“There is no document of civilization which is not at the same time a document of barbarism” Walter Benjamin
Today I received an update on the status of the Ahmad Baba library in Timbuktu following news that it might have been torched as the rebels retreated.
Dr Shamil Jeppie, who heads the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project (
President Mohammad Morsi of Egypt should scrap his tough guy image and appetite for power grabs. In canceling the decree that gave him sweeping powers, he took a step in the right direction tonight. But he is not out of the political woods yet. He should show that he cares …
Sanity would require that unconditional US talks with Tehran begin as soon as possible….An emboldened nuclear Iran would be bad news for Iran’s citizens combating a repressive clerical regime…But it might paradoxically change the balance of power in the region and might result in some unpredictable gains for disenfranchised Palestinians.