DUBAI — Greetings all… As is obvious, I’ve not been writing much. There are some good reasons for that. First and foremost, I’ve been busy. Since November of last year, I’ve
- Gotten married
- Moved to Dubai
- Taken on a new job
- And started a new phase in my career.
Married life is great, and very comfortable. Mrs. Back-to-Iraq seems to like it, too, but to be honest, I got the better end of the deal. (That’s usually the case, no?)
Dubai is less comfortable. It’s a strange place, an odd cross between Singapore and Las Vegas without the former’s clean efficiency and the latter’s cheerful and unapologetic sinfulness. Its love of bureaucracy, lack of any concept of customer service and no real planning makes it much less of an ideal place than people should believe. It’s also damn expensive, and the era of good living, cheap housing and fat salaries is long over.
But the new job is a good one. I’m editing Trends Magazine, one of the region’s top business and political magazines, if I do say so myself. My bosses are really devoted to the idea of journalism — a rarity in this part of the world — and are willing to take on big powers here, like real estate companies. (They’re all connected to the government, which has any number of vaguely defined “red lines” that journalists cross — or even approach — at risk to their jobs and residency visas.)
But the big news is that I actually won’t be staying here. I’ve been awarded the Knight Stanford Fellowship, one of America’s big journalism fellowships, to go study the feasibility of various business models for online news. I plan to concentrate on foreign correspondence, naturally. Back-to-Iraq.com was a big part of getting me into the fellowship and I look forward to nine months at Stanford University with excitement and humility.
So my four years in the Middle East seem to be coming to an end, for now. I’ll be back in Dubai in July 2009, armed with experience, contacts and new language skills. Let’s hope Back-to-Iraq can be revitalized with the experience.
WOW Christopher! It’s been a long journey, and I feel honored to have been a tiny part of it for the last 5 years. Thank you for all you have brought: first, your vision, second, your journey, your truth and bravery. Congratulations to you and Mrs Back to Iraq. I so appreciate all you are, all you have done so far…You have much more to do! Keep up the curiosity, the joy and good life will follow. THANK YOU Melantha
Congratulations, Christopher, on all four points! I’ve really enjoyed reading your work. Your perspective has been invaluable to me over the past 5 years. I look forward to more, should you continue this blog. I know I’d be interested in your view on how this country has changed over the years that you have been abroad - though I know you haven’t been absent all those years.
As I see it we’ve been through a tough patch in which zero-sum politics has ruled, though this election season has shown we’re not completely through that patch - and we may never get entirely past it. But I hope that we can settle down to work after the election and try to stitch the remnants of this once-fine nation back together again. E pluribus unum and all that. We’re all Americans, yes, even Rush, even Cheney, even Karl Rove, though they’ve done much to divide us. I hope they - and the people who love to hate them - wake up and realize that we’re all in this together.
It’s going to take yeoman’s work dismantling the imperial structure (carefully), and I fear all it will take is one car bomb in DC (God forbid) to push us over the edge and into Iran (again, God forbid). If something like that happens, all bets are off.
Never mind. The mind wanders into dark areas now and then. Congratulations again, and may peace fill Chez Allbritton in whatever nation you alight.
Congratulations on the marriage, new job and scholarship offer. I have followed you for years and am glad to see you settle down in life and get a new grounding that will use your foreign affairs experience. I remember back in the day when you were the #1 blogger that I would go to on Iraq. Only wish we had accomplished more by now. Do we ever learn? Best of luck to you both. Sally
Congratulations from me, too, on landing a Knight fellowship. It’s richly deserved! And I think you’ll like Stanford and that whole area (judging from my all-too-brief visits now many years in the past).
Like the other commenters, I’ll really miss your reporting and insights on the middle east. Seeing things through your eyes has been very educational and enlightening for me. Thank you very much.
Will you continue to work on Trends while at Stanford? Might you even consider occasional updates here as you move along in your studies? What are your plans for B2I?
Bon Voyage! Guess I’ll keep your RSS feed in my news reader for now.
John Ludwigson
All the best! A well-earned opportunity. Chuck
Congrats, Chris! Give me a holler the next time you’re passing through New York.
As a fellow UALR graduate I want to congratulate you on being awarded the Knight Fellowship. Nine months in the San Francisco Bay area at Stanford is a wonderful opportunity.
If you get back to Little Rock contact the UALR Alumni Center, we’d love to meet you.
Lee Johnson, Board Member UALR Alumni Association
Wow. Thats great news for you, and let me wish you the best of luck on this new phase of your life.
Let me repeat what others have said; its good to hear you doing so well, but it won’t quite be the same on the web without you. Kudos.
Thanks, Chris, for being such a pioneer in the field, and keeping us in touch with the real news.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OUTCOME
Hillary win….Bill’s third term !
McCain win…World War III !
Obama win…Entire US white race pressed into slavery !
Jackboots.
HILLARY FOR VICE PRESIDENT?
Wow! Wouldn’t that be a cozy threesome in the White House? Imagine it folks. Three different agendas running in three parallel universes! AND not just two chains of command in the military but three! Nookular armed B52s taking off on strange missions bound for god knows where. More lost nukes and mysterious airmen deaths? But it gets better. Remember that Hillary is just a heartbeat away from the Presidency itself. One wonders just what was on her mind when she spoke of sniper fire and R.F.K Reminds me of the old adage…”My opponent sits opposite me. My enemy sits at my side.” Still, it will be a different scene in Washington if Obama actually makes it to the WH. Boy, all those white robed klansmen riding around the beltway. And it won’t be menorahs on the front lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue but a big burning cross. Nah, I can’t see it happening. My guess is America will opt to go with crazy ol’ McCain and his World War III agenda. Will continue digging my fallout shelter.
Jackboots.
Chris First: Congrats on both marriage and your Knight Fellowship. I’m hoping when you come to the Bay Area we can meet to discuss exactly what you will be studying: “the feasibility of various business models for online news.”
I recently received a Knight News Challenge grant to try an experiment to test a new model “community funded reporting.”
It is very much inspired by what you achieved reporting in Iraq. In fact, I used your blog as an example of what is possible. You can learn a little more about my project at http://spot.us “Spot Us.”
When you get settled here, I would love to chat.
Chris! Congratulations on everything. I was just mentioning your site to a young woman I met in Alaska who is now in Kenya (http://africanheroes.tumblr.com/) doing the freelance thing. Also, I’ve been blogging for Anchorage Daily News and my editor - Kathleen McCoy - was a Knights Fellow last year, I believe. She did a slideshow at the Alaska Apple Users Group this week about her experience. She also looked at business models for online news and she is now charged with trying to breathe life (and $) back into ADN. It floors me how entrenched in the old, broken ways print newspapers can be even in this day and age. If you’d like to connect with her, happy to make the intro.
In awe of you as always. I’m just plugging away in Alaska, podcasting, pro-blogging, consulting on social media marketing, and being a wife and mom. Still doing the “Cybergrrl” thing as Cybergrrl Oh in Second Life.
Aliza Sherman
Elf mabrouk! Good deal. I hope to hear from you after the strategic pause…
Very Interesting…By the way, I saw a documentary trailer about an Iraq training simulation facility right in California. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I’ve seen plenty of films about Iraq taken in Iraq, but this is something about right at our home in the US!! It’s called Full Battle Rattle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niFXXEFmc0o
I’ve been visiting your site almost since its beginning and am really very happy to hear the good news. Best of luck with your new endeavors and please keep us updated—even though you might not be in the middle east anymore, your perspective on the news is still definitely worth reading.