5th January 2012
One of my favourite Beatles songs is “A Day in the Life” which includes a line: “A read the news today, oh boy! Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire”. The line made no sense, but for me, a boy from London, it put Blackburn on the map. And Blackburn was on the map in Amman […]
17th December 2011
It is a year since Mohamed Bouazizi doused himself in petrol and set fire to himself. He was protesting because he was unable to earn a living. At the time I was studying Arabic in London. I struggled to understand the Arabic words used in the news reports. But I wasn’t alone in failing to […]
1st December 2011
Another international meeting on climate change opened in South Africa this week. So what? Surely it’s just another endless gathering of bureaucrats that will generate a lot of hot air, waste a lot of paper, and end up with little to show for it? Of course not. The environment matters. Last year was the hottest on record. This […]
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17th November 2011
I had the tremendous privilege of being in London last week during His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit. He saw The Queen, Prince Charles, the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Duke of York, Parliamentarians, Chatham House and the press. An impressive list by any measure. And a reflection of the importance of the partnership between […]
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31st October 2011
I attended a presentation on nuclear safety last week which discussed the prospects for nuclear energy in Jordan. The debate got a bit heated at times, demonstrating the strong feelings that the nuclear issue raises, not only in Jordan, but world-wide. The fact that the debate took place at all was good and it will […]
16th October 2011
Napoleon said that an Army marches on its stomach. So what’s the connection between food and war? Most wars are about ideology, nationalism or territory. Very often the reason for conflict over territory is to do with growing food. There might be a fight to gain richer soil, easier access to water or better grazing […]
4th October 2011
We stopped on a ridge overlooking a Palestinian valley. On the hill on the left a Jewish settlement with nest white houses and green gardens. On the right a fairly run-down Palestinian village. The valley was dry and stony sloping down to a water spring. Suddenly we saw a trail of smoke arching up into […]
19th September 2011
You can debate whether the pressure for change in the Arab world is driven by the demand for political change or by economic factors. My view is that the demand for jobs is a central reason for the frustration witnessed on the streets, starting with Mohammed Bouazizi who was prevented from selling his fruit in […]
12th September 2011
إن رؤية مجموعة الشباب الأردنيين الحاصلين على منح دراسية و المتوجهين الى المملكة المتحدة لهو دليل على متانة العلاقات الوثيقة بين الأردن والمملكة المتحدة بما يتعلق بالتعليم. فبريطانيا هي المكان الذي يرغب العديد من الأشخاص الدراسة فيه بسبب الجودة العالية لمدارسها و كلياتها وجامعاتها. و الترحيب بالطلاب الدوليين يعد أولوية قصوى لتلك الجامعات لأنه يجلب […]
11th September 2011
Seeing off the group of young Jordanians who are going to the United Kingdom on scholarships is a time to celebrate the close links between Jordan and the UK when it comes to education. Britain is a place where many people want to study because of the high quality of its schools, colleges and universities. […]