Israel's Security: Then and Now -- Tuesday March 1

From Dr. Robin Gendron:This is just a reminder that on Tuesday, March 1st  the Nipissing Branch of the Canadian International Council will be holding a discussion of “Israel’s Security: Then and Now.”  Our guest, Dr. David Tal, will compare the threats to its security that Israel faced at its founding 60 years ago with the security situation that it faces in the contemporary...

Two from Loreena Mckennitt

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Video summary of current events in the Middle East

Not a bad presentati...

Religion and politics in the Middle East: the case of Egypt

It certainly is easy enough to believe that people in the Middle East, especially Muslims, are unusually religious, and that there political and social ideas are completely dominated by religious values. Up until January, the previous 30 years might seem to have taught that lesson....

A contemplation on the universe

Paul Halsall sent me this link to the Scale of the Universe Interactive Tool.  Enjoy!Image: Jon Lomberg's reconstruction of the Oort cloud around our solar syst...

Sharia and American law

Salon interviews an American Muslim lawyer, Abed Awad, on What sharia law actually means:  Can you give a couple examples of when sharia has come up in cases that you've handled?

In the past 12 years as an attorney, I have handled many cases with an Islamic law component. U.S. courts are required to regularly interpret and apply foreign law -- including Islamic law -- to...

Vanity Fair told us: the emperor has clothes

If irresponsible arms running, blowing up passenger planes, and squirreling away billions in oil wealth wasn't enough -- after all, what world leader doesn't do the same?-- Qaddafi was revealed back in 2009 by Vanity Fair as a fashion criminal. Have a look and reflect that an entire...

Wherefore Afghanistan?

Tom Englehart reflects on the seeming irrelevance of the conventional wisdom of the "Washington echo chamber" to events in the Middle East, and raises in my mind the question, on what basis can one argue that the Afghan "mission" deserves the priority it currently has in Washington -- and Otta...

A follow-up report on Egypt

Abu Muqawama, an American analyst, reflects on the difficulties of moving forward:Politically, it is correct to note that the Egyptian military has more or less been one with the regime since the 1950s when the Free Officers Revolt replaced the monarchy here. But the military is at the same time in a position it has not been in for 40 years, directly involved with the day-to-day...

Something's happening here...

I could be talking about Wisconsin, which may prove significant, if Americans really are starting to wake up. But let me draw attention instead to a substantial article in Foreign Policy called Revolution U, about an international young people's movement originally out of Serbia (!) which is inventing a new revolutionary non-violence. Inspiring! Dissatisfied Canadians might want...

Democracy in the Middle East

Its prospects will be much brighter when the chant "Death to so-and-so" is no longer the routine display of oppositi...

Saudi Arabia

Thanks to Feed for Arabist.Net for this excerpt from the Wall Street Journal: Karen Elliott House: From Tunis to Cairo to Riyadh? - WSJ.com:Thirty years of visiting Saudi Arabia, including intensive reporting over the past four years, convinces me that unless the regime rapidly and radically reforms itself—or is pushed to do so by the U.S.—it will remain vulnerable to upheaval....

Cheese, Pears and History in a Proverb

I don't think anyone will mind if I repost this charming review from The Medieval Review. Montanari, Massimo. Cheese, Pears, and History in a Proverb.New York: Columbia University Press, 2010. Pp. 128. $26.50/£18.50.ISBN: 978-0-231-15250-1. Reviewed by Paul Freedman   ...

The Secret History of Democracy is out!

I have heard from one of the editors that the book The Secret History of Democracy is out.  I have an article in it:  "Republics and Quasi-Democratic Institutions in Ancient India."  Phil Paine has one, too, on Metis institutions on the Canadian praries: "The Hunters who Owned Themselves."The publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, has a promotional web page with links...

Prize winning photos at the Big Picture

An Indonesian man wears a mask against volcanic ash; and much more. (Click for a bigger vie...

Egypt: the role of the Muslim Brotherhood

This is too good not to cite.From Brian's Coffeehouse:The Muslim Brotherhood's support for democracy is not a momentary tactic, but has roots in its theological foundations. The group draws on the traditional of Islamic reformism associated with Jamal al-Din al-Afghani in the 19th century, which taught that instead of traditional Islamic jurisprudence, Muslims should rely on...

CIC-Nipissing: Afghanistan and Beyond

The Nipissing Branch of the Canadian International Council is pleased to announce that on February 17th it will be holding “An Evening with Master Corporal Mike Trauner: Afghanistan and Beyond.”  Our guest, MCpl Mike Trauner, will speak about his experiences serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan as well as his recovery from the serious wounds he received...

Are you smarter than Thomas Jefferson? (My 2000th blog post)

TomDispatch.com is devoted to "resisting empire" by describing aspects of our world that no one else wants to talk about.  It can get pretty depressing in there:  you have to feel strong to immerse yourself in a TomDispatch essay.  (Are you strong enough for this one?)But...

Egypt: you say you want a revolution?

You should be so lucky to have one like this: The people (please, it is no mob) return to Tahrir Square -- to clean up the mess. Go to the BBC site and hear them sp...

It's out there

Matt Laur at History Nerd refers us to this RSAnimate piece on "mutual knowledge."  Fun! Relevant!And there are more out there.  I tell ya, animators ru...

Egypt: how they did it

The Wall Street Journal explains how the Cairo demonstrations began, how the demonstrators outsmarted the police.For a great photo of a Cairo sweet shop by Dan Bryan, go he...

Nipissing's Model NATO Team offers a debate on Egypt, Monday Feb. 14

This coming Monday the Political Science Department and Model NATO Team will be hosting a debate. The title is "Destabilization & Failing States: A NATO Perspective,  Case Study: Egypt 2011".Main themes to be discussed is NATO's personal interests in stability in...

Immanuel Wallerstein: The global economy is like, over

Back in the 1980s, when it was incumbent upon me to come to some understanding of world history (so I could teach it!), Wallerstein was one of the people I read. He had a huge, detailed, Marxist-inspired theory of everything, with emphasis on the expansion of Europe.  The main...

The complexities of the Egyptian revolution

A long piece that can be taken as an argument that this is a revolution with strong roots in a changing Egyptian society.  Paul Amar on Aljazeera English.Some interesting excerpts:The Brothers now fully support political pluralism, women’s participation in politics and the role of Christians and communists as full citizens. However, with the rise of other competing labour,...

Democracy in the Arab world

Via Matt Laur (HIST 3805's "History Nerd"), an opinion piece by ex-ambassador Jeremy Kinsman:Almost invariably in these cases, who prevails depends on the role of the army.The army's refusal to fire on demonstrators in Kiev in the Orange Revolution (2004) was decisive, as it was...

This is what it costs

New York Magazine:The Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Effexor, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, Restoril, Xanax, Adderall, Ritalin, Haldol, Risperdal, Seroquel, Ambien, Lunesta, Elavil, Trazodone WarThe first time I meet David Booth, a 39-year-old former medic and surgeon’s assistant...

Historical/geographical trivia master, are you?

See how much of this you kn...

Scott Caple exhibit in Toronto, February 25, 2011

As a bit of relief from very serious matters, I pass along this invitation from Scott Caple, an extraordinarily talented artist and animator: I am having a SHOW in Downtown Toronto , at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop, 486 College St. / Friday Feb. 25 / 7-11. It 's going to be...

Interest groups in Egypt

A detailed discussion at Aljazeera English:The "March of Millions" in Cairo marks the spectacular emergence of a new political society in Egypt. This uprising brings together a new coalition of forces, uniting reconfigured elements of the security state with prominent business...

And people complain about Aljazeera!

James Fallows via Brad de Long:As I never tire of saying, China Daily is my favorite newspaper in the world.But it's conceivable that not every visitor to the Washington Post's web site would know the reason for my fondness and loyalty. China Daily is the state-controlled English-language...

A West Village (NYC) cocktail lounge (circa 1940-70)

From Ephemeral New York, a very good si...

The "Third Forces," South Africa's transition and Egypt

David Africa at Aljazeera English: The apparently sudden and unexpected violence against Egyptian protesters that started on February 2 has an interesting historical ring to it. The date marks the unbanning of liberation movements in South Africa in 1990, and the start of political negotiations between the apartheid regime and the African National Congress. It also marks...

Torture as a leading issue in Egypt?

So argues this writer at Aljazeera English:The pro-democracy uprising was propelled by a non-partisan coalition of young activists, who at long last tapped into a current of popular revulsion at the police-state techniques that the regime used to maintain its grip on power.Whose public interest?The opposition parties have a role to play in creating an alternative to Mubarak's...

History Seminar Series: Andrew Taylor, University of Ottawa, speaks on oral tradition and written record

From Dr. Derek Neal:Our next History Department seminar will feature University of Ottawa medievalist Andrew Taylor, who will speak on: Written Record to Memory: Delgamuukw vs. British Columbia and the Modern HistorianFriday, February 4, 20112:30-4:00 pmRoom A 226Andrew will be using the landmark Delgamuukw land claims case as a starting point to illustrate what we can learn by...

Where things are in Egypt now, and how they got there

A useful summary from Juan Cole:Mubarak’s BasijPosted on 02/02/2011 by JuanOn Wednesday, the Mubarak regime showed its fangs, mounting a massive and violent repressive attack on the peaceful crowds in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. People worrying about Egypt becoming like Iran (scroll down) should worry about Egypt already being way too much like Iran as it is. That is, Hillary...