Jordan | GlobalPost

Making head scarves make history

Theodore MayMay 23, 2010 09:43Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

Jordan's King Abdullah and Obama meet

Tom PeterApril 12, 2010 17:29

Ahead of the meeting between President Barack Obama and Jordan's King Abdullah II, it looked as though the Arab leader might issue some stern warnings to the president about the urgency required in the Arab-Israeli peace process. Whether or not he did, the White House statement recapping the meeting issues a far less dramatic message:

Can Jordan's King Abdullah and Obama save the peace process?

Tom PeterApril 10, 2010 16:33

As part of his continuing efforts to reinvigorate peace talks between the Arabs and Israelis, Jordan's King Abdullah II left Amman on Saturday for a meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington. Since becoming the first Arab leader to meet with Obama after he took office last year, King Abdullah has been working to position himself as a key player in any future peace talks.

Sweden to host first Think Global School trimester

Marcus OscarssonApril 8, 2010 08:45Updated May 30, 2010 14:46

Photo caption: Youth take part in the world's largest LAN (Local Area Network) party, a gathering of computer enthusiasts playing games, browsing the web and developing software on November 26, 2009 in Jonkoping, Sweden. Sweden is the first stop for the tech-savvy students of Think Global School. (Jan Johannessen/Getty Images) STOCKHOLM, Sweden — For the first time in history, a parent will actually be proud that their child attended three different high schools in one year.

Opinion: A right to lampoon Arab leaders

Justin D. MartinApril 9, 2010 06:53Updated May 30, 2010 13:28

CAIRO, Egypt — Every Arab country in the Middle East and North Africa has laws or policies criminalizing speech that questions or offends the head of state, according to data from Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders. By the time young journalists in Arab countries tackle their first reporting assignment, they’re well aware of this admonition: Don’t touch the folks at the top.

War of the worlds?

Tom PeterApril 6, 2010 12:01

There's a bit of awkward collar tugging going on in the small, desert town of Jafr this week after residents fell victim to an April Fool's Day joke last week. A local newspaper ran a front page story on Apr. 1 about a UFO landing in the desert near Jafr, about 180 miles outside of Amman. The space shuttle brought down communications in the area and sent residents fleeing, reported Al Ghad newspaper.

Jordan honor killings draw tough response. Finally

Tom A. PeterApril 7, 2010 06:16Updated May 30, 2010 13:26

AMMAN, Jordan — For the first time after more than a decade of activism trying to stop so-called honor crimes, Rana Husseini says she doesn’t have a lot to complain about in Jordan. In the past, most men served less than a year for killing a woman who had “dishonored” her family. Now, more than seven months after the government restructured the legal system to deal with honor crimes as normal criminal cases, Jordan has seen at least 10 cases result in prison sentences of seven to 15 years.

Jordan weighs sterilization of disabled women

Tom A. PeterApril 22, 2010 11:57Updated May 30, 2010 13:26

AMMAN, Jordan — Though they’ve been close allies for sometime now, Jordan and the United States have an unlikely common ground. Groups in both nations are working to stop the sterilization of intellectually disabled women. Around the world, families are having doctors remove the uteri of their mentally disabled daughters. While there have been a handful of widely publicized cases in places as far-flung as the United Kingdom, Jordan, India, and the U.S., for the most part the procedures are performed without discussion, even among disabled rights groups.

Analysis: Iraq's political chess game

Deborah Amos March 15, 2010 06:30Updated May 30, 2010 13:26

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The official results of Iraq’s election could be months away, but there is a lot riding on what happens in the coming weeks as the vote tallies seep out and the still pooling allegations of fraud are investigated. At the end of the day, this vote must be acceptable to all the stakeholders to ensure Iraq’s fragile stability. A collective faith in this electoral process is essential to a planned U.S. withdrawal later this year.

Iraqis vote in Jordan

Tom PeterMarch 7, 2010 15:22

After a tumultuous election day in Iraq that saw at least 34 people killed in dozens of explosions throughout the country, outside the country voting for Iraqis in Jordan concluded with little incident.