Approved!

It wasn't without it's share of suspense, drama, foot-dragging, procrastination and the like, but finally my travel to the U.S. was approved. It all had to happen according to a very specific plan and along a very specific timeline, but as can be the case when you have both faith and determination, it appears that everything has worked out.  I spent a wonderful week seeing close friends and family and of course spending as much time as possible with my sweet sweet Amy.   It was so necessary to see all those lovely people and for them to see me.  My heart is now running on full and the next three and a half months don't seem like much of a chore at all.  So as I wait for my connecting flight to Riyadh, I finally have the opportunity to relate some things I noted.

When it finally became a reality that I was gonna get to go home (a whole 17 hours before I was supposed to fly), I thought there would probably be quite a few notable instances of reverse culture shock to pass along.  I thought that seeing women galavanting around freely and uncovered would blow me away and that the ability to order a pivo in public would be just too much for me to take.  The truth turned out to be that I couldn't have been more wrong.  What ended up being surprising was just how much those things weren't shocking at all-- not even a little.  I immediately recognized and understood everything as the way that it is everywhere else in the world.  Instead of being blown away by the freedoms of the world outside of Saudi due to my previous withdrawal, I just kind of noticed them and said to myself, "oh yea, that's what it's like", and casually carried on unaffected.  Reverse culture shock failed to have it's impact.  Other than not being blown away by anything particular, I did notice a few things that weren't "Oh my god, have I missed this" type deals but were more like "Gosh, this is nice".

Two things I noted that were really nice to experience in the States and specifically in my home state of Indiana were as follows:

         1) Tap Water.   It is delicious and free and I can drink absolutely as much of it as I like, with no ill affects, all the while improving the strength and density of my teeth.  Tap water in Saudi isn't all that dangerous, but it's extremely hard, doesn't taste right, and if you drink more than just enough  to wet your whistle you might not feel right for the next couple days-- bathroom wise. To have seemingly unlimited, fresh, and delicious water at my fingertips, not to mention for free at  restaurants and bars, was enough to fill my heart with nostalgia for the good old U.S. of A.  It also made me appreciate growing up somewhere that has easy access to fresh, clean water-- something 1 billion people in the world can't say.

          2.) The Weather.  More than just being happy to enjoy the sunshine and not hide from it, my experience in the great state of Indiana reminded me how much I love four distinct seasons.  Spring particularly-- doing it's springing-- made me realize not only that I hadn't been in the US during the season of love for quite some time, but that I hadn't been in Indiana in the spring in 9 years!  I was overwhelmed with memories taking me right back to my high school days of driving my truck and somehow avoiding prosecution amidst all our teenage antics.  Four seasons are such a luxury and spring, with it's returning sunshine, thunderstorms, smells and sounds, trails only autumn as my favorite of all. Yea, sometimes spring takes too long to come, winter can suck, and summer can be brutal as well, but the transitions and the good moments make it all worth it, to me at least. A lot of places don't ever get it so good.

So now, as I sit at the bar in the Abu Dhabi airport waiting for my connecting flight, I'll continue to ponder what it was about the States that was so nice.  I'll also consider all the things that were cause for worry or that inspired hope.  The ladder hopefully outweighing the former.  But we'll see.  Meanwhile, it's back to the desert.

Where to turn

With all that's going on in the world, it's sometimes difficult to know where to turn for an alternative to main stream media.  Even apart from Fox news- AKA the propaganda wing of the politically right- editorial bias, or at the very least limitations, become fairly obvious when comparing coverage by the major news providers with other international and independent news sources.  I've actually had a lot of fun with it.  Viewing the coverage of Libya by say the New York Times, comparing that with Fox News, Al-Jazeera, the BBC and then finally with the Asian Times, the Guardian, and Democracy Now has made glaring differences become obvious.  The big discrepancies range from omissions and quickly breezing over key details to fear-mongering and ratcheting up rhetoric-- all of which seeming to be for clearly political reasons.    The comparison, though, is valuable.  It allows the careful observer to discern for themselves not only what actually took place, but also how statements from official sources can be interpreted.   Which key players are nervous, playing the spin game, ignoring, denying, or taking the offensive helps to paint even more clearly a picture of government policy.  Further exploring independent news providers, not forever beholden to corporate control or advertising revenue, allows for a much wider swath for comparison.

It's not always easy to know where you can find truly independent news sources.  No news comes without at least some inherent bias, but here is a sampling of some stories and videos from authors and sites that I've been checking out to get an alternative view of events.  See what you think.

On Bahrain:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/201132982742988712.html

On Libya and key players and stakeholders in the Arab uprisings:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MD02Ak01.html*
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MC30Ak01.html

On the US Economy:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/20/debt-crisis-threatens-us-cities
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175375/tomgram:_lewis_lapham,_consuming_labor/

On the US labor struggle:
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/1/democrats_vow_to_seek_public_referendum

On American Governance*:
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/04/20114391843209245.html

On Cote d'Ivoire:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/110404/ivory-coast-gbagbo-ouattara

On Central America:
http://www.alternet.org/story/150474/obama's_drug_war_in_el_salvador?akid=6782.242536.EVVrwE&rd=1&t=24

On War Reporting:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-let-the-images-of-war-speak-for-themselves-2260019.html

On the Qu'ran burning:
http://www.salon.com/news/afghanistan/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2011/04/04/free_speech

On Israel/Palestine:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/fayyad-s-road-to-freedom-runs-over-israeli-law-1.353940


* One's I think are particularly sweet

Exercises in Maybe: Absolutism

"What do you mean?  Why don't you believe in the Truth?" a student asked a colleague of mine when she said she wasn't a Muslim.  You get that a lot here-- people confused by others not believing in what to them is clearly the Truth.  It's not specific to Islam.  Many Christians I've met feel the same way.  It's not hard to imagine those devoted to other faiths believing in the absolute truth of their religions either.  I think a lot of people though, myself included, have a hard time with this.  We find ourselves somewhat skeptical of "organized religions" and people who claim to know, without question, that the edicts passed down to them through holy scripture and religious leaders speak the infallible word of God or whatever higher power they happen to believe in.  I guess you'd call us agnostic, at least to some degree.  Many of us might consider ourselves to be spiritual.  We might even attend church services regularly, but I think that for the most part we kind of pick and choose the truths that we are most able to relate to.  We find our own truths in sermons and the allegory of religious texts, sometimes in more than one religion, and it might even be the areas where religions overlap and that enforce what we believe to define being a good person that we assign truth to.  We don't take every word passed down to us as being the unquestionable truth.  That's how I feel at least.  I have no problem with faith, or religion, or with houses of worship.  All can be beautiful ways to find peace and build community.  It's the absoluteness of religion and doctrine that I have a hard time with.  So let's try supposing I don't.

Without getting into the specifics of Islam, or any organized religion or ethos for that matter, it seems that most world religions are based on the teachings of one or a handful of enlightened individuals-- prophets let's say.  While there have been many, quite seemingly contradicting prophets, to suppose that there have been some folks that happened to be more tuned in than the rest of us isn't all too difficult.  The major monotheistic religions even share some of the same prophets like Moses and Jesus, and while assigning them different levels of importance, they still recognize the fact that these guys knew what was up.  So the idea that the teachings of individuals who were more in touch with the truth of our world, the human experience, and maybe even much beyond both into the realm of the metaphysical isn't too much of a stretch for me.  In the same vein, if we were inclined to believe in a singular God, a higher power, or an absolute truth, to suppose that that truth is accessible to us on Earth, or that that higher power has facilitated that access isn't too hard either.  That He/She/It could have spoken through individuals, and even later through subsequent individuals it seems, then, very well could have happened as well.  And if your willing to make even the smallest leap of faith, why not?

Then there are the acts that people take in the name of their religion fueled by the fact they consider it to be the absolute truth.  I'm gonna leave out the actions of countries and armies as it is my belief that religion is often used as justification for the very earthly aim of conquering lands and peoples, but the actions of individuals can definitely be attributed to absolutist ideals.  Converting others is something many people have undertaken in the name of the truth of their beliefs.  Again, supposing that what they believe just so happens to be the truth, it's not hard to understand wanting to share that with others, especially if the recipient's eternal soul is on the line.  I mean, geez, we should only be so lucky to be converted if that's the case.* The acts of murder and suicide on the part of true believers though, are just too hard for this particular blogger to try to understand, no matter how much of a leap I try to make.  But suffice it to say that if they can be justified by some higher truth, maybe I don't want to be privy to it.

The hardest thing for me to suppose might be true is the idea that the messages of enlightened ones and prophets haven't been distorted and have been passed on, ruled upon, and interpreted correctly and in line with that same absolute truth by so many people down the line in the course of human history.   At least part of human nature it seems is to wield power to one's own ends, and the power that would come with deciding how the reported teachings of probably the most influential people in history will be interpreted and passed on seems to be too tempting a possibility for the wickedly inclined to pass up.  It's very possible that the reason the world's major religions are such powerful things is because they express some absolute truth, but the idea that people at some point with the influence to do so haven't distorted that power in their own interest remains to be my biggest objection to the absolutism of religion.  The fact that there have been so many disagreements that so often have resulted in sectarianism and violence only furthers this reservation.

Still, at the end of the day there is a reason they call it 'faith' and not 'knowledge'.  The leap of faith may come in believing that God or whom or whatever is facilitating the dissemination of truth has done so through so many people and generations, and that that truth has remained intact and pure ever since the prophets bestowed it upon the world.  It may also come in believing enough to pass it on to others or to take the very biggest leap by putting yours or someone else's life on the line.  But it's not a leap that's easy to make, for me, all things considered, especially when people are hurt or subjugated as a result. I'll take comfort in the fact though, that I can't blame people, not for the desire for truth, not for believing it's been given to them, and not for wanting to give it to others.  I'll, however, continue to find it on my own, and hope that the truth that others find can be more along the lines of peace and togetherness as opposed to conflict and separation.


* An idea I've heard a lot here is that of "Reverting" as opposed to "Converting".  It supposes that everyone is in fact born a Muslim, so if you go from being a non-Muslim to being one, you are actually coming back to your true religion.  

Assorted

Four months in the desert allows a lot of time for reflection.  And while I'm not exactly living in a tent wedged between a couple of sand dunes, it sometimes feel like I am.  Here are some things I've noted recently when looking back on my time here, my blog, and when looking forward.

Four months is not that long of a time.  It flew right on by.  It really is true that the older you get, the quicker time passes.  I mean it makes sense mathematically-- a year is a much smaller percentage of my life than it was even 10 years ago-- but there's something else to it too.  The more you've lived the more you understand that no matter what, the time will pass.  You obsess much less about the future, about not being able to wait for certain things.  You live much more in the present and as such, it's always fleeting.  Now maybe there are fewer landmark moments to look forward to, or it's more understood that those will come when they do and there's no use driving yourself crazy waiting.  But for me at least, I'm much more comfortable with the present, and it's making time fly.

I've had the thought more than once that I'm right where I should be.  It's a really good feeling.  Don't get me wrong; I miss my friends and loved ones like crazy, but they understand, as do I, that my time here is about opening my eyes, and open they have.  I hope it's not too selfish a process though.

I've noticed how my blog has changed a lot in nature.  It's gone from being more about personal experience to about my thoughts on regional politics.  I hope this hasn't turned too many off, but at the same time I could never apologize for writing about what's on my mind.  And considering the amount of Al Jazeera I watch and the lasting impact the unprecedented events of the last few months in the Arab world will continue to have, it should come as no surprise.  Plus, I love this stuff.  More personal posts are good for me as well though, and I'd like to rededicate myself to more reflection, observation and things specific to my experience here.  But we'll see.

I've also noticed that a lot of things I've written aren't entirely accurate when I've gone back and reread my posts.  Sometimes almost immediately after posting, I'll have a conversation or learn something that makes me realize what I wrote about a certain topic isn't exactly true.  For the most part though, I've decided to leave it how it is.  I think those things say a lot about my impressions and my experience at the time which just so happen to be the only things I've ever claimed to relay.  Also, I wouldn't have realized that those things weren't true unless I had written them.  The act of writing, or speaking for that matter, gives one the opportunity to reflect on the words you put together.  You're able to hear or read the words and then compare it to the feelings you're trying to describe as well as the reality they relate to.  It's a way of creating and facilitating a dialogue, even if it's only with yourself, and it's from dialogue that the best questions come and some bit of truth can be ascertained.  Therefore, saying something, saying anything is such a worthwhile process, and the fact that afterwards you happen to find things you don't agree with or that aren't accurate only helps to prove this point instead of the opposite.

Along these same lines though, it would be fun to conduct some actual research for some of the pieces I write.  So many of them have very little other than my personal thoughts and feelings based on my limited experience.  Expanding that experience through more deliberate conversation, interview, formal research, and travel would only stand to improve my writing, at the risk of people assuming it to be more objective.  Being in Saudi Arabia, on a visitor's visa to work and teach, and with none of the protections afforded to international media in the middle of a regional political crisis might not be the best situation to start playing journalist though.

I've been able to accomplish some of the goals I set out for myself as far as personal development and self-improvement are concerned.  My struggles with some of them though, like learning Arabic and starting to floss, have highlighted two things I find to be true:  1) It's always best to take on one new hobby, activity, desired habit at a time.  Trying to do them all at once is a recipe for at least partial failure. 2) It's much easier to quit something than it is to start.  When all you gotta do is nothing in order to feel like you've done something good, it's much easier to accomplish.

Most of the novelty of this place has worn off.   I'm much more rarely surprised and unfortunately, most things I encounter seem to reinforce ideas that I've already developed as opposed to creating new ones.  It's also easy to be cynical.  My hope is that surprise will come when those generalizations are dispelled and I can again be confronted with the idea that things aren't always what you think.  I'm still excited about being here though.  It's still an education.

A Different Model

The wave of protests in the region continues to grow in strength and scope.  Just look at a map and it's obvious that an idea is a powerful thing.*  Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa have had that idea reinforced by the successful ousting of governments in Tunisia and Egypt; things very recently thought to be impossible.  Yemenis, Bahrainis and now even Syrians are wielding the power their very existence endows them with-- the power of numbers.  Only time will tell how far the wave will spread; how powerful it will become.  The model that the countries in the Middle East have created is compelling.  They've shown that people can come together, forget about sectarian, political, and religious divisions and focus on the issues that unite them:  unemployment, rising prices, ending corruption, being sick and tired.  The model itself is powerful.  It makes you wonder who outside the Arab world will take notice and be inspired; who will start to take to the street; which countries' governments will be forced to feel the pressure of their populations.  I think most people are looking at countries dominated by authoritarian regimes, but the model doesn't restrict itself to dictatorships.  The power of mass protest can be wielded anywhere, and what I'm really wondering is if and when, in the face of such trying economic times, Americans will start to take notice.

We have a history of mass protests-- labor riots, anti-war movements, the struggle for civil rights-- but it's something we don't really do anymore.  The attack on the collective bargaining rights of public sector workers in the Mid-West and many other states has offered an opportunity for people to come out and be heard, and the public's reaction has been noteworthy.  It's effectiveness is yet to be seen though, and after all, a hundred thousand isn't a million.  So what would it take to get people coming out in the millions, demanding that their voices be heard?  What would it take to unite Americans so seemingly divided by so many issues accentuated and exasperated by the so-called "news" media?  What would it take to change the way things are done in America?  Aren't the elements short of authoritarianism that were and are present in the Arab states experiencing mass demonstrations present in the U.S. right now:  unemployment, rising prices, a widening of the gap between the rich and poor, cronyism, slashing public services, a disappearing middle class?  Shouldn't Americans be sick and tired?   

So why are so few coming out against policies that are sure to pass the burden of an economic recession caused by the unregulated, irresponsible behavior of financial institutions --who have since been bailed out with tax payers' dollars-- on to America's poor and middle class?  Why are so few outraged that city and state budgets that pay for things like education, transportation, libraries, garbage collection, and healthcare are being gorged in a year that saw record earnings for huge corporations and the number of billionaires continue to increase?  To me at least, it seems like there are two major, mutually reinforcing factors:  a lack of reliable information, and partisanship. 

People aren't informed of the impact of policy-makers decisions on their lives, and they're not aware of what feeds into those decisions.  It's not as though economic policy is simple to understand. Nor are the secretive processes of lobbying and campaign finance that feed so much into what our elected officials decide to do once in office.  So a big problem becomes with what and where do people come out to voice their discontent .  So much is done that effectively confuses the issues and thereby the public at large who might, if properly informed, be incensed enough to participate in protests and demonstrations.  This is as much a product of the capacity of ordinary Americans to understand complex issues as it is their willingness, but nevertheless, where and from whom could willing people get reliable, non-partisan information is still yet to become obvious.

People also take at face-value the words of the politicians and news media that supposedly represent them.  Americans are so effectively divided by things that have no bearing on their lives as individuals and are so convinced which side they're on that the idea that they actually have more in common with people on the other side of partisan lines in the face of of such trying economic times fails to reach them.  Buzzwords like 'terrorism', 'socialism', 'patriotism', and 'fascism' are thrown around like Molotov cocktails inciting people and stoking the flame of  'us vs. them'.  Meanwhile we're made to believe that the place to fight these battles is at the ballot box where the leaders on either side represent the will of their constituents.  If anything was needed to dispel this notion it has so far been the presidency of Barrack Obama, who has failed to live up to the expectations of change that his supporters fervently projected onto his, in hindsight, actually quite limited campaign  promises.  What we can learn from this failure is that either the current system is so entrenched in the political process that the hands of those who might champion the rights of the many over those of the few are effectively tied, or that those people just simply don't exist in government.

We as a population have a responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable.  We as Americans have the additional responsibility to the rest of the world of keeping in check a government whose decisions have such far-reaching and dramatic implications.  It doesn't seem to me that these responsibilities are possible to uphold at the ballot box.  Seemingly then, the only method left is in the streets.  It's my hope that poor, disaffected and unrepresented Americans on both sides of the partisan divide will look upon what's happening in the Arab world with envy and will find inspiration in it.  Obama has shown that he's amenable to the demands of the populations of countries in the region-- even if not all of them.  So maybe he'd be more likely than most to implement policies that people demanded if the chains that bind him could be shaken loose by popular will.  There still remains the question of what people should demand.  Simply being upset isn't enough to get things done.  It's easy for people under authoritarian regimes to cohesively demand something: an end to authoritarianism.  But until there can be some unity in that regard in this country and with the population in general in the midst of complex issues, it's my fear that any popular will, even when voiced on election day, won't have any positive effect on the lives of so many troubled Americans.  So maybe it's time we implement a different model.

* a comprehensive interactive map of the uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa 

    http://www.slate.com/id/2288928/?from=rss

The Language

Any learner of the Arabic language must first decide which Arabic it is they want to learn.  While some form of colloquial (spoken) Arabic is the first language of over 280 million people mainly across the Middle East and North Africa, many of these dialects are not mutually intelligible.  In addition to the spoken forms, Modern Standard Arabic, based on Classical (Quranic) Arabic, is widely used in schools, universities, workplaces, government and the media throughout the Arab world.  So naturally you have to ask yourself: Which form of Arabic do I want to learn?  Do I learn some form of Gulf, North African, or Mediterranean Arabic?  Where do I want to travel, work, or spend the most time?  Should I learn Modern Standard Arabic so that I can engage in intellectual, political, or philosophical conversations with educated people across the region?  Should I learn a spoken form so that I can interact with people on the street?  Which is the most widely understood colloquial form? Is it possible to formally study a colloquial language?  How do I want to be identified when I open my mouth?  The task can seem quite daunting, and has deterred many a potential learner of the language, myself included.

In my experience so far, I've been picking up mostly what I can of Najdi Arabic-- the colloquial form spoken in the central region of Saudi Arabia called Najd.  Originally I thought that learning Modern Standard would be the best, since it's used across the region and because I'm often want to engage in political and philosophical conversations (not that that's obvious to you all), but in the process of developing even the most basic vocabulary, I quickly ran into a problem.  No one I actually spoke with outside of an academic environment could understand what the heck I was saying.  Cab drivers, shop keepers, and even my students all looked at me pretty quizzically and kind of shaking me off would correct me with colloquial words and phrases.  My first crisis of the Arabic language had occurred.  So now, having decided that in my present situation learning the local spoken dialect would be best, I was immediately confronted with my next crises:  Well what happens when I travel?;  How well will I be understood?; and Do I really want to be identified by my Saudi dialect?  I felt like I was back at square one.

I can now say though, that it seems the best course of action is to learn a colloquial dialect, especially if you plan on living and working in the region.  It will be the easiest to pick up through interactions and the best to converse with.  Once some level of fluency in that spoken form is reached, I get the impression that differences, especially between dialects that are close geographically to each other, can be picked up more easily and mutual intelligibility isn't as difficult.  You will be identified by the words you use and your accent, but this seems to be unavoidable and unfortunately would mean that people wherever I'd go in the Arab world would know I'd spent time in Saudi and assume I've got money.  Modern Standard Arabic seems to only be useful if you plan on being highly involved in academia or government, and while it is the language of mass, pan-Arab media and literature, I don't get the impression that it would take you very far on the street.   You would be bound to run into somebody who speaks it, but for the most part people would assume that you've studied Islam extensively since it's based on the language of the Qur'an.  If you're not planning on living and/or working in a specific part of the Arab world, I've been told that Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood spoken form, thanks to the popularity of Egyptian movies and television programs, and would take you the furthest while travelling.  

Regardless of which dialect of Arabic one decides to learn, the language on the whole seems to have some unique qualities.  The thing that I've found to be the most interesting is how someone fluent in both Arabic and another language will transition back and forth between the two seamlessly and without giving it any thought, sometimes in mid-sentence.  It's crazy to be sitting next to someone conversing entirely in Arabic when they'll suddenly say "about 20 kilometers give or take" and then continue again in Arabic.  The same goes for someone speaking English interjecting Arabic into the conversation based seemingly on which language is best suited to express their sentiment.  It's cool, and while a lot of the words and phrases from Arabic that are used frequently by speakers of other languages (like "inshallah") have religious connotations, the fact that people switch back and forth so frequently raises interesting questions about different languages' ability to express different feelings and ideas.  Which things are better said in one language?  Which in the other? It seems like it would be nice to have more options.

Words after all, are the building blocks of our thoughts. So the language your given shapes the thoughts you can make. Learning another language gives you the opportunity to experience a different way of thinking.  It allows you to think using a different set of tools-- someone else's set.  In addition to offering rare insight into how other people think, it also gives you the opportunity to use more of your brain. Studies done on multilingualism's effect on the brain have shown that multilingual people have a higher proficiency in cognitive function and are less likely to develop age-related mental diminishment.  The additional acts of learning new alphabets and systems of writing can only mean more mental exercise with more benefit to the brain.

For right now though, I'll take delight in the cultural understanding and experience that my own adventure with Arabic and other languages allows for, and let the other stuff take care of itself.  But still, it's pretty cool to think about.  

This Week in Arabia

So not much came of the last weekend's Day of Rage.  On Thursday night, 3 Shiite men were shot during protests of a couple hundred people in the Eastern Province.  The official statement said the officers were returning fire and the men's injuries were not life threatening.   But on Friday, the day which coordinated protests were called for in cities across Saudi Arabia including Riyadh and Jeddah, everything was sufficiently locked down and the day passed without incident.  There were police and security personnel checking identification and searching cars in key positions in towns all over the country.  They were set up outside of mosques in the Olaya district of Riyadh when midday prayers let out-- the place and time set for demonstrations on social media sites including facebook.  My students complained about the police being everywhere and stopping people, but they seemed more annoyed at the inconvenience than outraged at the violation of their "universal right" to peaceful demonstration.

Demonstrations and clashes with security forces in Yemen are continuing to increase in scale and violence.  Yemen has seen scores of people killed and many more injured over the last four weeks.  Promises of reform are being seen as too little, too late.  The situation is growing less and less tenable for President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and considering all the talk in recent years of Yemen being a breeding ground for Al Qaeda, more concerning to the U.S. and its allies.

Protests have taken place in Syria, surprising many observers.  And in the West Bank and Gaza, tens of thousands gathered to show solidarity in the normally politically divided occupied territories.

The Sunni royal family in Bahrain must have been impressed with the how the Saudis handled their calls for protest, because they've enlisted the help of the Saudi military as well as that of other Gulf Cooperation Council countries to help "protect"  its citizenry.  One thousand Saudi troops as well as over 500 Emirati police were seen crossing into Bahrain on Monday.  The situation there has continued to progress in scale and violence as well, something which is extremely worrying to the house of Saud, whose own Shia population just across the causeway have been the only within the Kingdom to conduct demonstrations.  The U.S. is in a tough position as a close ally of both KSA and Bahrain, and the injection of Saudi military forces has come as an unwelcome surprise to the Whitehouse.  The State Department had been calling on the Bahraini ruling family to seek resolution through political means, so Saudis sending in troops demonstrates just how divided Washington and Riyadh are in terms of their reactions to the region's unrest.  So far all that has come out of Washington officially are calls for "restraint by all parties" but it is clear that the situation is tense.  Yesterday, emergency law was declared and an intensive campaign to uproot the demonstrators has already begun.  

It's pretty crazy being right smack dab in the middle of all of this.  Not only to be in the middle of the Middle East during this historic period, but also to be in Saudi, which is itself bordering 7 countries that have experienced unrest ranging from peaceful demonstration to popular uprising.  The royal family has to be feeling the same.  Still though, it does seem like an island unto itself, like a place properly equipped to weather the storm for the time being.  I'm sure this fact is welcomed by those concerned for friends and family living in Saudi (like me!).  But while you've always got to be careful what you wish for, and while it's nice to be in a place that is relatively secure where I can generate dialog with a number of Arabs, Muslims, and Westerners with a tremendous amount of interest in the region, I am honestly a little disappointed.  I would like to be experiencing a little more history first hand-- and not just so my blog gets more interesting.   I would like to engage the local population.  I'd like to know to what extent the local population is engaged.  I'd like to witness real democracy.  In the meantime though, I'm safe, secure, and sitting perfectly comfortably in the eye of the storm, with a front row seat.