Notions

Elections in Jordan are due on September 20 th  - anyone driving down a Jordanian street will notice the dozens of posters hanging on electrical poles, which blaze with flaring slogans and ambitious, one-line promises that would bring peace, equality, democracy, prosperity, and justice to the country and its citizens. Candidates are grouping in national lists and are harmonising their programmes and electoral promises. Under the new Election Law, promulgated in 2016, which introduced a proportional system based on open-lists, candidates are no longer subject to the limitations imposed on them by the former system of “single un-transferable vote”, imposed since 1992. The new Election Law has been praised as a step towards political development and party involvement. The scope of this article is not meant to analyse the law – which in no way empowers parties – but to discuss what the new elected parliament can do when elected in September. Back to the slogans. Irrespecti...

A short story written a while back that depicts immigrants’ suffering. A heartfelt gratitude, appreciation and admiration to selfless souls in Spain and elsewhere in Europe who countered migration policies with humanitarian sensibility. Claudia Moya, you are meant here in particular. The Roman Citadel held on but had to fall, and she had nowhere to hide at all. Over the cracked Greek stairs she was forced to crawl, until she reached the Phoenician quay on all four. She anchored her hopes to the boat and to the handler to whom she was in thrall, carrying within the child she wishes would never be born. Marooned in the deep blue sea she prayed for a god to save her soul, but her screams were much too stout for her weakened jowl.   Watching the faces fade under the water while the waves roared, she clenched her nails into the rubber boat that was all torn. The sun at last shone and warmed her soaked bones, and fate did smile when she reached the old land of the Moors....

Ellen DeGeneres made TV history in 1997 when her character on her sitcom “Ellen” revealed she was gay. The disclosure of her sexual preference drew many oohs and aaahs, and despite being hailed as courageous and transparent by some, her show did suffer, and so did her reputation as a comedian. Instead of being recognised as an artist with an incredible sense of humour and admirable creativity, Ellen was known as the “gay, short haired comedian”. In fact, the “Ellen” show lost some audience, and was even banned in some conservative countries (it was no longer aired on Jordan TV for instance).  Nearly twenty years later, people still refer to her as such. What was considered as controversial back in the nineties has now become common, if not predictable, news. It is no longer a shocker. What is considered as such is the decision of western citizens to embrace Islam as a religion. Reading the English version of  El Pais  newspaper last night, the first artic...

                     'It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.' Alfred Adler Inspiration, I recently learned, can be sought from people. Submerged in life’s demands and race with time, I failed to be inspired to re-take up my blog and share my notions, which have sometimes resonated with a few former followers (who probably and rightfully deserted the blog). However, and following a thought-provoking conversation with a work colleague who shared valuable and genuine insights on life experiences, I was prompted to ponder deeper into one particular observation and link it to present day political developments. The discerning comment raised by that colleague (to whom I am grateful) during a lustrous lunch conversation was one related to the ease of shifting the minds and hearts of a nation that learned to believe, in all its passions, that ideology dic...

1.    Preview The Islamic Republic of Iran celebrated a momentous event on the 14 th of July with the signature of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that will lift the economic sanctions imposed on the country and reintegrate it back into the international community. The deal has been described as historic and unprecedented, ending a 12 year standoff between the West and Iran and opening a new page in relations. The agreement came after twenty months of intensive negotiations between the six world powers, the EU and Iran, and was heralded as an achievement for all parties. Nonetheless, the deal has alarmed and confused key players in the region, considering the political, economic and geopolitical repercussions of the concluded agreement. Iran’s controversial nuclear programme has long drawn international condemnation, fueled by Israel’s warning of Iran’s nuclear capacities that would place a nuclear bomb in the hands of a radical state. These fears were ...