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The American Granddaughter (A Review)
![[Cover of the English version of The American Granddaughter, image from Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation website]](/content_images/3/sm_AGD.gif "[Cover of the English version of The American Granddaughter, image from Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation website]")
Many Iraqis returned to their country after the American invasion in 2003 as members of the entourage that accompanied the invading army and helped it administer its occupation. Some of them were translators recruited by companies back in the US where they were living either as refugees, residents, or Iraqi-American citizens. Some bought into the “liberation” narrative and believed they were helping the old country get back on its feet. Others were simply in it for the six-figure salary. Zina, the protagonist of In`am Kachachi’s second novel, al-Hafida al-Amrikiyya (Dar al-Jadid, 2008), short listed for the 2009 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF or “The Arabic ...
Keep Reading »It Is Raining Documents, Hallelujah!
![[Image from Pirhayati]](/content_images/3/sm_Wikileaks_Imagefrompirhayati.jpg "[Image from Pirhayati]")
Today’s document dump of over 250,000 US diplomatic cables, courtesy of WikiLeaks, is like Santa Claus came early. These confidential cables were exchanged between 250 US embassies and the State Department, a handful dating back to the 1960s and 1970s but most from the last few years. They contain harsh and diplomatically embarrassing assessments of foreign leaders, information about diplomatic arm twisting and bargaining, and under-the-wire politics such as the request by the Saudi regime for the US to bomb Iran. Twitter is aflutter with links to various cables, and Facebook is flush with commentaries on the revelations. Good times! The readers of Jadaliyya might ...
Keep Reading »Celebrating Illiberal Liberalism: The Egyptian Elections (Why The Wafd Has To Participate In The Upcoming Elections-Part 2)
![[Police arresting an activist in an election rally. Image from unknown archive]](/content_images/3/sm_wp2.jpg "[Police arresting an activist in an election rally. Image from unknown archive]")
In Part 1 we saw some of the salient features of the story that punctuate Election representation and politics in Egypt. This narrative presumes that the ruling regime is conspiring to reduce the Brotherhood’s share in the parliament form 88 seats to maybe 15, and divide the rest between itself and the “official opposition parties,” especially the Wafd (for a plethora of reasons that were detailed in Part 1). Only two days ago, Al-Youm Al-Saibi’ estimated that regime will take away 61 seats from the Brotherhood, 33 of which it will supposedly give to the Wafd and 7 to the Naserites (both the main party and Karama), keeping most of the what remains to itself. Noteworthy ...
Keep Reading »Neoliberal Pregnancy and Zero-Sum Elitism in the Arab World (Part 1)
![[Image from, well, www.totallychiropractic.net]](/content_images/3/sm_totallychiropractic.net.jpg "[Image from, well, www.totallychiropractic.net]")
[This post will probably burst the sweet (though serious) bubble generated by Lisa’s semi-comical/semi-sad post below. So toggle back and forth to withstand the dryness here.] Beneath the surface and behind the scenes, though smack in the middle of consequential developments, we are witnessing the slow but steady emergence of a new and increasingly fortified nexus of power between the political and economic elite in much of the Arab world. Far deeper than the everyday talk about the “marriage of power and money” in countries like Egypt and Syria, this intersection is driven less by state officials and businesspeople trying to maximize profit, or even simply ...
Keep Reading »Lordy, Lordy, I Declare! Big Brother Is in My Underwear
![[Junk inspection at an American Airport. Image from AP.]](/content_images/3/sm_junktouching.jpg "[Junk inspection at an American Airport. Image from AP.]")
If you are traveling by air in the United States, your “junk” will be inspected visually or manually by agents working for the Transportation Security Agency. Junk is hipster code for your butt, although it doesn’t discriminate against your balls and/or breasts. Non-hipsters learned the term when a traveler named John Tyner used his cell phone to record his own physical pat-down, during which he balked at the professional groping and said, “If you touch my junk, I’m going to have you arrested.” Tyner’s confrontation with TSA agents didn’t go well for his travel plans, but his video went viral and made him the new symbol of “don’t tread on me” resistance to governmental ...
Keep Reading »Bibi Loves *Me* Best
![[Benjamin Netanyahu and Eric Cantor. Image from electronicvillage.blogspot.com]](/content_images/3/sm_Netanyahu-Cantor.jpg "[Benjamin Netanyahu and Eric Cantor. Image from electronicvillage.blogspot.com]")
The pundits have had a lot to say about the recent comments made by Republican Representative Eric Cantor, the incoming House Majority Leader, in a private meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week. Cantor, according to a statement released by his office, “stressed that the new Republican majority will serve as a check on the Administration and . . . made clear that the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States and that the security of each nation is reliant upon the other.” Some commentators have expressed surprise that a high-ranking member of Congress would publicly assure the leader ...
Keep Reading »Jaffa, with Jellyfish [Gone to Palestine: 2]
We decided to walk around the old Arab city of Jaffa, which Rachel described as “a lanced boil on Tel Aviv’s thigh.” It was a hot July day, and we were happy to take a walk after our leisurely lunch on Sheinkin St. We asked to be seated as far away from the door as possible, and preferably behind one of the concrete pillars. Though my companion told me that I had no reason to worry nowadays, I was incredibly nervous about the possibility of exploding people. I had the gazpacho and yam fritters, while my friend had the basmati rice with grilled vegetables. The lunch was perfect, even though the owners’ present of a free “iced tea,” made for some reason with ...
Keep Reading »Thank You! ًشكرا . . . and, pass Jadaliyya around!
![[Jadaliyya screen shot from pre-launch period July/August 2010]](/content_images/3/sm_JPICsmal.jpg "[Jadaliyya screen shot from pre-launch period July/August 2010]")
Dear Readers, This weekend we will be celebrating 60 days since Jadaliyya's "soft" launch. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our readers who made this independent effort successfull. We hope you will come back for more and that you will invite others to take a look. Because of our independent status, we are so far unable to finance/launch a broad campaign to alert all potential readership to this endeavor. Your support in spreading the word about Jadaliyya would be much appreciated. You can find us at www.jadaliyya.com or on Facebook here. If you like a post, clicking "like" will make a big difference in ...
Keep Reading »Things To Do On Lebanese Independance Day + Arabic Translation
![[Martyr's Square: Image from NOW LEBANON]](/content_images/3/sm_martyrs-square-112207050931.jpg "[Martyr's Square: Image from NOW LEBANON]")
Drive from Saifi Village to Hayy al Sullum or Naba`a, marvel at the miracles of capitalism and Lebanon’s constitutionally protected free market economy. Watch a few pilots from the Lebanese Air Force put on a show in the sky, feel safer knowing that if the IDF is also watching, they are sure to be too afraid to continue violating Lebanese airspace on an almost daily basis. Take a walk in casual clothes through what used to be a bustling souk but is now luxurious downtown Beirut. Count how many times you are “checked” by security guards and how many times you hear a Lebanese accent. Use your three to six hour daily power cut to light candles and ponder the meaning ...
Keep Reading »Conquering The Sky [Gone to Palestine: 1]
![[Image from author's archive]](/content_images/3/sm_iah.jpg "[Image from author's archive]")
[The first installment of Gone to Palestine] When we arrived at Ben Gurion, we were immediately overcome by strange emotions that affected us in different ways. This was partly because we didn’t know what to expect, partly because we knew they were turning so many people away at the airport these days. Some tensed up and practiced their stories. Others seemed to be meditating and relaxing as they waited in line for the initial conversation, then for the secondary questions and unpacking of the bags, the analysis of chemical traces, and then for some of us even another round of questioning and so on. For me, the arrival occasioned a giddy sense of ...
Keep Reading »Thanksgiving In Beirut
![[Mass Grave at the Massacre of Wounded Knee: Image from Wikipedia, Indian Costume: Costumes Galore]](/content_images/3/sm_Picture8.png "[Mass Grave at the Massacre of Wounded Knee: Image from Wikipedia, Indian Costume: Costumes Galore]")
On November 24, people from across the United States will gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. They will travel (on the busiest travel day of the year), they will eat turkey and pumpkin pie, and they will shop at the orgiastic sales that are a fixture of what is perhaps the most widely celebrated holiday in the USA. Like all ideologically inflected nationalist myths, holidays such as Thanksgiving or Columbus Day both commemorate and mask the histories of violence that build and sustain nations. Such masking enables us to know that people lived on and were removed from the land but also allows us to disregard the fact that the descendants of those ...
Keep Reading »The Liberal Ideology of Torture: A Critical Examination of the American Case
![[Image by Deesillustration.com]](/content_images/3/sm_WaterboardingDeesillustration.jpg "[Image by Deesillustration.com]")
In recent days, George W. Bush has put American torture back in the news again as he flaks his new memoir, Decision Points. On November 8, NBC interviewer Matt Lauer questioned Bush about authorizing waterboarding, to which he responded, “Damn right.” Richard Falk characterized this admission of criminality as an “uncoerced confession.” Waterboarding is torture, and torture is a crime. In fact, torture is not just a run-of-the-mill crime; it is a gross crime under international law, in the same company with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. What does it say about the state of American democracy when a former president can proudly and publicly admit to ...
Keep Reading »Neoliberal Pregnancy and Zero-Sum Elitism in the Arab World (Part 2)
In the first post (here) I introduced the topic of the new Arab elitism, or, more accurately, the emerging nexus of power between the political and economic elite. In the next post (sorry about posting another series) I'll discuss ways to pursue research on the topic. But below I will start by debunking some anticipated counterclaims regarding this phenomenon, particularly the claim that some on the left assert--ironically. The new elitism that is sweeping the Arab world deserves close ...
Keep Reading »Why The Wafd Has To Participate In The Upcoming Elections (Part 3)
[See Part 1 here and Part 2 here] The way to critique the Wafd As per the rules of our méconnaissance, most, critical analysts tend to critique the Wafd for whitewashing a brutally rigged election only. That is to say, they limit the problem of the Wafd’s participation to normalizing false elections. So, while the Wafd is committing a mistake, it remains a victim of rigging, nonetheless—as if it were like the Brotherhood or Karama. For some reason no one wants to say that the Wafd, and its siblings, ...
Keep Reading »ماذا تفعل الأنظمة المزورة في يوم الانتخابات؟ [What Will Forging Regimes Do on Election Day?]
علمتنا التجارب التي مررنا بها، وكذلك تجارب الدول الأخرى، أن الأنظمة المستبدة عامة ما تتعامل مع يوم الانتخابات بشكل شبه نمطي. وأظنكم تعرفون جميعا جوهر هذا التعامل من واقع خبراتكم الطويلة به، والذي يعتمد على آليات تزوير محددة باتت مكررة مثل "اللبانة الممضوغجة،" مثل تسويد بطاقات الاقتراع، وتزوير بطاقات الانتخاب، وتقفيل الصناديق، والتلاعب بالنتائج، وغير ذلك مما تعرفونه جيدا. لكن الأنظمة المزورة تواجه خطرين آخرين عليها أن تتعامل معاهما ببعض الحنكة ليس فقط في ذلك اليوم وإنما في الفترة السابقة عليه ...
Keep Reading »Lessons in Morphology [Gone to Palestine: 3]
It was a strange but mutually beneficial arrangement. I needed to travel north through a number of checkpoints to visit a town that had borne the brunt of the occupation and I needed to get back to Ramallah at a decent hour so as to see friends before I left the next day. They had a service taxi for hire, but little business and few customers. I hired the taxi for a day, and the driver asked if his best friend and his best friend’s son could come along. I said, “The more the merrier.” As we left ...
Keep Reading »Rigging The Egyptian Elections: The Organizing Narrative (Why The Wafd Has To Participate In The Upcoming Elections-Part 1)
On 17 September, a number of opposition movements organized a “youth” protest in front of the headquarters of the Wafd Party (the old liberals) to persuade it to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections. The protest was set to coincide with the Wafd’s general assembly meeting that gathered to determine the party’s position on the elections. The protestors chanted slogans against taking part in the upcoming “charade of elections,” threatening the party that participating in these elections would ...
Keep Reading »Choking Mecca in the Name of Beauty — and Development (Part 2)
Mecca During the Hajj As the annual hajj draws to a close, millions of Muslim pilgrims in Mecca celebrate the four-day Eid al Adha together ritually, festively, and with a jubilant spirit of giving. They will pray, eat, and spend time with loved ones. Those who can afford it will give alms to the less fortunate. Most will resist the temptations of sleep in order to enjoy every remaining hour they have in the holiest of all Muslim places. Thousands of medical doctors and nurses flown in from the ...
Keep Reading »Mubarak's "Mubarak?" (Part 3)
[Note: This is the third in a series of posts titled “Mubarak’s “Mubarak?”” Click here to view the first post and here for the second post in the series] In my last post I argued that there are some signs that individuals within the opposition are starting to believe that Mohammed ElBaradei’s initiative to offer an alternative to Egypt’s de facto royal family is not working. Since then, ElBaradei announced that he is no longer attempting to run for the presidency, conceding what everybody has known for ...
Keep Reading »حاضرون غائبون: الفلسطينيون في الداخل [Present Absent: Palestinians in Israel (Part 2)]
حاضرون غائبون: الفلسطينيون في الداخل(٢) كنا نمشي بمحاذاة الشاطئ اليافاوي وقد أدرنا ظهرنا لتل ابيب. وجهتنا يافا والفنادق الفاخرة تمتد على يسارنا وكأنها أسود رابضة. خلفها كان يقع حي المنشية الذي ولد فيه ابو حسن. لا يعرف ابو حسن الحي جيداً حيث كان قد أكمل سنواته الخمس الأولى عندما غافلته النكبة. لكنه يتحدث عن الحي وكأنه قضى كل شبابه فيه. ” اصبحت الصباحات بائسة فأنت لا تعرف من سيأتي للعب من رفاقك في اليوم التالي ومن سيذهب إلى الغيب. أراد أبي الرحيل وقال لأمي بأنه ...
Keep Reading »Review: The Burden of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 2010 Report, Adva Center
The Adva Center, an Israeli think tank dedicated to studying equality and social justice, recently published its second issue of a bi-annual report entitled, The Burden of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The report seeks to examine the costs of occupation on Israel in economic, social, military, political, and diplomatic terms and concludes that Israel would be richer socially and economically if it ended the occupation. In its own words, The prolonged conflict with the Palestinians ...
Keep Reading »عدمية فيض المعنى عند الإسلاميين [The Nihilism of Excess Meaning Among Islamists]
صعدت فكرة العدمية في أوربا الغربية في القرن التاسع عشر كأثر مباشر للحداثة وتقدم العلوم والعلمانية. وبمجموعها أقصت هذه العمليات الأسرار والأشباح والقوى المتعالية من مفهومها للعالم، السيرورة التي سيسميها ماكس فيبر "نزع السحر عن وجه العالم". لقد برز عالم جديد غير مكفول إلهيا. بل إن "الله مات" كما قرر نيتشه. وسيبدو هذا العالم الذي هجرته الأرواح والأشباح منظما وحسن الإضاءة، لكن معوزا للمعنى بصورة جذرية. وقد أخذ الإنسان يقف في عالم انسحب منه الإله أمام خبرة موته دونما عزاء. وبعد أن كان ...
Keep Reading »"It's Important to Remember Their Names:" Review of Midnight on the Mavi Marmara
Midnight on the Mavi Marmara: The Attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and How it Changed the Course of the Israel/Palestine Conflict. Edited by Moustafa Bayoumi. Chicago: Haymarket Books / New York: OR Books, 2010. First things first: Midnight on the Mavi Marmara is necessary reading. It also provides a strong model for the practice of combining scholarship and activism, and for future endeavors in left publishing more generally. Published as a collaboration between OR Books, a new progressive ...
Keep Reading »Israel’s Challenge to the International Legal Order (Gaza Part II)
In Part I of this series, I explored the illegality of the Gaza blockade irrespective of whether or not it amounts to collective punishment. I also posit that Israel’s blatant refutation of the International Court of Justice’s holding on the scope of legal self-defense and its non-applicability to occupied territories amounts to a direct challenge to the international legal order. Namely Israel challenges the scope of permissible use of force during an occupation as well as the legal definition of ...
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The creative power of fun enables camp youths to give new meaning to the notion of “Palestinianness”, and a new form to their allegiance to Palestinian nationalism, one more suited to their desire to live life in Jordan.click | email | tweet
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