Qahwa Sada, a New Blog Edited by Marc Lynch

Qahwa Sada (which means coffee with no milk or sugar) is a new blog edited by Marc Lynch. Marc who blogs at Abuaardvark is a professor and a keen observer of the Arab media and public opinion, and his blog (and books) are great sources. His new project Qahwa Sada will publish the work of other Middle East Especialists, and so far looks great.

Some of the big names (bloggers) in the field have embraced it, including Juan Cole and others. But there support from Martin Kramer as well, a pro-Israeli former professor af Tel Aviv University for 25 years and senior fellow at Shalem Center in Israel. He is notorious for his pro-Israel and neo-conservative stands and his support for Daniel Pipe's Campus Watch, which bullied pro-Palestine/Arab academics in the US. I hope Qahwa Sada will not be another forum for such "experts" with what might be described as "anti Arab/Muslim" tendencies.

But I'm certain Marc Lynch will strive to present a scholarly and sensible look at the Middle East as he is known for, so link to Qahwa Sada and drop your comments there. Here is an excerpt of Qahwa Sada's mission statement:

First, it will post original medium-length essays on interesting things happening in the Arab or Islamic world. Second, it will organize on-line symposiums about new books in the field, with the authors taking part (for models, see The Valve and the TPM Cafe's Book Club). Third, it will host roundtable discussions centered upon either an article published elsewhere or else a question posed by the editor. Finally, I'll reprint appropriate contributions published elsewhere.

Finally, I hope the blog will seek the contribution of writers from the region, and while concentrating on the Arab world (and it's many problems), run more posts on Iran. Translating original works from Arabic to English will also be a great addition.

Technocrati Tags: Middle East, Blogging