| | | | This Week in the Middle East | | |
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| | | Twenty years on from the Iraq War, water scarcity in the Middle East, and the start of Ramadan. Here's your round up of our coverage, written by Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Al Jazeera Digital's Middle East and North Africa editor. "I think things have gotten so bad inside Iraq … [that] my belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators." Those words were uttered by the former US vice president, Dick Cheney, on March 16, 2003. Three days later, President George W. Bush announced that a military operation had begun, with air attacks pummelling Baghdad. The next day, troops from the US-led coalition began crossing the border into Iraq, and the ground invasion had begun. Over the past week we've been looking at the events of the Iraq war, and its aftermath. What were the justifications for the war, and how do they stand up today? One of the intelligence dossiers used to build the case for a war turned out to have been plagiarised from a dissertation written by an Iraqi-American student. Now, an associate professor in California, Ibrahim al-Marashi recounts the experience, and how he was propelled "on a trajectory of fame and infamy". [WATCH: How the US invasion shaped Iraq | Start Here] |
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| | | | | | | A Region Thirsting for Water It's common knowledge that many parts of the Middle East and North Africa are arid. And yet I was still taken aback reading that seven out of the 10 most water-stressed nations in the world are in the region. In countries like Bahrain and Egypt, the usage of water far outstrips the supply from renewable sources. Richer countries in the region are able to survive on desalinated water, drawn from the sea and treated. But in poorer countries the amount of water stress means that aquifers are being drained, and will eventually run dry. |
| | | Ramadan and Nowruz In Iran, as well as Kurdish-speaking regions of Iraq, Turkey and Syria, millions of people celebrated Nowruz this week. It marks the Persian New Year, and the beginning of spring. Although a time for celebration and good food, many of those celebrating Nowruz are also now fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year begins today, Thursday. The iftar meal, which breaks the fast, is traditionally an opportunity to gather and share food, and yet, with inflation rising around the world, will Muslims have to cut back on some of the traditional staples? [WATCH: Workers in Mecca repair the Kaaba ahead of Ramadan] |
| | | And Now for Something Different The Amazigh people of North Africa have traditionally used collective granaries, built of what's called rammed earth. Known as an agadir, they're used to store food and even important documents. But in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya they're hard to find, having mostly disappeared. High up in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, though, many villagers are trying to keep the practice alive, and continue their "institution of solidarity". |
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| | | Looking to better understand one of the world's most misunderstood and complicated regions? Listen to Essential Middle East, with host Sami Zeidan - every Thursday. |
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