Islamic Middle East Blog

Update on the ‘War’ on Terror

Ted Thornton — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:31:14 +0000

The war on terror, writes Dexter Filkins, will be decided in the tribal frontier areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Dexter Filkins, “Right at the Edge,” New York Times Magazine, Sept. 7, 2008

Culture Wars in Gaza

Ted Thornton — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:14:20 +0000

Increasingly, the Islamist agenda of HAMAS, the ruling party in Gaza, is being challenged by Palestinian youth with more Western and secular tastes.

See: Michael Kimmelman, “Watching ‘Friends’ in Gaza: A Culture Clash,” New York Times, Sept. 6, 2008

IME Course Study Guide on the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Iran Asserting Itself in the Strait of Hormuz

Ted Thornton — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:01:01 +0000

The six Arab Gulf Cooperation States (GCC) have condemned Iran for setting up offices on three disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil is shipped. The islands - Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb - are claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The GCC was established in 1981and includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Story at BBC

Gertrude Bell and the Map of Modern Iraq

Ted Thornton — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:50:37 +0000

Building on our discussion of Gertrude Bell yesterday and her key role in determining the borders of modern Iraq, see the following articles (you must be on the NMH Virtual Desktop for the links to work):

Ellen Knickmeyer, “The Woman Who Put Iraq on the Map,” Washington Post, March 5, 2006. (A retrospective piece on Gertrude Bell — from ProQuest Direct and available only to members of the NMH community via the Virtual Desktop)

Also on Gertrude Bell - see Rory Stewart, “The Queen of the Quagmire,” New York Review of Books, Oct. 25, 2007

The articles are part of the IME Course Study Guide on Iraq

How Far Libya and the U.S. Have Come!

Ted Thornton — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:39:01 +0000

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has met with Libya’s ruler Muammar Qaddafi in Libya. She is the first U.S. Secretary of state to visit Libya since 1953.

Story at BBC

Iraq’s Marshes To Be Listed as U.N. Heritage Site

Ted Thornton — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:32:54 +0000

Yesterday in class, Dick told us about the marshes in southern Iraq, the culture they spawned, how Saddam Hussein drained those marshes in an effort to destroy that culture, and how the marshes are now being allowed to fill back in.

The United Nations has decided to list those marshes as a world heritage site.

Story at the BBC

How the U.S. Can Get Out of Iraq

Ted Thornton — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:16:49 +0000

Three experts writing an Op-Ed piece in today’s New York Times offer a plan for us to get out of Iraq.

See: John Nagl, Colin Kahl, Shawn Brimley, “How To Exit Iraq,” New York Times, Sept. 5, 2008

Asif Ali Zardari Positioned to Become Pakistan’s Next President

Ted Thornton — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:51:50 +0000

Asif Ali Zardari, widower of slain former P.M. of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, will become Pakistan’s next president. He assumes office under a cloud of suspicion: accused of extortion, money laundering, and receiving kickbacks. These charges have earned him the nickname of “Mr. Ten Percent.”

Jane Perlez (see below) writes that Pakistan “has only $6 billion in foreign exchange reserves, disappearing at the rate of close to $2 billion every month to pay for oil and food.”

Jane Perlez, “Bhutto Widower With Clouded Past Set to Lead,” New York Times, Sept. 5, 2008

Libya’s Ruler Muammar Qaddafi Profiled

Ted Thornton — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:29:53 +0000

See the BBC profile of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi (also spelled Gaddafi)

Pakistan Investigating Deaths of Five Women in “Honor” Killings

Ted Thornton — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:37:24 +0000

Pakistan has begun looking into the “honor” killings of five women who were beaten, shot, then buried while still breathing. “Honor” refers to family honor, or rather the loss of it when women choose marital partners families do not approve of, or become pregnant outside of marriage, etc. Pakistani officials estimate there are hundreds of honor killings in Pakistan each year. These killings occur in many other Muslim countries, too, as well as in Muslim enclaves in non-Muslim nations (in Europe, for example).

Salman Masood, “Pakistan Begins Inquiry Into Deaths of 5 Women Amid Dispute Amid Dispute Over Honor Killings,” New York Times, Sept. 3, 2008