Freelance journalist & researcher on MENA. Author of Voices of Jordan @HurstPublishers. I’m on Substack ⬇️
Joined April 2008
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So, it’s publication day! My #book, Voices of #Jordan, tells the story of ordinary people coping with the aftermath of the #ArabSpring & its unpredictable consequences. Includes interviews with a political cartoonist, #Syrian refugee, Jihadist & others. hurstpublishers.com/book/voi…
In less than a month, Jordan suffered two terrorist attacks - one on a church, the other aimed at a Jordanian security officer in front of the Sri Lankan embassy. In both cases the terrorists had served time in prison for previous terrorism crimes and were released recently. 🧵
Many Jordanians have more questions than answers:
1) Weren’t they monitored after being released from jail?
2) How did they behave in prison? Were they unresponsive to de-radicalization programs?
3) Is this part of an organized targeted campaign against Jordan?
4) What are the results of the first attack investigations? And the second too.
#Jordan
Looking forward to attending this 👇🏻
🚨Only ONE week until the 2026 #IraqInitiative Conference!
In person registration has now closed, but registration for virtual attendance remains open.
View the agenda, speakers and register now to join online on 11 November ⤵️
chathamhouse.org/events/all/…
This month, I wrote about the losing game mainstream media is playing with young audiences, where youth are turning instead for news and information, and much more.
Thank you, as always, for reading and subscribing.
#subscribe #substack #MENA
wishboxmedia.substack.com/p/…
Also what has transpired in the past 5 years from wars and instability do not help. Today, seven people were killed & 34 were injured according to the country's Public Security Directorate. The king condemned the attacks shortly after they took place & visited the injured.
In the 2016 attacks, four attackers also died in clashes with the police. The assault began at a house where the gunmen were staying. They then fled and attacked a police station, before moving on to Karak’s ancient crusader castle, a popular tourist destination in the city.
Rana Sweis retweeted
While on duty in the West Bank, @washingtonpost photographer @Heidiphotos was attacked by Israeli settlers. Story here and statement from Executive Editor @murraymatt below: washingtonpost.com/world/202…
Rana Sweis retweeted
A Bangladeshi pilgrim, an Egyptian flight attendant and a Palestinian retiree were among at least 13 people killed & 300+ wounded when the Houthis attacked Riyadh's intl airport Saturday.
Our story from the survivors, and the loved ones left behind:
nytimes.com/2026/10/14/world…
Rana Sweis retweeted
Great to speak with @FareedZakaria to talk about Beirut 1982 as the origins of current Iran-US-Israel war and why the story of Malcolm Kerr helps illuminate the geopolitical tragedy we are still living through. Join me Tuesday for a book talk with @RichardEngel at @92ndStreetY
I spoke with journalist @KimGhattas about the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, and about her new book “The Best Kind of American,” which chronicles the mysterious murder of an American in Lebanon in the 1980s and how that period shaped the modern Middle East:
“Today, writing in the spirit of geological time—to observe nature, but also for any kind of long-form journalism, really—is a vanished privilege.”
I wrote about John McPhee's nature writing. And about slowness, detail, and a kind of literary journalism that is disappearing along with the natural world it describes.
thebaffler.com/latest/up-a-c…
Great to see this after what was done to these journalists by @washingtonpost
The Washington Sun is creating The Washington Sun Magazine, a monthly print publication featuring some of the most compelling journalism produced by The Sun’s newsroom, with an emphasis on longform storytelling, essays and local news. The magazine will also feature The Sun’s Hill reporting, D.C. sports and culture coverage, and opinion columnists.
washingtonsun.com/about-us/p…
If you’re in #Amman, please take a moment to sign the petition against the destruction of trees and the way it’s being done:
c.org/28CprW4zDK
Shame on @GAMtweets on cutting #trees and the way they are doing it.
“Planting trees can save lives when extreme heat strikes. A research paper Increasing tree cover in some European cities could have prevented 40% of the 6,700 heat-related deaths.”
bloomberg.com/features/2023-…
Thank you @YomSean for shedding light again on this urgent issue and what Jordanians have been saying. #Jordan
I write in @ForeignPolicy: Jordan's true external threat isn't Iranian missiles. It's Israeli formal annexation of the West Bank and the ethnic cleansing / population transfer that follows.
To help Jordan, the US must *restrain* Israel. Stop annexation.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/31…
In 2019, I received an invitation to attend a reception and dinner with the King and Queen of Norway, along with many Jordanians and other guests.
Somehow, I discovered that I would be seated next to Queen Sonja. 🧵
Later, they walked out together, close and happy.
Less than a month later, COVID-19 arrived and the entire world changed. We are still living with its consequences. A lot has happened to the royal family since then as well, much of it played out publicly and amid controversy.
Today, hearing of King Harald’s death, I found myself thinking back to that evening at the Dead Sea, before any of us knew just how much the world was about to change.
Rest in peace, #KingHarald.