Danahar, Paul. The New Middle East: The World After the Arab Spring. New York City: Bloomsbury Press, 2013. 468 pages. Book review by John M. Thomas, Jr., MA. Thomas graduated with distinction in social science from The Citadel (Military College of South Carolina) in 2012 and currently works as a journalist for The … Continued
With further discord occurring within the Middle East, extending and crossing borders and a new chapter in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict upon unfolding, it has never been more important to show and promote the other side of the region: namely the People, as well as its diverse culture, history and geography etc. Living outside of the … Continued
Over the last fifteen years or so, there has been a buzz around Iranian cinema, albeit arguably quite a modish interest in a country otherwise so hidden from view. Praise has been heaped upon the likes of Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Asgar Farhadi, and the Makhmalbaf family for their contributions to the ‘New Iranian Cinema’ … Continued
Introduction The convolution of the Kurdish national political dilemma with the division of Kurdistan amongst Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia and Azerbaijan had convinced many a reunited independent Kurdistan to be an epic dream. This pessimism was running high during the Cold War era. The States sharing major parts of Kurdish land were divided along … Continued
Three years after the beginning of the Arab Uprising, and despite numerous supposed false dawns since, there remains little reason for optimism in Syria today. In Cocoon, Paris-based artist Walid El Masri’s intricate reproductions of the dormant subject matter serve both to evoke the isolation and withdrawal prompted by the ongoing bloodshed in Syria, as well as coaxing out a deeper meditation on the wider life-process. While El Masri’s first solo exhibition in London is undoubtedly challenging, the strength of his work as a totality reveals itself in the lingering sensations of unsettling horror and flickering beauty which remain long in the memory.
Following a random invitation by an oud enthusiast, I found myself attending the London Festival of Kurdish Music by the SOAS Kurdish Band and Peyman Heydarian. Although, often receiving many similar invitations, I generally do not attend such events due to workload. However, I was familiar with the oud player, Francesco Iannuuzelli, who is currently … Continued
Introduction The on-going civil war in Syria has cost over a hundred thousand lives and created around ten million refugees, with the consequences of the conflict spilling over into the geo-politics of the region and further disequilibrating the balance of power in world politics. It is impossible to say what the results of the current … Continued
When Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor who hoped to someday own a pickup truck, set himself on fire in rural Tunisia on 17th December 2010, following perceived harassment from a police officer, few imagined that his sacrifice would lead to a functioning constitution for the Tunisian people. As the world was riveted by the events … Continued
The idea that multi-national states have indeed been proven to fail in the on-going Arab Spring, will stand as the premise for this article, and the work will analyse why any option for one-state, arguably an acceptance of the status quo, will fail. The article will also look towards Israel within the newly established Islamist … Continued
Asfar’s e-Journal, voluntary Editors and Contributors continue to dedicate their time, skills and invention to publish a fascinating and unique e-Journal, produced by aspiring writers, thinkers and photographers of the Middle East. This edition sees a range of diverse articles from: Aisa Martinex’s article and photos on Researching dress in Saudia Arabia, edited by Ruby … Continued
Clothing is part of a system of non-verbal communication; it is a language of personal adornment. In addition to serving a merely functional role in covering the body, clothing differentiates us from one another, displaying and projecting our individual identities. It also facilitates social rituals, ranging from every-day public interactions to more private ceremonial occasions.1 … Continued
Background The contentious region of Nagorno-Karabakh is the centre of a conflict between two ethnic groups, Orthodox Christian Armenians, and Shia Muslim Azerbaijanis. The longstanding hatred concerning the respective populace has three periods of conflict which will be relevant, in which each period replicates the last, going through cycles of uneasy truce and outright war. … Continued
Shira Geffen’s Meduzot, Jellyfish, 2007, was a great success inside and outside Israel. The movie, which is set in Tel Aviv, tells the story of three women. The three stories appear to have three plots that are unconnected. Though the movie can be approached from different angles, I here chose to examine it from a … Continued
Introduction Rugged, landlocked, and lacking in major transportation infrastructure, modern Afghanistan is no friend of the modern logistician, military or otherwise. In consideration of the challenging security environment, episodic closures of the primary supply lines through Pakistan, and uncertainty over what, if any, military forces will remain in Afghanistan post 2014, one begins to see … Continued
Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction 13 February – 29 March 2014 Ayyam Gallery, 143 New Bond Street 1st Floor W1S 2TP, London http://www.ayyamgallery.com/ Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction, Saudi Arabian artist Faisal Samra’s first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom, is a deeply personal journey through the creative and perceptive processes, which combines the principles of abstraction with clinical … Continued
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