See What I See: Rediscovering Greater New York

More than a month back in New York and I continue to marvel at the beauty around me. New York is an amazing place in winter (especially now that the holidays are over and the hordes of tourists, gone!!! With all due respect tourists: you bring out my inner -sidewalk-rage in ways I can’t describe.) Here are some new shots from the city and in Westchester County.

Park Avenue at night/Photo by Vivian Salama

Westchester County/Photo by Vivian Salama

East Village/Photo by Vivian Salama

Somewhere in Westchester!/Photo by Vivian Salama

Tappan Zee Bridge from Tarrytown, NY/Photo by Vivian Salama

Ban on Male Sales Clerks in Saudi Lingerie Shops is Small Step for Womenkind

While this ban on male sales clerks in lingerie shops has been looming for quite some time, it is really a fascinating sign of the increasing empowerment of women in the kingdom, in this case, as they push for more jobs and more rights. (Although perhaps a male sales clerk would have better perspective on what to buy!) Booz and Co. estimates that female unemployment in Saudi Arabia stands at more than 26 percent – four times higher than the rate of male unemployment. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has tried since the start of the Arab Spring to introduce new reforms, both economic and social, to the kingdom to appease citizens….Last September, he said that women would be granted the right to run for elections and vote for members of the consultative shura council (although they were not allowed to vote in the 2011 election, which came days after this edict). While folks in the West may regard these changes as smallscale, it is a big leap for the kingdom. (After all, the joke goes, who will drive women to the polling stations since women in the kingdom are forbidden to drive?)

Until recently only men were allowed to work in Saudi lingerie shops

Women only to work in Saudi Arabia lingerie shops

By Emily Buchanan

BBC world affairs correspondent

A law allowing only women to work in lingerie shops in Saudi Arabia is coming into force.

Campaigners hope this will end decades of awkwardness in the Islamic kingdom where women have always been served by male shop assistants. The heated issue of the total lack of female shop workers in Saudi Arabia has simmered for years. Many Saudi women say they have felt particularly uncomfortable buying their lingerie from men.

Female campaigners recently increased the pressure for change through a Facebook campaign and a boycott of lingerie stores. Now King Abdullah’s royal decree finally comes into effect, banning male staff from selling female underwear.

“It’s about time, it’s been a long struggle and the authorities have finally come to their senses,” says Radio Jeddah journalist Samar Fatany. (click here to read more…)

 

North Korean President Kim Jong Il is Dead

Breaking news this Sunday night that North Korea’s president since July 8, 1994, Kim Jong Il, suffered a massive heart attack that took his life. State TV anchor was overcome with emotion as she delivered the news. The “dear leader” suffered multiple health problems for several years and his death has been long anticipated. He died Saturday morning at the age of 69, according to State TV. His youngest son Kim Jong un — who is believed to be about 27 or 28 years old, is the presumed successor. I visited North Korea – aka the Hermit Kingdom – briefly in 2007. It is a surreal place. Extremely bizarre but one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been. I also spent several weeks on a special fellowship in South Korea where I had the privilege of meeting a number of senior government and military officials. North and South Korea never signed a formal peace treaty after the Korean War, which ended in 1953, so there are very tense days ahead for the South Koreans. The country declared an emergency alert until the situation in North Korea stabilizes. North Korea is a nuclear state and was among the countries labeled an “axis of evil” by former US President George W. Bush. Very interesting days ahead.

Here’s an interesting still shot of North Korean state tv announcing the death of Kim Jong Il’s father, Kim Il Sung, in 1994. (thanks @ckanal)

The New York Times now has a full obit online complete with slideshow.

Here is the blog post I wrote (with pics) shortly after my trip in 2007. I will try to add a few more photos soon since it will likely be trending for the next few days.

Here is an article I wrote on Kumgang Mountain for the World Politics Review.

Close-up of the pin worn by all of our "guides" in North Korea/Photo by Vivian Salama

 

Back in the concrete jungle…

I’ve always found New York to be a beautiful place. The people are amazing to watch. The fashionistas. The crazies. The businessmen in suits. The ladies in fur (sorry PETA). I especially love the buildings. There was a time when I believed my calling (well, one of my callings) was architecture  (although I confess, it took me three tries to spell it correctly!! Thank you, spell check)

I’ve been back about 3 weeks now. Perhaps I have yet to re-embrace the hustle and bustle attitude of the city, but I just can’t stop myself from looking up and around me at the beauty that’s everywhere here. That said, I thought to take a break from revolutions and foreign policy to share a few nice shots I’ve taken around the city. Enjoy!

New York's Tallest Building, the Empire State Building (Did you know where are 1,860 steps in the Empire State building from the street to the 102nd floor?! /Photo by Vivian Salama

City Hall, Lower Manhattan/Photo by Vivian Salama

5th Avenue/Photo by Vivian Salama

Whitestone Bridge from the Upper East Side/Photo by Vivian Salama

“The Protester”: A Photo Journal of the Egyptian Revolution

Thanks to TIME Magazine for recognizing the revolutionaries all over the world… I’ve been meaning to write this for quite some time but only finding the chance to do it now.

A year ago when Mohammed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor in Tunisia, burned himself out of frustration from a political system that neglected him, I was en route to Beirut ahead of the Christmas holiday and writing, mainly, about the credit crunch in the Arab Gulf states and mounting concerns that the banking system would not soon recover from the blow. Days after I returned from Beirut, my host, Rania Abouzeid, came to stay with me in Dubai in a desperate attempt to fly to Tunisia, where flights were almost entirely grounded amid an uprising across the country. It was hard to imagine then that the desperate act of this young man not only set in motion a revolution in his country, but around across the region.

Jan. 27, 2011: me and Rania Abouzeid heading to Cairo (at 3am -- ughhh!!!)

On January 14, 2011, following a month of violent protests against his rule, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali – Tunisia’s president since 1987 — was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia along with his wife and their three children.  A week later, Rania and I were on a flight to Cairo where calls for a revolution had begun to circulate on social media websites. They were days I will never forget, and with TIME Magazine’s 2011 Person of the Year issue being dedicated this year to The Protester, I want to share with you all a few memories and photos of the protesters I met in Cairo this year. (Click here to read some of my stories on the Arab Spring)

On January 27, two days after the protests officially begun, Internet and mobile phone service was completely cut off in Egypt and we were left guessing where crowds were gathering. After trying a few spots around town, Rania and I decided to go toward the Mohendiseen neighborhood near the Moustafa Mahmoud mosque. It was a good guess! About 500 protesters had gathered after Friday prayers where they came face to face with riot police chanting slogans like “The people want the end of the regime” and “Hosni Mubarak: illegitimate.”

We began to march, with the intention of going toward Tahrir Square. (Rania and I were quickly separated in the crowd and were each forced to continue reporting on our own). Weaving through side streets and alleys in the Cairo neighborhood, people watched us from balconies, throwing bottles of water, garlic and onions, and bottles of vinegar – all simply remedies for tear gas inhalation, because everyone knew what lie ahead.  The longer we marched, the more the crowd swelled, with protesters called on those people in their homes not to be afraid.

Cairo, January 27, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

Cairo, January 27, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

Jan 27: Protesters Near Moustafa Mahmoud Mosque/Photo by Vivian SalamaS

Sure enough, we were quickly confronted by tanks and soldiers firing tear gas at the crowd. I’ve never seen so much camaraderie in my life. Soldiers at a nearby military hospital threw medical masks at the protesters and pharmacists handed them out to the crowds. At one point I felt quite ill from the tear gas. A man approached from behind me and pressed a vinegar-covered mask against my mouth and nose. A nearby vendor (who probably struggles to feed his own family with the pennies he earns) emptied his refrigerator, handing out water bottles and cans of soda to the fatigued protesters.

Every where I looked, people were helping each other, helping strangers tie their masks, sharing water bottles, aiding those who were most affected by the gas.

There was one point, marching with the crowd from Mohendiseen, when we approached a major intersection and I heard roaring cheers. I jumped up on a car to see what had happened and was personally overcome by emotion. From three different directions, massive groups of protesters were approaching the intersection – the other groups coming from as far as Giza and the Nasr City. They did this without Internet or mobile phones.

Cairo, January 27, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

Groups of young men pushed to the front of the crowd and began to battle riot police, taking over their vehicles and chasing them away. Our group, now numbered in the hundreds of thousands, pushed slowly across the historic Qasr El Nil bridge in an attempt to move into Tahrir. There were moments when I worried that an attack by the military would trigger a stampede – we were stuffed tightly onto the bridge. But every time protesters began to push back, the young men in the crowd would grab the women in the crowd and push them against the bridge railing so to protect them from being knocked down.

Some were more prepared than others!! Cairo Jan. 27, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

It was a long night with protesters burning the ruling National Democratic Party headquarters and battling with soldiers in Tahrir. Riot police trucks were set on fire (and the Semiramis Hotel, where many journalists took refuge) was partially on fire for part of the evening. I was trapped in Tahrir for the night and forced to take a last minute room at the Semiramis. I woke up early the next morning to a different Cairo, where charred military tanks stood in the middle of Tahrir Square and smoke billowed from the NDP headquarters and, sadly, from the adjacent National Museum. It would take another two weeks (only!) to overthrow Hosni Mubarak but that first Friday was by far the most memorable. There is an Arabic expression that often refers to the Egyptian people as being “light blooded” (light hearted/good senses of humor). They definitely showed their spirit throughout the frustrating 19 days (and 30 years) it took to shake up their political system.

Tahrir Square, January 28, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

Tahrir Square, January 28, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

me in Tahrir (late January 2011)

I visited Bahrain in the weeks that followed and I spent a lot of time covering the uprisings in Yemen and, less so, the ongoing crisis in Syria. After years of battling misguided stereotypes of terrorism and violence, these protesters have showed the world that they desire freedom and a decent standard of living and they have the right to demand it just as those in Europe and the US demand of their governments.

The Tunisians, Egyptians and all the other citizens around the world fighting for democracy have a very long and bumpy road ahead.  The TIME Magazine Person of the Year issue questions whether there is a global tipping point for frustration. I believe what happened this year is, in large part, because of overpopulation and because of the global economic slowdown touched societies rich and poor – but toppled those that were already on the brink before markets crash. The world is smaller than ever thanks to the Internet and various technologies that allow us to share experiences with people on opposite corners of the world. As we continue to get closer, and the world, smaller, it will become impossible to distance ourselves from even the most seemingly remote events.

Cairo, January 27, 2011/Photo by Vivian Salama

Facebook and the NYPD

There’s an interesting story in the New York Times today about officers with the New York Police Department making malicious comments on Facebook about parade goers at the recent West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn. The officers in question referred to people as “animals” and “savages.” One comment said, “Drop a bomb and wipe them all out,” according to the report by William Glaberson.

I’m a bit torn on how i feel about this. While I’m certainly an advocate of free speech (and not naive to prejudices in the world and, certainly, among police forces across the country), I do feel that certain professions must do more to punish their own for expressing certain opinions on the web when it goes against their practice. The NYPD apparently has restrictions on officers who post “disrespectful remarks” on the internet — but how can they “police” all the remarks of the 34,500 officers in the NYPD?

In Journalism, for example, I am a big fan of restricted social media because while journalists are entitled to their opinions, certain opinions run the risk of jeopardizing objectivity. If that journalist is linked to a news organization, it threatens the objectivity of the entire newspaper/network, or whatever.For police officers, I suppose it goes back to any amendment that judges a man based on color or creed. The fourteenth amendment, for example, states that: “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

But by not posting their opinions on Facebook or any other social media platform change the fact that these men have an obvious bias? Would their treatment of anyone from, in this case, the West Indies, be any different or any less apparent had they not posted their remarks? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!

On a related note, I’d love any recs on good articles or books on policing the internet/internet security — it relates to a project I’m working on. Thanks in advance!

Photo by Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

The U.A.E.: 40 and Fabulous?

Abu Dhabi at 40 //Photo by Tala Al Ramahi (@journalist_tala)

 As some of you may know I just moved back to New York last week after living in the Middle East for much of the last 10 years, most recently in the United Arab Emirates, which is today celebrating its 40th anniversary. There is no doubt that the UAE has accomplished pretty spectacular things in 40 years, fueled greatly by the abundant oil wealth of Abu Dhabi, which holds more than 90 percent of the crude in the country, and about 7 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves, according to BP data.

Burj Khalifa // Photo by Vivian Salama

The country is home to the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, one of the world’s biggest malls, the world’s largest dancing fountains (I must confess, the fountain is rather amazing), the only manmade island visible from space and one of two gold vending machines in the world!

Dubai dancing fountain // Photo by Vivian Salama

It is, undeniably, a remarkable accomplishment given that just 40 years ago the emirates, prior to unification and the discovery of oil, earned much of their income from pearl diving and exporting dates.

The pride of its citizens is something to be admired, and for weeks (even before I departed for the US), skycrapers were covered from top to bottom in lights of white, green, red and black, the colors of the UAE flag. Emiratis, the citizens of the UAE, wore scarves and jewelry with the colors of the flag, and cars were covered, literally, in photos of leaders past and present.

But a challenging road lies ahead for the UAE, particularly after this year’s events in the Middle East, where longtime dictators were forced out by popular uprisings. There is one clear advantage the UAE has over countries like Egypt, Syria, Libya and Yemen: it’s citizens are not poor. There are parts of the country that are in great need for updated infrastructure – roads, power lines, etc – but citizens are, at worst, comfortable thanks to lifetime handouts by the government. (Click here for my story Abu Dhabi’s Spending on Soccer and Skyscrapers Masks Slower Times at Home)

But citizens of the UAE are hungry for one thing: opportunities. Currently, foreigners make up about 85 percent of the country’s population – the majority hailing from countries on the Indian subcontinent. British/Western European, Canadian, Australian and South African expats hold many of the high paying white-collar positions, in SOME cases because they are better trained to do so, leaving few high profile jobs for the locals.

Emiratization, a policy now enforced by the government in many workplaces, seeks to boost Emirati employment whether by providing training and education for Emiratis, or setting quotas in certain sectors for Emirati employment. Ultimately the government is trying to prevent their own talented citizens from being lured to the West. But many critics believe that the UAE cannot afford to lose its foreign workers as they may have been the driving force for the country’s speedy success in the first place. In the meantime there is growing resentment among foreigners who, despite making up the majority of the population,  have few rights. There is no legal protection on property rights, and police, in practice, do not need a reason to stop, question or even detain people.

Another challenge is maintaining the “vision” set by the country’s founders some 40 years ago. Seldom was there a day in the UAE that I did not hear someone refer to the “vision.” Abu Dhabi and Dubai have set urban planning roadmaps for diversifying their economies away from oil and expanding certain sectors (services, real estate, alternative energy, etc). However, the global economic crisis dealt a massive blow to the once seemingly invincible UAE and its seemingly invincible real estate market. Slowly we’ve seen the country scale back, but its officials still maintain that the overall “vision” is intact and on track. We shall see.

Photo by Vivian Salama

Finally, a problem facing many of the Gulf sheikhdoms: succession. The country’s founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has been dead for 7 years now but his legacy undeniably lives on. The question is whether his sons, the current President Sheikh Khalifa and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed, can continue the vision he laid out for the country 40 years ago. Many experts I’ve spoken with believe that the vision of the two brothers has grown less cohesive, and the two have developed mini “kingdoms” – investing money in projects that are too different, both from each other and from that envisioned by their father.

The government is so private in nature (painfully so) that it’s always hard to know exactly what is going on behind the scenes. But given Dubai’s economic disaster and, more recently, Abu Dhabi’s problems, it raises a lot of questions as to who is calling the shots. The country enjoys making a splash, and it’s served them well, but if it genuinely wants to keep out of the spotlight during tougher times, it may want to adopt a more humbled approach over the next 40 years. (ie, no more $20 million hotel debut parties, ok?)

Dubai Atlantis Hotel Opening Show - December 2008

Good luck UAE. I am excited and eager to see what you have up your sleeve for the next 40 years!!

Egypt’s First Post-Mubarak Election….. hold on to your hats!

Good morning indeed for Egyptians heading to the polls today for the first time since the resignation of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. Voters headed to the polls today, anxious and uncertain, after a week of violence and tension that rattled the country and left more than 30 people dead.

So far folks around Cairo are reporting overall ease in the process. The neighborhoods of Nasr City/Heliopolis have gotten off to a rough start with votes at polling station number 300, for example, annulled because the presiding judge hadn’t arrived. Teething problems are to be expected. When I covered the parliamentary vote in 2005, the landscape was drastically different. Polling stations were closed and barricaded in neighborhoods where the then-ruling National Democratic Party didn’t have a stronghold. Voters were intimidated, and attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets in many constituencies. Areas where the Muslim Brotherhood was dominant were virtually sealed off. We hope times have changed. Thus far Egyptians are excited and optimistic and everyone I’ve spoken to is proud of how Egyptians have handled their new civil responsibility.

Click here for a great breakdown on today’s election written by my buddies Digby Lidstone and Mariam Fam.

Here are some photos I took during the very tumultuous 2005 election. (That, in my opinion, is when Egypt’s revolution REALLY began. The people were emboldened that year in a way they hadn’t been for years) Hard to believe it’s been 6 years!!!!

Photo by Vivian Salama

Photo by Vivian Salama

Photo by Vivian Salama

Yemen’s Saleh Signs GCC Agreement; Basindwa Named Interim Prime Minister

An eventful week for my friends in Yemen who have worked tirelessly this past year covering the Yemeni Spring. Just when we thought President Ali Abdullah Saleh would continue his song and dance to avoid signing an Arab Gulf-brokered agreement, he did so November 23 in Riyadh, the opposition by his side. Today, prominent opposition figure Mohammed Basindwa was named interim Prime Minister ahead of elections scheduled for February 21.

The first step now is for Saleh to stick to his promise, hand over power , and get-a-steppin. Yemen’s economy, which was already on the brink of collapse before the revolution kicked off, is paralyzed and the country cannot afford any further delays to the long and difficult road toward recovery. (The International Monetary Fund said last month that Yemen’s economy will shrink by 2.5% this year and by 0.5% in 2012)

From a security perspective, the breakdown of law and order has also given extremist groups ample breathing room to go about their business. The sooner a transition takes place — with the rather optimistic assumption that it goes smoothly — the sooner issues like the economy and security can be addressed.

For now, we wait and see whether Saleh will, indeed, take his final bow as he has vowed. Since it’s likely that Saleh makes very few moves without a nod of approval from Saudi Arabia and the US, it’s important that both countries continue exert pressure on him to expedite the transition and step down once and for all. GOOD LUCK, YEMEN!!

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING. GOODBYE.

RELATED ARTICLES I WROTE:

Al-Qaeda’s American Agent Said to Be Killed by U.S. Drone

Saleh Calls for Yemen Elections as Violence Against Protesters Intensifies

Yemen Shortages Worsen as Street Violence Leaves Locals Searching for Food

Yemen is “Collapsing” Amid Stalemate, Former Premier Nuaman Says

Iran Vows to Pursue Nuclear Program as Nations Eye New Sanctions

By Vivian Salama and Jonathan Tirone

Click here for original article

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran won’t withdraw “an iota” from its atomic program and dismissed a United Nations report showing the country continued working on nuclear weapons capability until at least last year.

“The nation of Iran won’t pull back an iota from its path and will continue,” Ahmadinejad said today in a speech broadcast on state television.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and European countries set the stage for further tensions with Tehran over its nuclear program, saying they will pursue additional economic sanctions.

If Iran fails to answer IAEA questions about its suspect nuclear activities, “we are ready to adopt, with the support of the international community, sanctions of an unprecedented scale,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in a statement.

Britain will press China and Russia to increase pressure on Iran, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague told lawmakers in the House of Commons in London today.

Those two countries have been obstacles to further sanctions through the UN Security Council. Russia will not support any new sanctions, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed Russian official. (more….)

HERE ARE TWO REPORTS I WROTE IN 2007 WHEN AHMEDINEJAD GRACED US IN NEW YORK:

Columbia Students and Iranian Academics Respond to Bolinger (Washington PostGlobal)

President Ahmadinejad Goes to Columbia (Newsweek/Daily Beast)