weeks ago and his mind is razor sharp.

While both progressives and conservatives have spoken broadly of turning things around for the working class American neither side

 Personally, I think his 5% sales tax is a bad idea. Because, I think it will unfairly target the poor. While the wealthy will be able to make major purchases overseas, the poor in the heartland in America will have no choice but

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2026776,00.html

My Response to Fareed Zakaria's article on the American Dream

Here is my response to Fareed Zakaria's latest article on restoring the American middle-class. I highly recommend this piece. 

Dear Sir,  
 
First let me say again it was a distinct honor meeting you two weeks ago here in Prague. I sincerely enjoyed reading this article.  Your line:  "European civilization had produced the great cathedrals of the world. America had the two-car garage. And this middle-class contentment created a country of optimists." is a memorable quote. I share with you a continued optimism about America and your article presents a possible solution for the problems this country faces.
 
However, t I'm hesitant about the idea of an "innovation tax". I think sales taxes are rather regressive as the poor have to spend more of their income than the rich. While the rich can save their spending money it and also have the opportunity to spend money overseas more frequently.  I'm originally from California and this is already an issue with many Californians "jumping the border" as it were and making it big ticket purchases in Nevada and other destinations.   

Lenin vs. Lennon

What's the relationship between economic development and democracy? corruption and development?

Nearly one stop shopping this blog has some cool graphs

http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-on-gross-domestic-product-correlations/

Russia's Austin Powers Momment

Ironically, Newsweek publishes a good article on Russia's lost mojo a day after Newsweek Russia folds. In the past few months Fareed Zakaria, (who I recently met)  jumped ship from Newsweek. Maybe Russia Today should do a story on how Newsweek lost its mojo...things don't look good for what was my favorite magazine in my middle school day.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/18/ruchir-sharma-on-russia.html

Brazil in One Lesson

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of running into the Brazillian Women's Basketball team here in Prague, that coupled with the recent Brazillian elections has gotten me reinterested in Brazil. I have tended to agree with most that Lula is the first Brazillian President who mattered on the global scene. This good FT article coupled with some other reportage they have done recently makes the case that his predecessor Fernando Henrique Cardoso is equally important. The article is so good and well written it qualifies it is practically Brazil in one leasson.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d889965e-c769-11df-aeb1-00144feab49a.html

Arab World's first viral video hit

Hilarious Panda commercial, or is it sublte politically commentary? You decided. Check out the article I wrote at RFE/RL with a link to the video.

http://bit.ly/96xopf

hat tip: Nathan Noiman who posted this a while ago on his facebook

Coup In Iraq? Not Likely

Here is a recent op-ed I wrote for the Atlantic Council on a possible U.S coup in Iraq.

http://www.youngatlanticist.org/component/content/article/83-iraq-coup.html

Two interesting language stories from this past month

Arabic hard to learn for Hebrews speakers, what about other languages?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11181457



Whistleblown: Interperters for U.S forces in Afghanistan: One Quarter flunked  language proficency exams.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/09/09/2010-09-09_one_quarter_of_us_interpreters_in_afghanistan_flunked_language_exams_whistleblow

Is the Freedom Agenda back in Fashion?

Here are some quotes from Obama's speech at the UN this week, he seems to again be advocating democracy and human rights promotion as American policy, something that has fallen off the radar in the first nine months of his administration. See highlights below

&&&&

We've also re-engaged the United Nations. We have paid our bills. We have joined the Human Rights Council. (Applause.) We have signed the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We have fully embraced the Millennium Development Goals. And we address our priorities here, in this institution -- for instance, through the Security Council meeting that I will chair tomorrow on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and through the issues that I will discuss today.........



I believe that the people of the world want this future for their children. And that is why we must champion those principles which ensure that governments reflect the will of the people. These principles cannot be afterthoughts -- democracy and human rights are essential to achieving each of the goals that I've discussed today, because governments of the people and by the people are more likely to act in the broader interests of their own people, rather than narrow interests of those in power.

The test of our leadership will not be the degree to which we feed the fears and old hatreds of our people. True leadership will not be measured by the ability to muzzle dissent, or to intimidate and harass political opponents at home. The people of the world want change. They will not long tolerate those who are on the wrong side of history.

This Assembly's Charter commits each of us -- and I quote -- "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women." Among those rights is the freedom to speak your mind and worship as you please; the promise of equality of the races, and the opportunity for women and girls to pursue their own potential; the ability of citizens to have a say in how you are governed, and to have confidence in the administration of justice. For just as no nation should be forced to accept the tyranny of another nation, no individual should be forced to accept the tyranny of their own people. (Applause.)
As an African American, I will never forget that I would not be here today without the steady pursuit of a more perfect union in my country. And that guides my belief that no matter how dark the day may seem, transformative change can be forged by those who choose to side with justice. And I pledge that America will always stand with those who stand up for their dignity and their rights -- for the student who seeks to learn; the voter who demands to be heard; the innocent who longs to be free; the oppressed who yearns to be equal.

Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside. Each society must search for its own path, and no path is perfect. Each country will pursue a path rooted in the culture of its people and in its past traditions. And I admit that America has too often been selective in its promotion of democracy. But that does not weaken our commitment; it only reinforces it. There are basic principles that are universal; there are certain truths which are self-evident -- and the United States of America will never waver in our efforts to stand up for the right of people everywhere to determine their own destiny. (Applause.)

Sixty-five years ago, a weary Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people in his fourth and final inaugural address. After years of war, he sought to sum up the lessons that could be drawn from the terrible suffering, the enormous sacrifice that had taken place. "We have learned," he said, "to be citizens of the world, members of the human community."


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/us/politics/24prexy.text.html?pagewanted=7&_r=1

The rise and fall of European Empires

The last 200 years as told through four blobs: The British, Portuguese, French, and Spanish empires. I have to say I learned the most about Portugal which by the late 19th century was bigger than Spain and by 1967 larger than France.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwOA8AfeHM4&feature=player_embedded

Reminded me of the above map from the Strange Maps Blog 

Iraq: A Changing of the Guard, as the Guards depart

The last full U.S combat brigade left Iraq today  and at the same time the new U.S Ambassador, James Jefferies has arrived in Bagdhad. I met him at the 4th of July party at the U.S Embassy in Ankara this year. He is a solid Bostonian with pride for his old High School sports team decades after he left and he even speaks Turkish with a strong Bostonian accent. The two moves symbolize a signifigant shift in emphasis in Iraq.

However, the question remains about who will control the skies in Iraq?

While, it's true that this is the last full combat brigade in Iraq, the U.S is as I understand it still running airpatrols in Iraq. As the Iraqi airforce at the momment is totally non-existent and the situation is ofcourse a tricky one.

McArdle on entrepreneurship in Africa

 I had the distinct pleasure of meeting prolific blogger and writer Megan McArdle in June 2009.
McArdle has forgotten more about finance and economics than I'll ever know. Here is a recent post from her on entrepreneurship in Africa.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/08/are-ngos-killing-african-entrepreneurship/61045/
And also a resposne to it from an African entrepreneur...

http://appfrica.net/blog/2010/08/15/whos-killing-african-entrepreneurship/

Also I want to congradulate her again on her marriage...all the best to you two!

Does language influence culture?

Do the languages we speak alter how we interpret and see the world?

 "The more languages you speak, the more people you are."
Eastern European Proverb

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703467304575383131592767868.html?mod=WSJEUROPE_hpp_MIDDLETopNews#printMode

The Boogeyman Snatched the Breast

As always I'm interested in how language relates to international relations.  This story discusses the crude language used by Iran's Ahmadinejad in his speeches. Really gutter stuff apparently, which has ofcourse long hbeen his appeal. He is the first leader of the Islamic Republic to talk in informal Persian rather than formalized language.

example of message that is displayed when accessing a censored site in Iran

My one criticism of this story is that they did not include any Farsi words except "mameh" which means breast apparently. Is there a tie in with "mammary" in English?

Pakistan: Founded as a secular state

                                  

Really good post on the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's vision of Pakistan at independence as a secular state. The post is from a Pakistani blogger. Jinnah was a one of kind a Twelver Shia who drank alcohol until his later years and in many ways regretted creating Pakistan. Until the end of his life he casually dreamed of returning to his beautiful home in Bombay.

Lord of the Bling

Now for some good news out of Pakistan despite the insurgencies and floods. A Pakistani jeweler has released what he claims is the world's largest ring named...(wait for it)...the Fragrance of Love...

Here is the original story in the local Pakistani press

The Taliban's Fake Religious War

Really good piece and brief piece on the Taliban's recent slaying of 10 aid workers.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/08/10/afghanistan_the_talibans_fake_religious_war/

Does Iran have a nuclear bomb?

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (who I admire in some ways) has made a number of gaffes at the podium of late. Most recently Cameron said that "Iran has got a nuclear weapon." Compare this statement with President Ahmadinejad's comment that "England is a small island west of Africa.".

Cameron we can assume made a slip of tongue and Ahmadinejad was trying perhaps to belittle the U.K. The Islamic Republic of Iran rarely misses out on an opportunity to humiliate and belittle the UK.

 Still, perhaps we should momentarily consider the idea that Iran could already have a nuclear weapon. We are now living 30 years after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Seeing that Iran has always seen itself as surrounded by enemies why would wait until now to develop a nuclear weapon? The major political events of the past decade have gone in Iran's favor. Iran is less threatened today that it was before. Iran no longer faces threats from Saddam Hussein's Iraq, a Taliban lead Afghanistan or for that matter a strong Pakistan.

For Iran the best time to build a nuke was perhaps during the Iran-Iraq War. Iraq had  its own nuclear weapons program at the time. Also, let's not forget Iran borders Pakistan, a nation which has in the past been willing to sell nuclear weapons technology. Did Dr. Abdul Kadeer Khan or someone similar ever approach Iran? Finally, while researching my M.A thesis I discovered news reports from the mid-1990s about Israeli intelligance projections that Iran would have nuclear weapons in a few years. Ofcourse, such projections come out all the time such as this report.

Regardless, the international efforts to resolve the present crisis should continue and on that note, here is an interesting read on the Iranian negotiating style.

Obama the note-passer

            This week it was leaked to the press that President Barrack Obama sent a “secret letter.” to revered Shia clerk the Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani. What’s up with Obama’s obsession with secret notes?

                More on that in a moment, Sistani has been described as the most powerful man in Iraq a fact that was lost at times on the previous administration. L. Paul Bremer of the Coalition Provisional Authority(CPA) was once advised to contact Sistani shortly after the establishment of the CPA. To which Bremer responded “Who is this person?” Not knowing who the most powerful man in Iraq is when your ruling the country for the moment is a pretty egregious error. Right up with there with disbanding the Iraqi Army. So things have improved a lot we now know who Al-Sistani is!

            The story here is that the Obama administration is a big fan of secret letters as a tool of diplomacy. Obama has already sent multiple secret letters to Iran, which is in keeping with established policy toward Iran from the Clinton years. The BBC Documentary "Iran and the West" reveals that the Clinton Administration sent a secret letter to President Mohammad Khatami of Iran after the Al-Khobar Towers bombing. George W. Bush sent a secret letter to India while in office concerning nuclear issues. 

             But, Obama's penmanship has been more prolific. He has sent secret letters to Russia as part of are all over "Russian reset". Despite talk of a Russian reset it remains likely the iconic symbol of Russian-American relations under Obama will be the spy swap on a tarmac in Vienna.
            Secret notes are a mixture of 1890s diplomacy and high school hijinx. One must wonder if Obama is using them as a tool of diplomacy so frequently to avoid domestic  criticism of his bold foreign policy initiatives. Hopefully this is not the case and it is unfair to speculate. To be fair the exact contents of these secret letters are unknown, so we will have to wait until one of them shows up on Wikileaks one day.

World Cup 2010: Political Happenings & Thoughts

World Cup 2010: Political Happenings & Thoughts

When the World Cup comes around every four years, we are told of its many benefits. Often mentioned are the universal joys which the event produces, ranging from the spectacular play on the pitch to the sport's overall unifying quality.

In other words, the young, the old, and those of differing nationalities all can come together, reunite, and enjoy a good match. During the Cup, economic and social differences generally are forgotten.

Sometimes however, a World Cup can bring these socio-economic differences into focus. Especially this year with the venue located in South Africa, a former Apartheid state.

Here are some of the political issues and observations already arising from the 2010 World Cup:

The Lack of African Coaches

The 2010 World Cup has largely been hailed as Africa’s coming out party. Not only is the event taking place on the continent, but there is also a halfway decent chance that an African country could win the tournament.

In addition, Africa’s already sizable contribution to European club football will be reflected in this World Cup, as star players such as Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast and Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon now will be playing for their national teams in South Africa.

Despite all these accomplishments on the field, Africans have yet to receive the same level of recognition as football coaches.

While much of the mainstream media coverage has focused on the African stars in the 2010 World Cup, few have mentioned (Monocle Magazine being a notable exception) that Rabah Saadane of Algeria is the only African coaching an African team.

Saadane is the “Old Man” of Algerian football, having been on the staff of the 1982 World Cup team, and later, serving as head coach of the 1986 squad. His return has been a long time in coming.

The Algerians have never gotten past the first round, and most likely it will take a bit of luck for them to sneak past either the U.S. or England and get into the second round.

Pan-Arabism Died on the Soccer Pitch

Who can forget the intense Algeria-Egypt soccer hooliganism of 2009 that preceded Algeria’s qualification to this year’s World Cup? A wave of rioting, vandalism, and violence followed those bitter Egypt-Algeria matches, leading to spillover chaos in Sudan, and even as far away as France.

The fact that both countries were from bilad Al-Arab, did nothing to diminish the shocking violence. And the fact that Algeria squeaked through only to lose to Egypt in African Cup competition a few months later, has made this rivalry between the Pharaohs and the Desert Foxes all the more bitter.

To this day, relations between the two countries remain icy despite offers from numerous countries to mediate.  Libya has even announced it will no longer compete against teams from Egypt and Algeria due to sportsmanship concerns.

European Domination Continues

Historically, the European and South American nations have dominated the list of World Cup champions. In fact, the final four in this year's World Cup is more likely to resemble that of the 2008 Euro Cup than to reflect the array of diverse teams from different corners of the globe that are in the tournament. And this is not a new trend.

Since 1950, the final four spots in any given World Cup often have featured the elite European teams or the South American powerhouses of Brazil and Argentina.

Of course, there have been exceptions, including: a pair of overachieving teams with home field advantage in Chile (1962) and Korea (2002); a remarkable appearance by Turkey in 2002; and a Uruguay squad which embarrassed Brazil by defeating the soccer giant at home in 1950.

Expect this year to follow the standard pattern, as two of the heavy favorites are Spain and Brazil.

Size Matters

Of the nations appearing in the 2010 World Cup, Uruguay and Slovenia have the two smallest populations. Uruguay, in particular, is unique - it is the only nation with under 4 million people to have won a World Cup (the next smallest country was Argentina with 40 million).

This will be Slovenia’s first appearance in the event (excluding appearances by the former Yugoslavia). The list of other past would-be giantkillers in the World Cup includes Northern Ireland, Kuwait, Wales, the Reggaeboyz of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors. None of those countries has a population over 4 million.

So what do all the population numbers indicate? Simply that a soccer nation, regardless of its passion for the game, most likely will not win a World Cup unless it has the requisite population figures from which to develop its talent base.

Remember the Cheonan!

For the first time in history, North Korea and South Korea will both be appearing in the World Cup. However, tensions between the countries remain as high as ever, especially following North Korea’s recent destruction of the Cheonan, a South Korean Navy vessel. The attack killed 46 South Korean sailors.

North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state means that to some extent it can conduct such attacks with near impunity. And the proof of that perhaps can been seen with its business-as-usual conduct, as North Korea has signed a jersey promotion deal for millions with an Italian company.

Some have called for symbolic boycotts during the games in order to condemn and shame the North Korean regime for its attack on the Cheonan.

Unfortunately, soccer fans most likely will not see the two teams go head-to-head on the pitch, as both are in different groups and probably will not meet up absent a deep dual run in the tournament.

By Joe Hammond
Contributing Writer for TheDailySportsHerald.com

A map to North Korean prison camps.

Good Washington Post map of Prison Camps in North Korea. I'm posting this in stark contrast to the hoopla over the  North Korean soccer team being in the World Cup. 

New Uses for Google Earth: tax collection

Normally, people tend to think of Google Earth as subversive. Exposing state secrets and allowing the commoners to gaze at the party complexes and palaces of aristocratic elites. Apparently, Big Google can also be put to work by the likes of Big Government. The Los Angeles Times reports that the  bankrupt Greek government is using Google Earth to find people who have installed swimming pools and have been refusing to pay taxes for them. Some have begun camouflaging their pools which might be in vein. The Greek government claims to be using archived Google Earth images to pursue tax evaders.

The Taliban speaks Finnish too?

From what I have been reading about Afpak, the current line of thinking seems to be that the U.S plans to turn operations against Kandahar into a full offensive. Then the U.S will begin "reconciliation" talks with the hard-core Taliban so as to effect a political solution strong enough for an American pull out.

Initially the Kandahar operation was supposed to be over by August but now the thinking is major operations will still be going on in November. Kandahar is Afghanistan's spiritual center and currently run mafia-style by Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-Brother of the Afghani President. Supposedly he is also a CIA Agent.

Hilary Clinton has made clear that efforts will be made to avoid another Fallujah, a reference to the bloody Iraqi street battle which was a major propaganda blow to U.S efforts. What are the alternatives? Here is a really good article on some of the things we have been doing to win the war over there.

Apparently the Taliban are also getting creative too. According to the below link the Taliban published a recent communique from Mullah Omar in   " Pashto, Farsi, Arabic, Urdu, Finnish, German, Spanish, Russian, French, Somali and Malay/Indonesian"..." Granted the Finns have 100 troops in Afghanistan but, they are not even in the top ten contributors. Even Estonia has more troops in Afghanistan than Findland.  Who in the Taliban has the the time to learn a difficult language like Finnish? Also when the New York Times say "Farsi" I assume the authors really mean "Dari". The name "Dari" has been used for Eastern Persian since 1964 in Afghanistan for nationalist reasons.


Source:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/muhammad_omar/index.html?inline=nyt-per

What do Nazis, CIA, President Eisenhower, and the Muslim Brotherhood all have in common?

The answer:  A Mosque in Munich.

 Really great new book(and a good title to boot) which has all the great makings of a spy novel: Nazis, CIA,
secret missions, President Eisenhower, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

 If you dont have time to check it spend half an hour on the New America Foundation's presentation of the book. Apparently Sayeed Ramadan the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood met with President Eisenhower! Great stuff in this book.

http://www.newamerica.net/events/2010/a_mosque_in_munich

(Full disclosure I'm going to start working at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty later this summer)

Bolivia's Evo Morales eating Chicken in the West makes you gay

This one though was too good to pass up:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/apr/22/chicken-causes-homosexuality-evo-morales

Evo Morales, the socialist president of Bolivia claims that eating chickens in the West makes you gay and bald.
Not sure in what order.

Junichiro Koizumi and the Ugliest shirt in the world

Former Japanes Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, I miss you,

You did the whole rockstar-politican thing better 

than even  Kofi Anan or Bono.

I miss your  cool blog which covered everything from 

 classical Finnish composers, to mushrooms to

the slowest horse in the history of Japanese horse racing.

I also amire your politics too. The postal savings system had to go.

Kudos. 

That curly hair of yours represented an era. It spiced up those G-8 type summits

contrasting starkly with balding politicians like Putin, Chirac, and Bersco...

Unfortunately despite leading your country longer than any other LDP leader since the 1970s, the party didn't fair so well after you went into retirement. 

Which has given Japan the rule of  Hatoyama's government which is now struggling and is in desperate need of the swagger your brought to the position.

and some serious fashion assistance as well :

I hope the proceeds from this purchase went to earthquake relief in Haiti or Chile because this shirt is a disaster. Easily the ugliest shirt I have ever seen let alone worn by a Prime Minister of any country.

Hatoyama, your wife claims to have been abducted by aliens and but maybe all they really took was your fashion sense? 

A interesting article on people with special needs in Qatar

A story on a subject that gets little attention in the Middle East, let alone elsewhere.  In Qatar due to inbreeding this is an important issue in society.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/01/world/middleeast/01blind.html

Iran messing with the Dollar in America's backyard?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aG07q_JnRmmY

U.S officials flying to Ecuador to talk in person about....Iran? Interesting story for several reasons. First, Ecuador uses the dollar and is currently lead by a socialist leaning, American trained President Correa. President Correa who studied economics in the U.S. and Belgium has had trouble keeping his country from avoiding the type of meltdown happening nearby in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela which is why 40 million cash deposit from Iran is so interesting. That and the fact Iran has also been increasing its presence through out the region and that Iran is one of the primary manufacturers of high-quality counterfeit U.S dollars.

Syria no longer on State Department Travel warning list

Check for yourself it fits into the framework of the broader Obama lead  rapprochement with Syria.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

The Revolution will be televised: A textbook coup in Bishkek

Flag of Bishkek

Chaos and violence erupted in Bishkek today as it appears that a coup is underway. While most details are still sketchy including the location of the Kyrgyz President.  Given that the word Kyrgyz comes from the Turkic word for "Forty" (an allusion to the founding tribes of the region) claims by the Health Ministry that 40 have been killed and 400 wounded seems ironic or perhaps dubious.

At this point the only comment worth making is that the coup appears to be almost textbook in nature. The Kyrgyz opposition filliped the security services to their side and seized the central TV broadcasting station first. This is the standard operating procedure for coup-makers the globe over for the past half century in everywhere from Africa to Asia. Seize the TV station and broadcast your version of the truth. This has certainly been the pattern in the Post-Soviet world as well.

 In Estonia during the "Singing Revolution" against Soviet rule the Soviets ordered Soviet Airforce General and future Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev to seize the Estonian television station. Instead he merely deployed a Soviet kitchen unit.

In 1991, the coup against Gorbachev the leaders of the coup d'état used the Soviet television services to broadcast their declarations and to give legitimacy to their movement.

So right now be assured that the opposition leaders are tripping over-themselves to ensure that they can televise as much of the revolution as possible.

In the long-term though this model is dated. It is easy to imagine a world in the near future where by the explosion of the internet and other communication technologies will make it harder for would be authoritarians to seize power and legitimize themselves with a few crude TV broadcasts.

Obama's only "Dear Friend" Abroad

 Today President Nicholas Sarkozy picked the sort of Washington D.C exacta that tourists dream of:  a half-smoke for lunch at the iconic Ben's Chili Bowl and with dinner with the Obama's in the Presidential Quarter's in the White House 

While the relationship between the two men has certainly cooled since both men's presidency's were being described as "historic" (Sarkozy's parents were Polish immigrants and the first such President of France). Like it or not "Sarko" or "Le Americaine" if you prefer is Obama's only best friend abroad.

Compare: Obama's relationship  with Gordon Brown has a times been curt. His relatively close to Mubarak but this may prove a liability, distant with the Saudis, impatient with the Japanese over military bases, tough on Netanyahu over settlements, not tough enough on Karzai , at times neutral with Erdogan, mysterious with Merkel. Through it all Sarko has been faithful but after him whose Barrak's next closest friend Berlusconi? You know this guy.

Of course my favorite moment in the Obama-Sarko relationship was when Christine Amanpour, dropped a bomb on Sarkozy during a media sesson.

Ex-General implies that Gay Dutch soldiers responsible for Srebrenica

My only response is to quote the great conservative thinker Barry Goldwater on the topic of gays in the military "you don't need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight. "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/19/gay-dutch-soldiers-srebrenica

Kicking off Young America/Young Turkey at Logan's Tavern

So the first meeting of the Istanbul Policy Center  and Atlantic Council's Young Turkey/Young America
program

Occurred at that venerable center of power in D.C the well-heeled watering hole
In this case the bar in question was Logan Tavern where we were wined-and-dined(as opposed to Turkey where I assume I will be Turkish Coffee-and-dined) on the Atlantic Council’s dime.

After a few horus of pleasantries we broke into disscussion about the presseing issue in American-Turkish relationship? Energy? Iraq? Iran? Afpak? The Eu? Ofcourse not! the most pressing issue in U.S -Turkish relations in March 2010 are the events of 1915, The Armenian Genocide.

 A horrible crime that took place long before myself, my parents or any of the senators who voted on the issue in the Senate Committe of Foregin Relations were born.

I asked my Turkish colleagues why does Modern Turkey feeel the need to wallow in the Ottoman Empire? Wouldn't it be easier to just accept the Genocide as the crime of a elite clique of Turkish nationalists bent on hijacking the compartive tolerance of the Ottoman Empire in the name of Turkish nationalism?

Oncur Sen responded that in this part of the world Greece, Turkey, Armenia insults are not forgotten so easily.

For this reason the Armenian Genocide resolution in the Senate recived live television coverage in Turkey. Fulya Ozerkan  a reporter with the Turkish Hurriyet(Freedom) newspaper told us that the paper didn’t go to bed until the vote was finished. The issue was huge in Turkey.

The Americans at my table were quick to point out that in the U.S know one really followed it the BBC was the first to break the story.

“You say Turkey in the United States and most people will think of some fond Thanksgiving memory” I told my colleagues. A frank comment that drew laughs from both the Americans and Turks.

A World of Hurt

http://collegetimes.us/oscar-predictions-2010-the-david-v-goliath-story/

My former MUN teammate John Wie is all about the movies these days. Writing from London where he is attending the prestigious London School of Economics, Wie picked the Hurt Locker to nab the Oscar for best picture. Though his personal favorite was "Up In the Air"

At first I was all about the Hurt Locker. A decent, small budget Middle East picture with some Arabic language dialogue. ("Imshi, Imshi!" the soldier yells while hurling a water at a boy in a car). Plus, the movie was filmed in some of the same areas I used to roam through in Amman! My friends joked you could See Reem Shwarma in the background!

  My first grumblings about the picture came when I read and interview where it was claimed that the film was filmed "Miles from the Iraqi Border."  The border is actually few hours away. Living in Amman one could get confused there are road signs for Iraq where everywhere but, Amman is still 500 miles from Bagdhad. I decided to let that one side. 

Then I read in the Los Angeles Times accusations that the makers of the Hurt Locker decided to create an "angry crowd" scene by driving a Humvee into a Palestinan refugee Camp. Other allegations emerged that the story was lifted

More on the Armenian votes

Since most people might prefer that historical issues be left to historians and that government stay out of such issues here is a BBC debate between two Historians on the issue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7042209.stm

Guenter Lewy cites in his rebuttal Bernard Lewis who is a true Dragoman in the linguistic sense of the word and a former advisor to the W. Bush White House. As was pointed out in a graduate school disscussion, Bernard Lewis is one of those academics who initially referred to the events of 1915 in his 1961 book The Emergence of Modern Turkey as a "terrible holocaust." Subsequently  changed his mind conveniently around this time he started to recieve assistance and better archival access from Turkish sources so I hear. Coincidence I'm sure.


I have a good friend who is at present in Armenia so I'm waiting to here from her on the Armenian reaction to today's vote.

Armenian Deja Vu All Over Again: US Congress plays Historian once again

American Coverage
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/turkey-recalls-envoy-after-house-vote-on-armenian-genocide/1

Turkish Coverage
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=same-genocide-movie-playing-in-theaters-again-2010-03-0


The U.S Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution today on the events of 1915. The strongly worded resolution among other things commanded that the President of the United States (POTUS) refer to the events of 1915 as a "genocide." The vote was razor close (23-22).

Current President Barrack Obama used the term "genocide" as recently as January 2008. Since assuming office Obama, like Bush and Clinton has avoided using the term. The vote is likely to spark more anti-Americanism in Turkey where opinions of the U.S are already quite low.

The vote is a replay of the events of 2007 when a similar resolution was passed in committee and never made it to the floor. Turkey recalled its ambassador immediately after the vote. The passing of this resolution is serious set-back for U.S-Turkey relations. Clearly the high-water mark in U.S Turkish relations was the 1991 Gulf War when both nations worked together against Saddam. Following these events, Turkish-American relations were in a long decline before the events of today.

The Committee vote will despite being in the "Foreign " Relations committee has far more to do with domestic concerns than foreign ones. The vote will set up a further round of competition between the powerful lobby of Armenian-Americans who are well organized vs. a far less well organized group of Big Defense interests who have ties to Turkey.

Either way the timing could not have been worse for the U.S and the risk involved is high.

Gullah has Arabic loanwords?

I have stated that I want to include some discussion of linguistics in this blog and her is the first of such discussions: a look at the Arabic influence on Gullah

Gullah or Geeche is a creole language spoken by around 250,000 African Americans in the offshore islands in South Carolina and Georgia. Famous Americans with Gullah roots include Michelle Obama, Jim Brown, and Joe Frazier. In 2005, the Gullah community completed at 20 year work on a translation of the Bible.

A 1949 research article by Professor Lorenzeo Dow Turner recorded several words with Arabic roots and many more from Western African languages like Wolof and Bambara. Here is a list of some Arabic words in classical Gullah.

Sali: "To pray" from the Arabic Salat
Saraka: a traditional offering from the Arabic Sadaka
Anebi: "Prophet" From the Arabic Nabi for prophet
Alama: The Arabic word for "A sign" is exactly the same: علامة
Araba: "Wednesday" from the Arabic word for the number four
Alansaro: From the Arabic Al Asr "the three o'clock prayer time."
Al-Kama: "Wheat or grain" Al Kama is the Arabic word for Wheat: القمح
Alura:  The Arabic word for needle is "لسع"  Something completely different
 so I'm not sure what the origin could be for this word.

However, the language has change signifigantly since 1949.  Many of these Arabic words have disappeared. For example, Gullah speakers have borrowed the English word "God" and no longer use "Ala" from Arabic as Lorenzo reported. A review of the 2005 Gullah Bible will clearly show this transition.

 Gullah also have many words which have been loaned into American English such as "juju" for an evil thig or witchcraft. I recall in High School a friend referring to a Snapple I was drinking as "Bad juju." Other examples include "jukebox" which has roots in a Wolof word. Mojo is another word in English of possible Gullah origin.

Gullah may also be the origin of the English verb "to tote" as in "to carry" according to this  Los Angeles Times article. Though others hold the verb "to tote" may also be of Swahili origins, another language heavily influenced by Arabic. Interestingly Swahili like classical Gullah uses the word "Nabi" for prophet as well. Though the two languages have no common lineage.

Will El Baredi run for President?

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/24/world/la-fg-egypt-elbaradei25-2010feb25

My friend Amro Hassan in Egypt breaks the story....Amro next time coffee is on me!

Best Israeli film ever?

I'm going to D.C for a few days so I wanted to leave one good thing for my readers before I go. I'm always digging up good stuff like Zahi Hawas. In this instance it is the trailer to the Israeli film that is being called "The Mother of all Israeli films" well actually no one is calling it that but, I'm sure Saddam would. Check it out.

"Ajami"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRfxD2NFVq4

Turkey's Image continues to improve in the Arab World

Article on Lebanese-Turkish relations.

http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=27339&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0&isNew=1

If you read the 7th paragraph you have in essence read the whole article. Certainly the Syrian-Turkish rapprochement has been a large influence on improving Turkish-Lebanese relations. In 2005, Syria seemed prepared to fully abandon claims to the Hatay Province and the two sides came close to an agreement on this issue in late 2009.

Also, the author did not discuss Turkey's role in UNIL force in Lebanon or the fact that Turkish-Lebanese trade has now reach around half a billion annually. Which begs the question of if improved economic ties lead to improved diplomatic ones (In general I think so).

Kind of Ironic

Hmm, a  EU themed blogging contest about the environment with the grand prize a trip to that famed center of European Union policy and thinking : New York!

http://climatechange.thinkaboutit.eu/

I guess a free trip to Brussels does not exactly inspire the blogging world to think about the environment.

Major Arrest of Turkish military officers

The Story of the day from the Middle East was easily the arrest of well over 50 Turkish military officials in connection with the. This elite class of "pashas" are being held in connection to coups.

There are two ways to look at these stories. On the one hand it could it signal "the end of the beginning" to  to the Turkish "Derin Develt" or "Deep State" in which a shadowy group of officers and other figures hold much political power?

Critics have taken the opposite view. Some in the Turkish opposition hold that this merely marks a renewed assault by the ruling party against those critical of the regime of the Justice and Development Party.

Regardless the military as the defender of Kemalist anti-clerical Republicanism will  remain an important figure in Turkish politics for the medium term. The military has staged coups or other wise toppled civilian governments in 1960, 1971, 1980 and again in 1997.


Over 50 Turkish commanders held over coup plot - Yahoo! News

USA's Win over Canada highlights the importance of Sport

Many aspiring bloggers have started a new blog with a cherished poem. Myself, coming from a background in sports journalism have decided to talk about ice hockey in my first post. After all ice hockey has been called "poetry on Ice."

Only poetry could describe America's impressive win over Canada this past Sunday. The first Olympic win over Canada in 50 years.The final score was 5-3 though in reality it was much closer. I received many comments from Canadian friends in response to the game from an Italian-Canadian, a Singaporean-Canadian, and a Somali-Canadian acquittance who reminded me on my Facebook wall that Canada was going to kick America's "arse"

On the American side I received comments from team USA supporters from a Nicaraguan-American(Bill Guerin, an occasional member of Team USA is half-Nicaraguan) and from Filipino-Americans and Arab-Americans.

Clearly my own personal experiences lie in opposition to a recent Los Angeles Times article which  postulated the end of nationalism in relation to sports and the Olympics. To be replaced with idol like worship of individual accomplishment. Think of how the NBA bills a key match-up. It's not the Cavaliers vs. the Lakers it is always "Lebron vs. Kobe".

I think that if anything Sports as a outlet for nationalism is as important today as ever. It is as easily consumable concept which allows for a sense of group identity. It is a safe outlet for the tribe mentality of "us vs. them" in us all.

If the Spirit of Vancouver 2010 doesn't convince you of that just wait four more months until South Africa 2010.