Editorial: A Turn for the Better?
Without doubt yesterday’s slaughter of more than thirty soldiers and policeman by a suicide bomber in Iraq will divert attention from a seemingly significant development in the government’s war against the men of violence. The military operation which succeeded in freeing an Australian hostage suggests that the authorities are at last beginning to get the measure of their opponents. The full details of the release of Douglas Wood who was seized six weeks ago have not yet been made public. It already seems clear, however, that the rescue was part of a targeted sweep of buildings, almost certainly following a tip or a wider intelligence effort. Iraqi personnel led the raid, backed by US forces but no mention has yet been made of any role played by the Australian Special Forces unit sent to Iraq after Wood was kidnapped.
With apologies to the estimable Arthur Chrenkoff, whose weekly “Good News from Iraq” details all the things that never seem to make it into the major media, I’d like to highlight this Arab News editorial.
It notes that even as scores are dying as the result of terrorism in Iraq, many important things are going right. Iraqi security forces are stepping up to the plate, as are ordinary Iraqis intent on seeing their country at peace, not in the middle of a maelstrom of madness.
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June:17:2005 - 11:19
How important is the english-language Arab News at shaping/reporting Arab opinion?
June:17:2005 - 13:39
Surpisingly, English-language papers are very important, particularly among those who studied in the Anglosphere. One of the marks of “fluency” in a language is speaking/reading it at an educated level. That almost requires a university education conducted in that language. Those who’s university study(particularly if it included undergrad + grad) are more at ease in English than in Arabic. They are educated in English, not Arabic, and their mental maps are rearranged accordingly.
It should go without saying that this is not particular to any specific group or language….
June:17:2005 - 15:56
Could English be preferred because it permits a greater range and flexibility of low-context written expression than is possible in Arabic? Not just technical, but speaking past/present/future tenses as well?
June:17:2005 - 17:20
From studying both languages, I think English and Arabic are equally capable of dealing with complex issues, with Arabic perhaps being even more dense. I know I never worked harder in my life than while learning Arabic. Turkish or Thai were extremely easy compared to it; French not even in the same league.
The Arabs manage pretty well with the tenses, even if “classical Arabic” seems to lack them. There’s not an English tense that can’t be constructed with the use of the right qualifiers. And Arabic has conditional and subjunctive voices as well.
Arabic grammar is almost a treat in its orderliness. It’s the vocabulary that’s the killer. So many ways of saying (almost) the same thing, but those subtle differences can sometimes count enormously.
July:31:2005 - 23:50
I wish I could understand Arabic. It is difficult to discern what the truth is from the media. It would be nice to find some resources that would help me to get a better perspective on how things really are over there. Any ideas?
August:01:2005 - 07:38
Well, there’s always this blog!
You might also look at Abu Aardvark for general news of the region, or Armies of Liberation which focuses on Yemen.
You might also look at Terrorism Unveiled, and One Hand Clapping.
Definitely read Winds of Change and Chrenkoff.