The Battle of Konya, fought on December 21, 1832, was the decisive battle in the 1831-1833 Ottoman-Egyptian War, and in that sense it serv—I’m sorry, you had a question? Yes, the Ottoman-Egyptian War of 18—yes? Oh, right. We’re skipping over a very important detail. The Ottomans conquered Egypt and ended the Mamluk Sultanate in 1517, and in … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Konya (1832)
Month: December 2015
Maybe the problem is your poll, not the people who answered it
Earlier today, this hit lefty Twitter: https://twitter.com/ppppolls/status/677871578281984002 HAHAHAHA, Jesus, what a bunch of blockheads, am I right? People immediately started having fun with this tidbit of information, and I'm sure there are 1500 word thinkpieces being typed up even now. Yours truly got in on the act, wondering what would happen to all the Disney … Continue reading Maybe the problem is your poll, not the people who answered it
Happy Qatar National Day!
To be honest, I'm not sure why I keep doing these national day posts, except that I did that one for the UAE, and then I felt like it wouldn't be fair not to do the same thing for Bahrain, and now I'm kind of locked into a vicious cycle. Anyway, like Bahrain National Day, … Continue reading Happy Qatar National Day!
Islamic History, part 29b: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Shafiʿi and Ibn Hanbal
Islamic History Series Please start with part 29a Muhammad b. Idris al-Shafiʿi (d. ~820), who I just mentioned in the last entry, is the third legal theorist (founder of the Shafiʿi madhhab) you need to know something about. Born in Gaza in or around 767, his family moved to Mecca when he was still a … Continue reading Islamic History, part 29b: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Shafiʿi and Ibn Hanbal
Islamic History, part 29a: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Abu Hanifah and Malik
Islamic History Series This has been a long time in coming, and there's a simple reason for it: I haven't had the time to write it. Sorry. Here's the thing: the study of Islamic Law is its own discipline and it's one that I don't have a whole lot of familiarity with. I can give … Continue reading Islamic History, part 29a: Early Islamic Law (c. 700 – c. 850) — Abu Hanifah and Malik
Burundi is going from bad to worse
The escalating violence in Burundi escalated a little faster last week, when 100 people were killed in clashes in Bujumbura between Friday and Saturday. The US State Department took the step of issuing a warning cautioning US citizens to avoid traveling to Burundi if possible, which suggests that Washington, at least, thinks that the situation … Continue reading Burundi is going from bad to worse
The unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia
For the past couple of weeks, the Ethiopian government has been killing dozens of people, many of them students and farmers, protesting a plan to expand the country's capital, Addis Ababa, into surrounding rural areas of the country's Oromia region. The Oromo, who inhabit Oromia and are the largest of Ethiopia's almost innumerable (seriously, there … Continue reading The unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia
What’s coming next in the Central African Republic?
On Sunday and Monday, voters in the Central African Republic, which has been in a state of civil war for the better part of three years, voted on a constitutional referendum intended to try to bring about an end to the fighting. Preliminary results suggest that the referendum passed overwhelmingly. There were a few outbreaks … Continue reading What’s coming next in the Central African Republic?
All over but the actual hard work
Representatives from both of Libya's dueling governments showed up in Shirkat, Morocco, today to sign an agreement to implement a national unity government. Here are the details: Under the deal, a nine-member presidential council will form a government with the current, eastern-based House of Representatives as the main legislative [body] and a State Council as … Continue reading All over but the actual hard work
SATSQ, Saudi anti-terror coalition edition
Brookings' Bruce Reidel asks an important question: Are the Saudis finally getting serious about the anti-ISIS fight? Obviously it's still early, but so far? No: At least two nations said they were taken by surprise by the Saudi announcement that they were part of a 34 nation coalition. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said he … Continue reading SATSQ, Saudi anti-terror coalition edition
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 