1st April 2012
The Embassy’s Communications manager, Rana Nejem came back from London last week after accompanying four journalists from Jordan and Palestine to London. The feedback she got from them was so positive, that it seemed the perfect theme for a guest blog: “I cannot say it is a dream come true because I never even dreamed this […]
25th March 2012
“… but not a drop to drink” said the old sailor adrift on the unforgiving ocean. There’s been plenty of water in Jordan in the last 3 months. Raindrops kept falling on our heads and we even had a weekend of snow in Amman. We should be happy because the dams are filling up. Maybe […]
12th March 2012
Unemployment has long been high on the agenda of governments all round the world. The biggest challenge is how country can make itself competitive and play to its strengths. Education has a key role in preparing young people for the jobs market. So how can schools and universities ensure that they are offering the courses and […]
27th February 2012
Many people will have seen the news of Wednesday’s EU-Jordan Task Force at the Dead Sea and will no doubt have been pleased by the announcement of €3 billion of financial aid. But what was this event really about? And why was it important? Understanding Europe’s unique mix of policies, legislation and diplomacy has never […]
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13th February 2012
The backbone of any democracy is an independent, professional and responsible media. Their role is to inform, criticise and stimulate debate. So how can the media be encouraged to step up to this vital role? One initiative launched a few years ago by the UK’s Thomson Foundation – and funded by the British Embassy – is […]
23rd January 2012
As has been widely reported, King Abdullah has succeeded in bringing Israeli and Palestinian negotiators together for the first time in 16 months. They have held three meetings in Amman choreographed by Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. Comments in the international press have seen a wide range of optimism, pessimism and cynicism. It’s easy to be pessimistic […]
5th January 2012
One of my favourite Beatles songs is “A Day in the Life” which includes a line: “A read the news today, oh boy! Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire”. The line made no sense, but for me, a boy from London, it put Blackburn on the map. And Blackburn was on the map in Amman […]
17th December 2011
It is a year since Mohamed Bouazizi doused himself in petrol and set fire to himself. He was protesting because he was unable to earn a living. At the time I was studying Arabic in London. I struggled to understand the Arabic words used in the news reports. But I wasn’t alone in failing to […]
31st October 2011
I attended a presentation on nuclear safety last week which discussed the prospects for nuclear energy in Jordan. The debate got a bit heated at times, demonstrating the strong feelings that the nuclear issue raises, not only in Jordan, but world-wide. The fact that the debate took place at all was good and it will […]
11th September 2011
Seeing off the group of young Jordanians who are going to the United Kingdom on scholarships is a time to celebrate the close links between Jordan and the UK when it comes to education. Britain is a place where many people want to study because of the high quality of its schools, colleges and universities. […]