Category: The Middle East

February 29, 2024 Middle east, The Middle East, Uncategorized Post a Comment

Let’s Get Personal With the Middle East

The Middle East is always in the news. The news is overwhelming. It’s always terrible. It can’t get any worse (actually, it can).  The Middle East noise drowns out any attachment to those who live in the Middle East. For those of us in the West it’s just too much, and it’s not personal.

But if we want to understand the place and its people, we must get personal.

I’ve tried to help us do this in my writing. Our family memoir, Faith in Crisis, tells of my time as a hostage in Kuwait when the Iraqis invaded.

The memoir is followed by five novels. The Kuwait Trilogy is comprised by Kuwaiti Seeker, which tells the story of Yacob and his spiritual quest, Hot Spot, which relates the tale of Yacob’s son and his time as a prisoner in Iran, and Prince of the Sand, a fanciful story about the family’s triumph over the Gulf countries.

My fourth novel, Spiritual Passage in Arabia, relates the personal exploration of Pliny Oslander, who was the son of Christian missionaries in Kuwait.  Revolt Against God tells of his son Jabr as he rebels against God. Jabr loses. God wins.

I hope these books will help you, the reader, in seeing the Middle East personally. That’s the only way we’ll ever understand it.

These books are available on my website:

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January 27, 2023 Middle east, The Middle East, Uncategorized Post a Comment

Israel Moves Right – Palestine Loses

The recent election of Netanyahu and the near fascist government he has allowed marks Israel’s most hard line administration in their history. In addition to his corruption charges, Netanyahu now associates with the likes of the strict Zionist Ben-Gvir who runs the security force and Smotich who openly opposes Palestinian statehood.The number of Palestinian casualties at the hands of Israelis is at its highest level.

All this occurs with Biden and US support. And with Saudi Arabia saying they support Israel, the US can do nothing but follow along. The main political objective is united opposition to Iran.

We might get the idea that Jews are in the great majority. They aren’t. There are 6.8 million Jews and 6.8 million Palestinians in the land.

The two-state solution is still the term used by all as the ideal. But this is clearly a sham. The term is a mockery. The words live only in the abstract.

May 11, 2022 Middle east, The Middle East, Uncategorized Post a Comment

New Book: Revolt Against God

Go to www.allfaithsoil.com and consider ordering Revolt Against God. The novel tells the story of Jabr, a Brit raised in Kuwait by a missionary family. He revolts against the Scriptural teaching of his childhood and sets out to make money from the recent discovery of oil. His schemes fail and he ends up in debt he can’t repay. His hopes disappear. But through his trials and near death, he reaches back to the God of his childhood.

April 6, 2022 Middle east, The Middle East, Uncategorized Post a Comment

Wars in Ukraine, Yemen, and Syria

The Russian attacks on Ukraine are terrible. But I must ask the question. Why the extensive reporting on Ukraine but little or nothing on the continuing conflicts in Yemen and Syria?

First, Yemen. The war in Yemen persists between the Houthi tribes and the Hadi government, the latter backed by the Saudis and the US. The UN estimates the death toll of the war at 377,000, of which 70% are children. I’ve made many visits to Yemen: the cities, the mountain villages, the hospitals. Even before the war, I saw little babies with severe malnutrition, unimmunized and vulnerable. They were a setup for these numbers. I still communicate with a friend there.

Next Syria. By UN estimates the death toll of the 10-year war is 350,000-500,000. The chief malefactors are the Assad administrations and the Russians. I’ve not been to Syria, which was in a stronger economic echelon than Yemen, but I get the idea.

Now Ukraine. I’ve been to Ukraine twice. The first time was a medical mission trip to the southern part of the country. I saw the Potemkin Steps in Odessa, had drinks with friends in a little town on the Black Sea, and did neurology consults in a little clinic. On the second occasion, I visited Kyiv in 2013, just before the civil unrest that resulted in the ouster of the pro-Russian President Yanukovych. I was there to give a series of lectures on stem cells. The highlight was a visit to the old opera house and the wonderful Ukrainian opera, Natalka Poltavka. The US news has presented day-after-day of shocking reports of the Russian invasion. The numbers of Ukrainians killed in the invasion is still unknown. Will the numbers rival those from Yemen and Syria?

I must ask the question. Why the difference in the amount of reporting about each of these tragic conflicts? We see Ukraine daily. Yemen and Syria continue as back page news. The fact is that all three wars are appalling. Do you think our differences in reporting the news of each has anything to do with the skin color?

September 9, 2021 Middle east, The Middle East, Uncategorized Post a Comment

We Should Thank President Trump for Our Exit from Afghanistan

We owe former President Trump a lot for getting us out of Afghanistan. The Biden administration should thank him for his wisdom. In February 2020 President Trump negotiated only with the Taliban and ignored the legitimate government of Afghanistan. He knew who was in charge.

He agreed to complete agreement with Taliban requests including the reduction of US troop levels by the dates required by the Taliban. He agreed to withdrawal of US forces from US bases.

President Trump delayed the further withdrawal from the country of those Afghans who had assisted the US.

President Biden delayed our troop withdrawal but finally com0plied with the Trump agreement.

December 2, 2016 Middle east, The Middle East, Uncategorized Post a Comment

What’s Needed for the Middle East?

The puzzle of the Middle East persists after centuries.  Peace continues elusive. How ironic that the birth place of Western religion should persist at war!

Other than the return of the Prince of Peace, what’s needed?

As Americans, we might say the need is democracy. I think the first requirement is justice. But what constitutes justice in such complex situations? Even the definitions of justice vary. One must be specific for each instance, and the ramifications of various solutions may have unintended consequences. And how can the various solutions be implemented? Is there any role for the US, which, of necessity, pursues its own national interest?

I will begin next week with analysis of the need/role for justice in the little Gulf state of Kuwait, the country with which I am most familiar. Even in Kuwait, it’s complicated.

At some point I’ll get around to the matter of occupied Palestine, but I’m not ready for that yet.

September 27, 2016 The Middle East Post a Comment

Persian Carpets Are Coming!

Certainly most are grateful for the new political agreement between Iran and the rest of the world, in regard to their procurement of nuclear weapons.

But there are other benefits! Persian carpets. Before the agreement, trade in such items was prohibited. But now, as a sign of the new detente, US citizens are free to trade in the product.

I have acquired new knowledge in the skill of Persian carpet assessment: the quality of the wool, knot count, the character and symmetry of the design, distinctness of the design, and visibility of the design on the back of the carpet.

My sons own a flooring business (Dalton Direct Flooring of Augusta), and I’m trying to convince them of the wisdom of sending me to Iran on a buying trip. I’m sure this investment will open up new markets for them.

And I am anxious to see the the great country of Iran. Over the years, I’ve had many friends from Persia, friends with divergent beliefs.  Iran, from what I’ve read, is an amazing country with great diversity, much more than the US news reveals. And now here’s my excuse to go.

Persian carpets for sale!

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