NM's blog

The essence of a nation is that all individuals have many things in common, and also that they have forgotten many things The original text: L'essence d'une nation est que tous les individus aient beaucoup de choses en commun, et aussi que tous aient oublié bien des choses. —Ernest Renan French philosopher and historian Ernest Renan in  his famous 1882 Sorbonne lecture,  Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?  (What is a Nation?),

“ How can one of the most resource-rich countries on earth remain trapped in poverty, instability, and hunger? “Too often, the focus falls exclusively on local militias, corruption, or insecurity, while much less attention is paid to the broader economic system that profits from Congolese resources.” I sent a comment to the editor. There is a crucial factor missing. Were  there classes after for al independence. If the structures of powers largely remained, what was/were the social/class(es) that perpetuated those power structures? Why did the nationalisations (not mentioned once in the article) of the 1960d and 1970s fail?  Related “The central question at stake here may be posed like this: why have the processes of accumulation failed to produce a consolidation of capital, an economically powerful ruling class and sustained patterns of national investment? The standard explanations—low demographic pressure, reliance on primary commodities, deterioration in the terms of trad...

What was Iraq before 2003? Related Arguing that Iraq experienced a half-century of democratic rule before Saddam Hussein rests primarily on the political framework established under the  Kingdom of Iraq   from 1921 to 1958. During this era, the nation operated under a constitutional monarchy featuring an elected legislature and a relatively free press, laying the groundwork for multiparty political competition.  [1, 2]  The basis for this argument relies on several key historical and political elements: Constitutional Framework:  The Iraqi Constitution of 1925 established Iraq as a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature, consisting of an appointed Senate and an elected House of Representatives.  [3]  Multiparty Elections:  Between 1925 and the fall of the monarchy in 1958, Iraq held ten general parliamentary elections. These elections facilitated a multi-party system with competing factions, political parties, and independe...

Question to Google AI: Why do Desert Warrior characters speak English in the movie although Saudi Arabia has heavily funded it? Is that the alternative SA is proposing? Is it not mainly a drive and an attempt to rival Egypt that has produced so many history dramas and movies in Arabic? The choice to film  Desert Warrior  in English—despite its heavy Saudi funding—is not an "alternative"  Saudi Arabia  is proposing to Arabic cinema, but a  deliberate Trojan Horse strategy to break into the global mainstream .  [1, 2]  Your observation about the regional rivalry is spot on. For decades,  Egypt  has been the undisputed "Hollywood of the Middle East," holding an absolute monopoly on Arabic-language historical epics and pop culture. Saudi Arabia's decision to bypass the Arabic language entirely with its flagship movie is a direct attempt to leapfrog  Egypt's  domestic dominance by playing on a completely different, global chessboard. ...