Jordan Watch

The Government with the most difficult tasks

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:26:00 GMT

In practical terms one cannot envy the Prime Minister of Jordan on his job right n ow . It is true that being a Prime Minister brings with it a great social status and high political portfolio but at the end of the day the governance of a country like Jordan is a very tedious task. Under the current political, economic and emerging social conditions this task must be addressed by... [read more]

The King's Codes of Honor in the Designation Letter

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:15:00 GMT

Jordan was taken by surprise yesterday as King Abdullah II nominated Samir Rifai to form the new government. The fate of the change/reshuffle was eminent but the name of the new PM was a matter of speculations. On Sunday, Randa Habib relied on her legendary reputation of having exclusive exposure to the Royal court and without hesitation published a story (as AFP correspondent) identifying the current... [read more]

The Swiss Shock

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:42:00 GMT

The Article is originally published in Arabic language in Jordan's Addustour newspaper, Dec 2nd 2009 It is no exaggeration to consider the vote by 57% of citizens in Switzerland to ban the installment of new minarets (to be incorporated into the constitution) as the most serious indicator of the cultural clash between European identity and Muslim identity in Europe. It is true that there... [read more]

Summary of a roundtable about the Jordan Israel Peace Treaty after 15 years

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:20:00 GMT

The occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty was not a reason for celebration. Actually it has never been before, at least in open gestures but this year the disappointment and resentment amongst Jordanians was in its most crystallised form. With the dangerous developments at Al Aqsa mosque and the hardline policy of the Israeli government, the prospects of a just and... [read more]

Hasan Al Barari in a Critique of New Media in Jordan

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:06:00 GMT

Within the volatile debate about the rights and responsibilities of new media outlets in Jordan, I have been really impressed with this article published by Dr Hasan Al Barari, who is the co-publisher of the news portal www.ammantimes.net as he places the importance of values at a high priority rank for the successful performance of new media. Here is the full article published in the Jordan... [read more]

Jordan's Minister of Environment blogs about Climate Change

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:05:36 GMT

Yesterday marked the global Blogging Action Day 2009 with the all important theme of Climate Change being the common denominator of all the blogs posted on that particular day, almost 10,000 posts. The Jordanian Minister of Environment Khalid Irani provided an unprecedented expression from an Arab official using modern social media tool. Here is his post written for 7iber.com which is Jordan's... [read more]

Marwa Sherbini: The Murder and Hypocrisy

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:56:00 GMT

All thanks for the Jeeran team who have translated this article which was originally posted in my Arabic blog). Marwa’s brutal death awakened thousands of angry Arabs and Muslims around the world. Marwa Sherbini was a 32 year-old Egyptian pharmacist, wife of a PhD student in the renowned Max Planck Institute, pregnant and mother of a 3 year-old. She was viciously stabbed to death in a courtroom... [read more]

The Rejuvination of Jordan Watch

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:24:00 GMT

It has been almost three months since my last update for this blog. Actually my last two entries in March were about the critical health condition that my baby boy Zaid was suffering from. He is recovering now, at home depending on doses of medication and hoping for the best options with time. I hope that the worst days of this turmoil are over now and I can start take control again of some main aspects... [read more]

Jordan's Nascent Environmental Market Takes Shape

Sat, 30 May 2009 22:32:00 GMT

Jordan has developed into a vibrant business market in the Middle East. The country is strategically located in the heart of the Middle East and has taken an early informed judgment to open up its economic policy and fully integrate within the global economic system. Between 1999 and 2003 Jordan has established three pillars of trade liberalization by joining the WTO, developing a bilateral FTA with... [read more]

Jordan and Climate Change

Sat, 30 May 2009 02:08:00 GMT

This article was originally published in Jordan Property Magazine issue of May 2009 The year 2009 will be exceptional for global climate change policies. Denmark will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in December. The meeting will hopefully mark the turning point in the world’s effort to effectively combat climate change and it will be the last chance for a new global... [read more]

Zaid is Back home, thanks for all your prayers

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:19:00 GMT

After two weeks of suffering and intense emotional distress for me and the family baby Zaid is back home and he is OK now. Thank you all for your prayers that have surely helped him. The two operations he was about to have are cancelled now since they are too risky and he is too young. We are now depending medically on Cortisone for reversing the growth of the haemangioma and it has been proven OK... [read more]

Please Pray for Zaid who is struggling for his life

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:14:00 GMT

Dear Readers of my blog; Please help me in praying for my two months old baby Zaid who is bravely struggling against a viscious haemangioma that is attacking his respiratory tract. Next 48 hours will be the most critical and every hope will be appreciated. God bless you all. [read more]

Give Women at Jordan Valley their right of expression

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:24:00 GMT

One of the most disappointing decisions taken by the previous government was its refusal to grant Radio Al Balad a license to open a community radio for women in Jordan Valley. The decision is totally against all values and principles of media freedom always promoted by the King and by the government itself sometimes. The community radio station was a symbol of a fantastic voluntary work by rural Jordanian... [read more]

More on Radioactivity in Disi Aquifer

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:27:00 GMT

To begin with, I am attaching at the end of this post the full manuscript of the paper that caused the controversy in Jordan regarding the findings of high concentrations of Radium in samples from the Disi aquifer. I have received the paper from my fellow blogger Mohannad Arabiyat only minutes after publishing my initial post. He accessed it through his University library. Few hours ago I received... [read more]

The Curious Case of Radioactivity in Disi Aquifer

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:18:00 GMT

High controversey has been generated in Jordan in the last couple of days after the biggest global news agency "Reuters" published a news item about a scientific study claiming high levels of radioactive isotopes found in Jordan major strategic water reservoir; the Disi Basin. The scientific study was conducted by a team of researchers composed of 9 researchers from the USA, Jordan, Israel and Palestine... [read more]

Tribes of Journalists in Jordan

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:22:00 GMT

I have been a silent follower of the media generated fiasco regarding the former head of the Royal Court Dr. Basem Awadallah which has ended with his resignation from the illustrious post. The campaign that has targeted Dr Awadallah was one of the most exposing elements of the reality of Jordanian media landscape that I have ever wittnessed. I think any researcher in Jordanian media dynamics should... [read more]

Passion and Profession

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:51:00 GMT

A few months ago, I started what I thought to be my dream job and the main development in my career. As I assumed my responsibility in a United Nations agency in Amman with a fixed term contract including the much sought after UN package of pension and insurance, I thought I have reached a stage of career maturity and that I will remain a UN staff until my retirement. I joined the UN not mainly due... [read more]

Being a parent of a twin

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:09:00 GMT

Some key events do define how life changes as it has never been before. In our lives, such events are usually sad but in some occasions they can be lovely and thrilling events but still pose a considerable challenge. On January 15th my life had more and more value after becoming the proud parent of a twin (Zeid and Yara) who have arrived to this world 8 years after my first and lovely child Suzan... [read more]

The Best Article about Gaza in Western Media

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:42:00 GMT

This is the best article I have read in western media about the current massacre in Gaza. It is by Prof. Avi Shalaim the renouned Israeli professor of International relations and lecturer at Oxford University and the author of the landmark book "Lion of Jordan: King Hussein's Life in War and Peace". http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/gaza-israel-palestine ... [read more]

The Photo of Israel's ultimate Crime

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:19:00 GMT

It does not depend on a certain political perspective, nationality, religion or race to feel so outraged by the barbaric crimes of Israel in Gaza, you needs only to be a human being with a functioning heart. This region has witnessed more than its fair share of atrocities against human dignity in the past few decades. We sadly confess that a portion of these atrocities were conducted by official... [read more]