The Middle East is not part of the world that plays by Las Vegas rules

January 1, 2020 8:40 AM

It's never boring in the Middle East, but 2019 was an epic year even by the standards of the region.
London based Middle East Eye's staff pick their favourite articles from a tumultuous year in the Middle East and North Africa.

Nadda Osman - Multimedia Journalist
Mohamed Ali: Face-to-face with Egypt's most-wanted man by Mohamed Hassan

Chris True - News Editor
The Yazidis of the Caliphate's 'last breath' by Inès Daïf

Chloé Benoist - News Editor
Iran’s 1999 student protests: The hot summer that shook Tehran

Alex MacDonald - Journalist
We failed many times': How Sudan's protest leaders seized their moment by Mohammed Amin

Ian Cobain - Senior Reporter
'I curse myself': Yemeni mercenaries say their Saudi fighting days are over

Élodie Farge - French Editor
Reading, writing and racism: 'Nation-state' law now official Israeli curriculum by Lubna Masarwa

Rayhan Uddin - Associate Social Media Producer
Six memorable Middle East moments from the UN General Assembly by Ali Harb

Daikha Dridi - French Editor
Kais Saied : a radical democracy project for Tunisia by Thierry Brésillon

Lubna Masarwa - Israel/Palestine Bureau Chief
Rashida Tlaib's family disappointed but not surprised by Israeli ban by Shatha Hammad

Mustafa Abu Sneineh - Journalist
How to go vegan and stay vegan in the Middle East by Nada Elbarshoumi

Daniel Hilton - Senior News Editor
'It was unforgettable': Iranian women rejoice as stadium ban comes to an end by Rohollah Faghihi

Nick Hunt - Managing Editor
Apocalypse now: Why Arab authors are really writing about the end of the world by Lina Mounzer

Dania Akkad - Senior Investigations Editor
'Sinai is our Vietnam': Horror stories Egyptian soldiers tell from the frontline

Kaamil Ahmed - Journalist
Rohingya detainees go on hunger strike to fight Saudi deportations to Bangladesh by Areeb Ullah

Simon Hooper - Head of Investigations
'Mind control': The secret UK government blueprints shaping post-terror planning by Ian Cobain

Areeb Ullah - Journalist
'They felt victorious': How Sudan's militiamen filmed their deadly assault on protesters by Kaamil Ahmed

David Hearst - Editor-in-Chief
How Ilhan Omar is changing the way Americans talk about Israel by Azad Essa

Joe Gill - Chief Subeditor
Savage 'bastard' or US stooge? Iraqi victims still have questions about Baghdadi's death by Tom Westcott

Bonus
What does it take to be an Arab feminist in 2019? By Yvonne Singh

posted by adamvasco (6 comments total)

> It's never boring in the Middle East

The framing of this post is in poor taste. The suffering of real people is not entertainment. This is not Game of Thrones.
posted by Idle Curiosity at 10:43 AM on January 1, 2020 [1 favorite]

That’s not the framing of the post, it’s a direct quote from the opening line of the article. And the stories listed are not all “suffering of real people” - there are links to articles on Rashida Tlaib, veganism, football and government shaping of social media responses to civic unrest/terrorism, amongst other things.

Really interesting links, thanks Adamvasco!
posted by tinkletown at 11:01 AM on January 1, 2020 [12 favorites]

Looks like a lot of great stories to dig into, thanks!
posted by clawsoon at 1:31 PM on January 1, 2020 [2 favorites]

I mean, in a year where Turkey is bombing Syria and decimating the Kurds, and the Saudis set up a sham trial for the murder of Jamal Kashoggi, I can see how a roundup of their "favourite" stories about the Middle East would include three stories about how awful Israel is, rather than the one (or none) that other countries got. Extra points for an article about how Ilhan Omar is "changing how we talk about Israel" that doesn't even mention that some of her public statements were anti-semitic. Kudos.
posted by Mchelly at 6:11 AM on January 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

So, uh: Airstrike at Baghdad airport kills Iran’s most revered military leader, Qasem Soleimani, Iraqi state television reports
posted by Apocryphon at 5:44 PM on January 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

The Soleimani Assassination Is America’s Most Consequential Strike This Century
posted by clawsoon at 6:13 AM on January 3, 2020 [1 favorite]