Saturday, May 29, 2010

The Only Pun in the Gulf

Detector-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

Many of you may recall a recent security scandal in Iraq. A UK firm, ASTC Ltd., sold $85 million in bomb detection equipment to the Iraqi government over a period of two years. A blessing, for Iarq has pretty high demand for bomb detection equipment. ASTC's flagship product is the ADE-651 "Magic Wand." A catchy name, thought American military officials. But how does it work? Upon taking apart the ADE-651, BBC correspondents found...an RFID chip...and some snake oil. There wasn't even a power source. A U.S. official was quoted as saying the "Magic Wands" work "on the same principle as the Ouija Board" - on the power of suggestion. Given that there are no working components, and no possible reason for it to work, you may find it surprising that the "Magic Wand" was in common use across Iraq since 2007.

You may find it surprising, until you get to know the man in charge. Meet Major General Jehad Al-Jabiri, head of the Iraqi Interior Ministry's Directorate of Combating Explosives:

"Whether it's magic or scientific, I don't care as long as it detects bombs."

"I know more about this issue than the Americans do. In fact, I know more about bombs than anyone in the world."


But, Major General, are you a wizard?

Reliance on these wands has probably led to hundreds of unnecessary deaths in Baghdad and other major cities. The United Kingdom has imprisoned the head of ASTC, Jim McKormick. The US Justice Department has specifically warned the Iraqi government about these products. So surely Major General Al-Jabiri has seen the light? Wrong. After an exhaustive review, the Iraqi government has concluded that a few of the "Magic Wands" were fake or defective, but they will be replaced by ones that work.

WHY DO I BRING THIS UP?

Any Saudi hotel worth staying in is protected by concrete barriers, a couple check points and at least 1 50 caliber machine gun. This is all due to specific threats on Westerners in the Kingdom since 2003. My hotel in Khobar has the same set up, with a four man guard searching every car that enters. Do they ask for my passport? No. Do they look into the trunk? No. Under the wheel wells? No. Why not?

Because they employ an ADE-651. Every day when returning from work my car stops as a Saudi National Guardsman walks slowly by the car, his Magic Wand antennae hanging limply to the ground.

I'd love to get a photo or video of them doing it, just so you see how ridiculous it is. But, and I'm not exaggerating, I would probably be detained.

By the way, my sources are articles entitled:
IRAQ SWEARS BY BOMB DETECTOR US SEES AS USELESS
MAGIC WAND BOMB DETECTOR IS A FRAUD; PROBABLY KILLED HUNDREDS

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Found the Swedish Consulate



Somewhere, Thomas Friedman is writing a new book...

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Class of 2010

A hearty congratulations to Georgetown's newest alums, particularly the Germs kids out there (I doubt any of them actually read this blog).

I give you this photo of College graduation speaker Dikembe Mutombo (Class of 1991):

WHO WANT TO HOOD MUTOMBO?!?

Photo courtesy of Georgetown University

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Justice Fail III

A UAE news story that I heard about from Saudis here: Woman Who Reported Rape Is Charged With Illegal Sex

An 18 year-old Emirati girl was charged for illegal sex, along with the 6 men who allegedly raped her in the back of a car.

Excerpts:
"The charges allege that because she had agreed to be in the car, the two had, therefore, met to have sex."
"The woman has been in custody since she reported the incident. She and the two defendants in court yesterday are being held without bail."


It is making the rounds in Saudi as it is reminiscent of a case* two years ago that led to intervention by the King. A Saudi woman was meeting a male friend when both were kidnapped, taken to a farm and raped repeatedly. Upon reporting the act, the woman and her friend were arrested along with their rapists. In fact, both were sentenced to lashings and months in prison, while the rapists received 10 months to 5 years in prison each (a relatively light sentence compared to the standard punishment for rapists - public execution by beheading).

However, it is not enough for us Americans to come in, scan the news and become indignant. We must at least attempt to understand the root cause for these decisions. The court systems of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are based off of Sharia law - codes of conduct derived from the Qu'ran and Hadith (the Hadith are compiled deeds and actions of the Prophet Muhammad). Particularly in the Gulf, the judges are schooled primarily in the interpretation and application of Sharia law, and are thus religious scholars first, and dealers of justice second. Or, in their words, there is no justice but that of God, and they are bound to carry out His law as narrated to Muhammad.

It follows then, the the judges' deliberations in both cases starts not with the accusations of rape, but rather the circumstances which found the women alone with non-family males in the first place. Why was the 18 year-old Emirati woman alone with her friend in the car? Why was the Saudi woman meeting her male friend alone at the mall? As both of these acts are morally dubious, it follows that the women in each case were up to no good. In fact, while the charges of rape could be contested, the only undisputed charges were the acts of the women being alone with the men.

A judge in the case would have no trouble condemning the woman. The tricky part is what to do with the rapists. In the Saudi case, the men claimed (a legitimate motion) enticement by a woman "whose looseness was not a matter of record. Kidnapping seemed proven, but who could tell exactly what had happened after that?"

I hope it is obvious that I do not agree with this system of justice. I am, however, trying to shed some light on the opaqueness of the cultural divide.

*My background on the rape case in Saudi Arabia is based on Richard Lacey's "Inside the Kingdom," an eye-opening book on the history of the Saudi-Wahhabi balance, the inner workings of the Royal Family, and Saudi foreign policy since 1979.

Perhaps a bit of insight on the

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Sandstorm

The same photo from my hotel room as in two posts ago. Can you find the tower? Use the fake palm tree in the foreground as reference.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

I'll Sleep When I'm Un-Dead

I want to express how I feel right now in words. But a photo is more apt:

I feel like a zombie, but perhaps with less blood in or around my mouth. This past week has been rather productive and rewarding with the client, but at the cost of my precious sleep.

We're following a blend of the client's schedule and our own consulting regimen. The consistency of our days is notable. And should be noted:

5:30 - Awaken to the unforgiving Saudi sun invading my east-facing windows. Though it is better than other entities that could be invading Saudi from the east. (See a map for reference)
6:15 - Breakfast
7:00 - Car to Client site
7:30 - Arrive, start work
8:30 - Client check-in meeting
11:00 - Realize I've been at work for 3.5 hours already
12:00 - Lunch
16:00 - Car back to hotel, work until dinner (maybe sneak in a short gym break)
20:00 - Dinner
22:00 - Work
01:00 - Pass out

The zombie uprising is imminent. And it won't be from any mutant virus. Patient Zero is me. Ground Zero is Room 545. You have been warned.

Southeast of Eden

Saturday, May 1, 2010

City of Life

Last night, I saw "City of Life," the first feature length movie about Dubai, for the second time. The movie, directed by Ali Mostafa, an Emirati, debuted at the Dubai International Film Festival in December. Now it is playing in all the theaters in the city and is the talk of the town. The production was led by Dubai-based Filmworks, which worked on "The Kingdom" and "Syriana." So here is a movie that does not depict US power projection in the region.


The film is admittedly unoriginal, weaving together the lives of three Dubai characters in a way too similar to "Amores Perros" or "Crash." However, because the movie is shot in Dubai, it is a hit and very entertaining. I became rather attached to the three trite main characters:

Faisal - the playboy son of an Emirati real estate magnate who must face the consequences of his sinful lifestyle
Basu - the Gujarati cab driver with Bollywood aspirations who receives a lucky break
Natalya - the Bucharesti flight attendant who falls in love with an advertising executive

WATCH THE CITY OF LIFE TRAILER HERE

Reviews of the film have been largely positive. The audiences I went with were largely Emirati and Saudi in composition, and they absolutely loved Faisal's storyline, especially his nice cars and clubs he went to (which were probably the planned activities of the Emiratis in the cinema for the rest of the night). The issues tackled in the movie were surprisingly progressive as well and included extra-marital affairs, Arabs drinking alcohol and abortion.

One of my friends had another take on the move, saying it was enjoyable and mostly realistic because "no one is really that happy and everyone screws everyone else over."

Such is Dubai, the City of Life.

Fog Over Dubai

A photo of Dubai posing as San Fransisco:



Photo from Gulf Photo Plus, the winner of the Canon Competition, via grapeshisa blog. Take a look at either for more great Middle Eastern photography.