MetaFilter posts tagged with middleeast

Are Peace Negotiations in the Cards?

Ironmouth — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:18:44 -0800

Are Peace Negotiations hosted by Russia and France in the cards? Today, President Obama is meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu and the Palestian Authority's Abbas and then hosting a three-way meeting with both leaders. Officially all parties claim they have "low expectations." But is this really the case? On August 25, in a little-noticed article, the Guardian claimed that negotiations "have reached such an advanced stage that both France and Russia have approached the US offering to host a peace conference." The Guardian article went on to state that the President had Obama "pencilled in the announcement of his breakthrough for either a meeting of world leaders at the UN general assembly in New York in the week beginning 23 September or the G20 summit in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September." And other events may be a tell. Last week, Obama ordered a major change in US missile defense plans, moving a proposed deployment from Poland and the Czech Republic to ships in the Eastern Mediterranean sea. The President argued that Iranian threats required a quick response. Russia reciprocated quickly, announcing on Saturday that it was scrapping a proposed missile deployment near Poland. Russia didn't stop there. In reaction to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statements that the Holocaust was a "lie," the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the remarks were “absolutely unacceptable’’ and insulting to the memory of the World War II victims. The question remains--was the Guardian right? Were last week's moves by the US and Russia a prelude to a peace conference which Russia will help host? Is another round of peace talks coming? We'll find out soon.

Etisalat's Trojan BlackBerries

acb — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:55:18 -0800

UAE phone company pushes BlackBerry update with embedded spyware. The United Arab Emirates phone company Etisalat recently sent out a firmware update to its BlackBerry-using customers, billed as a “performance enhancement patch”. After customers reported the patch degrading their handsets' performance and draining their batteries more rapidly, a programmer examined it and found that it contained spyware from a US company, which could be remotely activated to forward all emails and text messages to a third-party server. It is not clear who is behind the spyware. It could be the Emirati government plugging a hole in its surveillance capabilities (it is not clear whether BlackBerry emails are kept anywhere where the Emirati government can reach them). Alternatively, there are probably a lot of people in Dubai, from Iranian dissidents to radical Islamist fixers to ordinary dubious businessmen, who would be of interest to various parties across the world.

Watch Laleh Seddigh's dust

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:28:20 -0800

"I like competition in everything ... I have to move whatever is movable in the world." Say hello to Laleh Seddigh, Iran's top rated female race car driver. Initially taught to drive by her father, Seddigh discovered she liked it and wanted to go further with it. Teaching herself via unauthorized excursions on the streets of Tehran, she learned fast and at the age 23 of began racing, eventually winning the right to compete against men (and beat them), despite the various roadblocks. Currently she's suspended from racing due to alleged car switching, though she's vowing to fight it. Learned about her Via Andrew Sullivan.

wetness ... pours onto my paper out of my pen

divabat — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:32:05 -0800

Suheir Hammad, a Palestinian-American poet and activist now based in New York, writes about being a Muslim immigrant and also a woman challenging conventions. Spotted by Russell Simmons for Def Poetry Jam, she has performed pieces about love in the time of war, exoticising beauty, and a touching ode to her father, among many others. Suheir has just produced and released her first feature film Salt of This Sea, up for the Cannes Films Festival and possibly an Oscar, and recently performed in Ramallah for the 2009 Palestinian Festival of Literature.

Rebooting the US relationship to the Muslim world.

CunningLinguist — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:41:21 -0800

Obama speaks in Cairo: "I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world." Text is here. He quoted the Koran and highlighted a subject he avoided during his campaign - his own family's ties to Islam, his youth in Muslim Indonesia and even Chicago's Nation of Islam. An early roundup of US right wing reaction, and US left wing reaction, and the Middle East.

A chance for a Middle East peace

homunculus — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:36:22 -0800

Syria Calling: The Obama Administration’s chance to engage in a Middle East peace.

Historical Maps of Jerusalem and the Middle East

Kattullus — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:45:49 -0800

Holy Land Maps and Ancient Maps of Jerusalem both showcase parts of Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. Both collectiona can be browsed by cartographer and date. Here are some of my favorite maps: 1497 perspective map of Jerusalem, Jacotin's 1818 map of Nazareth, Jordan and Acre, 1685 perspective map of Jerusalem, 1482 Ptolemy of the Middle East, 1751 map of Egypt, Arabia and the Middle East and 1928 perspective map of Jerusalem (complete with Hebrew guide). [Another part of The Eran Laor Cartographic Collection previously on MetaFilter]

Turkey: A Return to Power at Considerable Cost?

terranova — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:33:28 -0800

"Turkey is emerging as the crucial power in the Muslim world." But after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent walkout from a Davos panel discussion and his confrontational words to Israeli leader Shimon Peres, some wonder whether Turkey is forfeiting its role as a peace-broker, attempting to smoke-screen its own oppressive actions against press, intellectuals, and ex-military, and possibly hurting its chances for full EU membership.

Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East.

gman — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:05:11 -0800

Work by more than 20 contemporary artists from the Middle East is being showcased at the Saatchi Gallery.

"Their art isn't (like so much western art) about consumerism or celebrity or art itself; it's about suicide bombers, religious police, unending war, and the denigration of women in Islamic societies."

Middle East Travel Photography

netbros — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:46:38 -0800

Momentary Awe ― travel photography from more than 20 countries by Catalin Marin. Also in flash format.

Middle Eastern Body Art

netbros — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:01:24 -0800

Staining the nails, skin and hair with henna is the favorite way of enhancing beauty amongst women in the Middle East. It is used as a hair treatment as well as a dye to make decorative designs on the skin. The art is known as mehndi. Henna markings remain on the skin for about twenty or thirty days. Henna cosmetics are made from the Egyptian evergreen plant, lawsonia inermis. Stay away from black henna. Many people are allergic.

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.

ikahime — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:41:41 -0800

Women Explorers and Travellers of Asia and the Middle East - In an age where women struggled for basic human rights, these individuals were literal trailblazers. Leaving their homelands for varying motivations (but often due to dissatisfaction with their social lot in life), they devoted their lives to "explore these antique lands before they are irretrievably caught up in the cacaphonic whirl of the modern world." Gertrude Bell - Iraq previously Isabella Lucy Bird - Japan Lady Anne Blunt - Arabia Alexandra David-Neel - Tibet Dame Freya Stark - Hadhramaut

A Social History of the Surge

homunculus — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:46:03 -0800

A Social History of the Surge by Juan Cole.

Magnum Photos' two newest nominees

madamjujujive — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:29:44 -0800

American-Dutch photographer Peter van Agtmael and English photographer Olivia Arthur are the two newest nominees recently welcomed into Magnum Photos. Agtmael's images of Afghanistan and Iraq are very powerful - he discusses his work in Conscientious. Arthur's recent work has focused on women's experiences in what she calls the Middle Distance. "The Magnum Photos selection process for new members is legendary for its toughness. Becoming a full Member of Magnum Photos is a process that takes place over at least four years, with candidates evolving from the status of Nominee, to Associate, to Member, each evolution in status requiring a vote by the Magnum Photos Members." This year, member status was granted to: Antoine d’Agata, French (many images NSFW) Jonas Bendiksen, Norwegian Alec Soth, American

Birthright Israel

TheOnlyCoolTim — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:10:10 -0800

Birthright Israel , funded by the Israeli government and Jewish philanthropists, provides free all-inclusive 10-day trips to Israel for Jewish young adults. The program's goal is to promote Israel along with general Jewish unity and engagement. The blog Jewlicious has a category about these trips. (Scroll down past many promotional entries for the interesting stuff.) Some question its efficacy and results, while some Jews subvert the program. The trips end with a "Mega Rally" featuring entertainment, giant inflatable Stars of David, and speeches by dignitaries including PM Ehud Olmert. Here is video coverage (FLV) of the most recent rally. There is also a satirical Something Awful report.

"Orientalism" and its Discontents

ibmcginty — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:38:53 -0800

Historian Robert Irwin reviews two books critical of Edward Said's Orientalism. Irwin's own critique received positive and mixed reviews. In this brief interview, Said explains what he was trying to do in Orientalism.

Skyscrapers or Souks?

Non Prosequitur — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:16:20 -0800

Two visions of the ideal city rise in the Persian Gulf: "Waterfront City will probably be where a lot of Middle Eastern investors will put their money—and where international architectural stars will build their putative landmarks—but if little Masdar develops successfully, it may hold much more important lessons for us all."

A Summit of 57 State Leaders doesn't happen every day.

fizzix — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:01:38 -0800

Leaders and Representatives of 57 Islamic countries (one exception is Mr. M. of Pakistan) and other dignitaries (including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon are meeting in Dakar, Senegal from March 8th-14th (link to flash video) for the 11th summit of the organization of the Islamic Conference. The OIC "combine their efforts and speak with one voice to safeguard the interests and secure the progress and well-being of their peoples and of all Muslims in the world." Topics to be discussed at the summit also include brokering a peace deal between Chad and Sudan . Some of Dakar's residents1 (2, both in French) are not happy about the summit. Timeline of the OIC provided by the BBC.

Admiral Fallon

homunculus — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:59:59 -0800

The Man Between War and Peace. "As head of U. S. Central Command, Admiral William 'Fox' Fallon is in charge of American military strategy for the most troubled parts of the world. Now, as the White House has been escalating the war of words with Iran, and seeming ever more determined to strike militarily before the end of this presidency, the admiral has urged restraint and diplomacy. Who will prevail, the president or the admiral?" [Via Think Progress.]

The Gaza Bombshell

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:33:25 -0800

Vanity Fair has obtained confidential documents, since corroborated by sources in the U.S. and Palestine, which lay bare a covert initiative, approved by Bush and implemented by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams, to provoke a Palestinian civil war.

Once, sure. Twice, Maybe. Three? Four!?!

Dillonlikescookies — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:51:56 -0800

Much of the Middle East has been without reliable internet access recently due to the somewhat suspicious cutting of four seperate underwater cables, in seperate locations, within a few days of each other. The problem has been alleviated by re-routing of traffic until ships can reach the cables to repair them, a process which may take several weeks. The problem was initially believed to be caused by anchors of passing ships, but that has since been retracted and deals have already been signed by several companies for new cables. Without knowledge of the complex infrastructure we can’t really ascertain how unlikely four separate cables having near simultaneous problems is – but many are treating it as suspicious considering recent news. Personally, I think things may have been blown out of proportion by the limited information we have, although it was believed that Iran had been isolated by a single disabled router this is plain untrue and given the redundancies inherent in internet infrastructure it would be difficult if not impossible to fully cut off a country, but that is not to understate the consequences of these problems. On a related note, Iran has recently announced plans to move to trade oil with the Euro rather than the US dollar, which will cause further devaluing of the greenback. Saddam Hussein was in the process of doing the same before the US invasion, a decision reversed by the occupying force. Some are interpreting this as signs of an “info war” and while I don’t subscribe to the analysis, I find it interesting to consider the idea that in an age where increasingly large amounts of money can be attributed to companies based on estimated worth of intangible assets such as human networks and brand identities, the idea that you have to physically invade a country to do it economic damage is becoming outdated. There has been a documented shift towards “proxy war and if one agrees on the existence of this trend then more abstract forms of conflict between powers seem to be a likely follow up. If you do buy into the “information war” analysis there is ample fodder in the media, but more interestingly rumours of a theoretical invasion plan hint at a sophisticated attack not necessarily limited to military action. Indeed, Several large governments, such as the US, are spending increasing amounts of their military budget on more abstract forms of warfare (pdf) Again, although I don’t subscribe to this view, I find it interesting to consider as a growing trend a shift from conventional war to proxy war to purely economic warfare as engaging in open hostilities with any country becomes increasingly risky from a game theory point of view. See Also.

Challenges Facing the US in the Middle East

homunculus — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:25:17 -0800

Top 10 Challenges Facing the US in the Middle East, 2008 Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2007

The Wall

ludwig_van — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:43:55 -0800

Israel vs. Palestine: Against the Wall is a six-part series on VBS.tv about the separation wall which divides Israel from the West Bank. Previously on Metafilter. Some more background on the Second Intifada.

Middle Eastern music

nickyskye — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:27:01 -0800

Vintage [album covers nsfw] and contemporary, Rashid Sales Co, music of the Middle East, packed with mp3s and links. Also Maqam.com. Am enjoying the "Afro-Mediterranean" music of Priyo, found on the Rashid Sales site in their Search our Site option. Previously, Al-Qaeda, Meet al-Salsa

Adding up US subsidies for auto travel with and without the costs of war

salvia — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 02:02:34 -0800

In the U.S., motorists do not pay their way. The US government spends more on highways and other auto-related expenses than it receives from auto-related taxes, unlike almost every country in Europe. In a recent report [pdf], Mark Delucchi calculates automobile-related costs and revenues in three different ways and concludes the subsidy is around 20-70 cents per gallon or $24-105 billion in 2002. But what are automobile-related costs, you ask? Largely tucked away in footnotes and background papers [pdf] are his careful considerations about which expenditures to include and what portion of costs relate directly to automobile oil use, for everything from the highway patrol, to fighting brushfires, to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to military activity in the Middle East. Don't miss Report #15, in which Delucchi and coauthor James Murphy seek to calculate: “If the U.S. transportation sector did not use oil, how much would the U.S. federal government reduce its military commitment in the Persian Gulf?” [pdf] (especially Table 15-12, which summarizes much of the paper). [previously] [originally via]