Sunday, March 1, 2009
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Misconceptions, History, Culture, Language, Religion, Politics, and what we can and can't do as foreigners
Me in a nutshell.
Peace Corps Morocco, MA Middle East History UVA, Arabic enthusiast (not fluent...yet), lived in Syria over two summers, starting work at the at the American University of Iraq at Suleimaniya (AUIS) in September. I am generally obsessed with the Middle East and generally dissatisfied with US policies there (OK, to be fair, I am also dissatisfied with policies of ineffective regional leaders) and am in a constant search for possibilities for social, political, judicial & economic reform on local, state, regional and international levels. I also aim to encourage a better understanding of the region here in the States.
In Morocco for the summer
I am in Morocco for the summer as a group leader for one of the State Dept.'s Arabic immersion programs for high school students. Students are studying at the American Langauge Center (ALC) here in Marrakech. The ALC's main gig is teaching Moroccans English - 5,000 a semester - they have a really amazing program here. Life is general is great here because Morocco is my most favorite place around.
Mosaic
Watch news from the Middle East translated into English; new episode everyday; there is also a podcast.
Blogs on the Middle East
Websites, Orgs, Newspapers, Journals on the Middle East/ Foreign Policy in general
- Afghans for Civil Society
- Al Hayat
- Al Jazeera
- Al Jazeera (Arabic)
- Arab Reform Bulletin - Carnegie
- Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
- Aswat al Iraq
- Aswat al Iraq (Arabic)
- Atlantic
- Azzaman (Iraq)
- BBC
- BBC Arabic
- Bill Moyers (I love you)
- Carnegie - Arab Reform Bulletin
- Carnegie Endow. Internat'l Peace
- Center for a New American Security
- Center for American Progress
- Center for Public Integrity
- Council Foreign Realtions
- Crooks and Liars
- CS Monitor
- CSIS
- Daily Kos
- Daily Star (Lebanon)
- Democracy Digest
- Economist
- Fact Check
- Foundation for Middle East Peace (Isr/Palestine)
- Freedom House
- Frontline
- George Packer
- Haaretz (Israel)
- HRW - MENA
- Hullabaloo
- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
- Iraq Blog Count
- It's Still Burning: Thoughts on the Middle East in the age of Obama
- Jerusalem Fund/ Palestine Center (DC)
- Juan Cole
- Just World News (Helena Cobban)
- Link TV - Television Without Borders
- McClatchy
- Middle East Institute
- Middle East Research & Information Project
- Nahrain (Iraq)
- Nation
- National
- National Democratic Institute
- NPR
- PBS
- Pew
- Politico
- Project on Middle East Democracy
- Radio Free Iraq
- Real Clear Politics
- Riverbend - Baghdad Burning
- US Institute of Peace
Books on the Middle East and Islam
- Descent into Chaos: The US and the Failure of Ntion BUlding in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, Ahmad Rashid
- Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, And the Wars Within, Shuja Nawaz
- Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians, Chris Hedges and Laila Al Arian
- Engaging the Muslim World, Juan Cole
- Ghost Wars, Steve Coll (My favotrie book)
- Islam, the West and Challenges of Modernity, Tariq Ramadan
- In the Footsteps of the Prophet, Tariq Ramadan
- Koran, Kalashnikov, and Laptop: The Neo-Taliban Insurgency in Afghanistan
- Leaderless Jihad, Terror Networks in the 21st C., Marc Sageman
- The Legacy of the Prophet: Despots, Democrats and the New Politics of the Middle East, Anthony Shadid
- Mission Accomplished: Or how we won the War in Iraq: The Experts Speak
- Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah, Olivier Roy
- The Failure of Political Islam, Olivier Roy
- Politics of Chaos in the Middle East, Olivier Roy
- The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008, Thomas Ricks
- The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One, David Kilcullen
- The Bin Ladens An Arabian Family in the American Century, Steve Coll
- THE EXPERTS SPEAK: THE DEFINITIVE COMPENDIUM OF AUTHORITATIVE MISINFORMATION
- The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman
- The Israel Lobby, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid
- Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values, Philippe Sands
- Understanding Terror Networks, Marc Sageman
- What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat, Louise Richardson
Films on the Middle East
- http://www.lemontreemovie.com/lemontree_en.html
- Sling Shot Hip Hop
- Heavy Metal in Baghdad
- Brothers at Arms(Doc on troops in Iraq)
- The Dictator Hunter (Bringing Hissene Hibre, former Chad pres, to justice)
- Route 181 (an Israeli and Palestinian drive the 1947 Partition line and interview people)
- Encounter Point (On Israeli and Palestinian peace activitsts)
- Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (On the abuses at Abu Ghraib)
- Taxi Cab to the Darkside, (On abuses at Bagram in Afghanistan, best doc 2008)
- Iraq in Fragments (Documentary on Iraq under occupation)
- My Country, My Country (Documentary on Iraq under occupation - amazing)
- Baghdad High(Recent documentary on four Iraqi boys)
Possibilities for Political Reform: Islamic Democrats and Others
Understanding Radicalization
- Islamist De-Radicalization in Algeria (ME Institute policy brief)
- Several books on understanding radicalization reviewed by Ahamd Rashid in NY Review Books
- What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat
- "Deprogamming Jihadists" (NYTimes article)
- Saudis Use Cash and Counseling to Fight Terrorism
- Knowing the Enemy: Can Social Scientists Redefine the War on Terror? (George Packer, New Yorker)
- Engineers of Jihad (U. of Oxford Sociology Dept.)
Local/ National Interests: DC stuff, public school reform, prison reform
Labels
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- Arab Reform
- Books
- Calling out
- Darfur
- DC issues
- DC restaurants
- Democracy in the Middle East
- Education Reform
- Egypt
- Foreign Policy
- Hamas
- Hezbullah
- History
- Insurgency
- Iran
- Iraq
- Islam
- Israel
- jihad
- Justice
- Kurds
- Morocco
- Murshida
- Muslim Brotherhood
- Newspaper articles
- Opposition
- Other stuff
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Pictures
- Politics
- Prison reform
- Radicalization
- Reform
- Saudi
- Sharia
- Somalia
- Steak
- Sunni Shii
- Syria
- Torture
- Tribes
- Turkey
- Uighurs
- Violence
- Women
- Women and Islam
Blog Archive
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2009
(310)
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March
(79)
- Shadid article on Baghdad to Basra train ride
- Yes! Seymour Hersh article New Yorker on Syria and...
- Excellent new book about Darfur (&COIN criticism??)
- Hometown Baghdad: The one reality TV you'll catch ...
- Ten Million and Counting - Frontline on the Economy
- Wars, Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Place...
- Women in the Middle East - Iranian reformists
- Red meat is bad in mass quantities: Worst news I'v...
- FYI
- Top of my s--t list: John Ensign. (DC gun control ...
- Article on Kurdish political parties
- I've died and gone to diplomacy heaven. (Iran)
- Juan Cole on Colbert!
- Kurdish elections in May??
- Afghanistan - National Solidarity Program
- Another unevidenced strategy for Afghanistan in th...
- Iraq from an Iraqi's perspective
- Israeli troops speaking out on IDF conduct during ...
- Iraq Public Opinion Poll
- Bin Laden speaks out against new ISLAMIST Somali g...
- Juan Cole's new book "Engaging the Muslim World"
- New doc - Heavy Metal in Baghdad
- Abdi Kadir Ali and I think alike. Who knew?
- Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civ...
- Go Home Pope; Pope to Africa, "Only Chastity can s...
- Pakistan: Chaudry resinstated, a win for Sharif
- What We Don't Know About Iraq. And Filkins' Foreve...
- ICRC detainee reports
- Yemen
- SIGIR report - Hard Lessons
- Is Zadari sleeping with the Iranians?
- New Documentary on Iraqi Refugees
- Wash Post article on Pakistani Opposition
- Muslim activist story on This American Life
- Somalia...Hope for an Islamic democracy? Moderate ...
- Karen Armstrong on Bill Moyers "in this context se...
- Talk about a surge.
- Zadari = Musharraf? (= Dictator)
- Economist book review
- Louise Richardson on political violence
- Palestinan natural resources
- Turkey - Good work on Kurds what about the Armenians
- Encouraging Indigenous Participation: The Best Cha...
- Women in the Middle East
- Spreading democracy the right way
- Open letter to Obama on democracy in the Arab World
- Obama Backs Teacher Merit Pay
- Article Obama Doctrine
- Surge of attacks in Iraq
- Pic from Morocco (where I was in the Peace Corps)
- Where's the Muslim Outrage Over Darfur???
- Other things I care about that I am going to post ...
- Article - WSJ on Islam and Peace
- Dealing with Hamas and Hizbullah
- Morocco cuts ties with Iran
- Talks with the Taliban - Is the classic colonialis...
- Kilcullen Response to Bacevich (Small Wars Journal)
- Psychological Impacts of War on Iraqis
- Syria talks...
- Pressure on Israel
- Darfur and Beshir's ICC arrest warrant
- Book: 'Kill Khalid The failed Mossad Assass Attemp...
- Article - Desert's Sand and Rocks Become Precious ...
- AUIS - American University of Iraq at Suleimaniya
- The road to Iran is through Afghanistan
- Salem Fayyad, Fatah PM, submits resignation
- US sending officials to Syria: PLEASE don't just t...
- Article - Saudi Reforms
- Andrew Bacevich reviews David Kilcullen
- Gallup Poll - Muslim Americans Thrive
- Article - All Quiet in Pakistan's Swat Valley - Ve...
- Article - Muslim Sent Home and a personal story on...
- Iraq Elections
- Article - Egypt’s Critics Have a Voice, but Never ...
- Article - An End to Baghdad's 'Dark Era'
- Article - What Iran's Jews Say
- Article - Image Problem in Afghanistan
- Article - A Strategy for Afghanistan
- Kurds of Iraq
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March
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Ask me a Question
Do you have a question concerning the Middle East region or about this blog? E-mail me at vandentoorn@gmail.com and I will try to answer it.
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