West Asia
Israeli film festival, Sydney
My thanks to reader Markus for a link to TimeOut's coverage of Sydney's upcoming Israeli film festival (13-27 August). Among the films on show is a documentary called The…
The world's most dangerous road
The Lowari Pass must have a decent claim to this title. A fascinating glimpse of Pakistani life courtesy of Al Jazeera:
(H/t Kottke.)Sam Roggeveen
India links: Food security, Bhutan, corruption, Australia, social media, Pakistan and more
Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program.
Debate over the food security bill continues in India. Here's Devesh Kapur on…
Gulf states: The money or the vote?
As political unrest and violence hits much of the Arab world, the Gulf states (with the exception of Bahrain) have been able to sit back more or less serenely and use their…
Freelancing in Syria
Thanks to reader Olivia for steering me towards this breathtaking piece of writing from Italian journalist Francesca Borri on the front line in Syria. The Italian editors she…
Egypt: An Islamist insurrection?
Bob Bowker is a former Australian ambassador to Jordan and Egypt.
The events of the past week in Egypt raise serious questions about the capacity of the political system in that…
Viral video of 12-year old Egyptian boy explaining his country's politics
As with so many viral videos, this one's a sleeper. It was recorded in October last year, but has gained significant attention just in the last few weeks and is now up to almost 1…
Islamists and modernity in the Arab world
Bob Bowker is a former Australian ambassador to Jordan and Egypt.
Antipathy between those Arabs who engage in politics and adopt lifestyles framed within an Islamic discourse (…
India links: Asian century, food security, Look East, engagement with Africa and more
Danielle Rajendram is a Research Associate in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program.
How will India fit into the Asian century?
The London School of Economics…
Egypt: Coup de-fault
Overnight in Egypt the military suspended the country's constitution and removed President Mohammed Morsi from power, following massive popular protests.
It is clearly a coup,…