Category Archives: Blog

If you visit the Sufi-inspired city of Fatehpur Sikri, the short-lived capital of the Mughal empire between 1571 and 1585, take some time to marvel at the intricate designs carved into the abandoned city’s red sandstone pavilions and palaces. When the English traveller Ralph Fitch visited Fatehpur Sikri in 1585, he noted that the city was “considerably larger than London and more populous.”

Before the revolution, Iran was in the hands of the United States, its vital resources were in the hands of the United States, its political decision-making centers were in the hands of the United States, decisions to appoint and depose its vital centers were in the hands of the United States, and [the country] was like a field for the United States, the U.S. military, and others on which to graze. Well, this was taken away from them.

— Ayatollah Khamenei

A new article in The Atlantic explains why Ayatollah Khamenei doesn’t oppose a “good” nuclear deal, and how such a deal would sustain Iran’s independence from Western demands and fulfill the ideals of the Iranian revolution.

It was a joy today to host this stimulating talk by my friend & colleague Kasper at the American University of Beirut…

Several years ago, I received a scholarship to study Russian literature at St. Petersburg State University–and re-connect with my Slavic roots. Inspired by the Russian literature I was reading in class, I decided to make a pilgrimage to the grave of Fyodor Dostoyevsky at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. Reading Dostoyevsky next to his tombstone made for a lovely literary field-trip. Unfortunately, over the years, American interest in Russian literature has waned. A new article in Foreign Policy this week asks: Is Russian Literature Dead?

How do I like to start off my mornings in Beirut? In the company of friends, pancakes, sunshine, and one wise little chihuahua…

The Columbia Black Law Students Association & the Columbia Journal of Race and Law in conjunction with
the Center for the Study of Law and Culture present:

The 2015 Paul Robeson Conference: “FROM PROTESTS TO POLITICS” – THEN AND NOW

Friday, April 10th & Saturday, April 11th
Columbia Law School
Jerome Greene Hall
435 W 116th St
New York, NY 10027

The 21st century has seen a series of powerful protests that have garnered international attention: the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, and, of course, Ferguson. In light of these developments, the 2015 Paul Robeson Conference will seek to honor the 50th anniversary of Bayard Rustin’s seminal work, “From Protest to Politics: The Future of the Civil Rights Movement,” and analyze its ideas about the relationship between grassroots protests and sociopolitical change in light of the current civil rights landscape in several different arenas. The Conference will begin on Friday, April 10, with an opening roundtable and continue on Saturday, April 11 all day. A light breakfast and refreshments throughout the day will be provided on Saturday.

Yesterday marked the Feast of the Annunciation–which is a national holiday in Lebanon. In 2010, the government designated March 25th as a national “Christian-Muslim Day” to honor the centrality of Mary in both Christianity and Islam. On Wednesday, I spent the holiday exploring the massive Crusader castle, beautiful churches, and delicious cuisine of Byblos with friends. For lunch, my friends and I feasted on mouthwatering mezze at Locanda a la Granda–named by the New York Times as the best restaurant in town. It was a beautiful day to be on the road exploring Lebanon’s Christian history. Last night in Beirut, the archbishop of Lyon, Card Philippe Barbarin, and the rector of the Mosque of Lyon, Kamel Kabtane, took part in an interfaith ceremony in the chapel of Notre Dame de Jamhour, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

Bosnia Rising: Film Screening & Panel Discussion with Vanessa Redgrave
Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 6:00 pm
Columbia University
1501 International Affairs Building
420 W 118th St.

Next week, Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave will be speaking on a panel at Columbia University with Damir Arsenijevic, Fred Harrison, Jasmin Mujnovic and Carlo Nero about Bosnia Rising–a new film centered on the February 2014 protests in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Redgrave, who produced the film, first came to Bosnia with Harvey Keitel for UNICEF in 1993, and many times more during the siege of Sarajevo and after the Dayton Agreement. She was also in Belgrade, in refugee camps in Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and many times in Kosovo, before and after the Liberation. Carlo Nero made a documentary in 1995 of the concert/conference Vanessa produced in New York, hoping to communicate the need to stop the siege and send funds for UNICEF to provide computers for a school in Sarajevo. To register for this upcoming event on Bosnia, please click here.

I was pleasantly surprised to spot this icon from my childhood on my walk to buy groceries in Beirut…

Music and Dance from Myanmar, Shwe Man Thabin Zat Pwe
Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 – 8:00 PM
Asia Society
725 Park Ave. (at 70th St.)

One of Myanmar’s most revered traditional performing arts troupes, Shwe Man Thabin makes its New York premiere with an 18-member company of musicians and dancers. Performing Zat Pwe — the traditional Burmese performance form that combines elements of music, dance, and theater into a unique variety extravaganza. A highly stylized form, Zat Pwe typically takes the form of an all-night cabaret, and is a highly popular part of village pagoda celebrations, featuring dancers, comedians, clowns, acrobats, and puppeteers, all accompanied by a live percussion and gong ensemble known as the Hsaing Wang. Percussive, melodic, and dizzyingly fast, Myanmar music has its own nearly manic timing which offers the listener an exhilarating tease, defying expectations of symmetry or steady tempo. The music is accompanied by dancers elaborately decked out with flowered headdresses, pearl chokers, floral garlands, and long pink skirts with gleaming threads. The dance, with precisely angled limbs, elegantly smooth at times and wildly acrobatic at others, imitates the movements of a marionette or can be just plain slapstick. The Shwe Man Thabin troupe promises to offer an enticing glimpse into the heritage of one of the world’s most vibrant and exciting cultures. This is a rare glimpse into an extraordinary art form, which remains little known outside its native land.

Both performances will be preceded at 7:00 pm by a pre-performance lecture. A music and dance workshop will take place on Sunday, April 12 at 11:00 am. For tickets please click here. Can’t make it to this program? Tune in to AsiaSociety.org/Live on Saturday, April 11 at 8:00 pm New York time for a free live video webcast.