Brains Like a Shoe

A blog about the politics and conflicts of the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, and the role of the United States in facilitating peacemaking, state-building and economic development in the region.

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Publications/Other

Publications

“A Leverage Point for Peace: how the United States should deal with Sudan’s troubling debt,” Save Darfur Coalition (December 2009).

“When Killers become Victims: Darfur in Context,” SAIS Review Volume 29, Number 2 (Summer-Fall 2009).

hothe United States should deal with Sudan’s troubling debt

“Enforcing a Turning Point and Imposing a Deal: An Analysis of the Darfur Abuja Negotiations of 2006,” Journal of International Negotiation Volume 13, Issue 3 (Fall 2008).

Presentations

“Islamist Democrats?: Assessing and Evaluating the Democratic Commitments of Islamist Parties in Turkey, Morocco, and Jordan,” Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy’s 7th Annual Conference (May 2006).

Unpublished Working Papers

Somalia Backgrounder, March 2009.

  • Brains like a Shoe = Mokh Zay Gazma

    Creating this blog gave me the opportunity to add مخ زي جزمة - "mokh zay gazma" - to the internet archives. A google search demonstrates that no one has transliterated this Egyptian Colloquial Arabic expression into English in the same way that I have. The term literally means "brains like a shoe" and in Egypt it is a derogatory term used to describe someone who is extremely stubborn. The role of intransigence and the dearth of creativity for new solutions should be clear to all those who track developments in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. This blog intends to comment regularly on these politics and the role of an often sadly, stale America foreign policy in supporting peacekmaking, state-building, and economic development in these closely linked volatile regions.

  • Recent Posts

    • A Biden Trip for Regional Buy-In on Sudan
    • What was said about Sudan in Beijing?
    • Sudan’s Dangerous Trajectory
    • Mapping Sudan’s Fault-lines, and Increasing International Leverage
    • What Else Happened in Yemen

  • Archives

    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009

  • Blogroll

    • Amjad Atallah
    • An American in Araby
    • Committee to Protect Journalists
    • Inside the Beltway & Outside the Ordinary
    • James Zogby
    • Making Sense of Darfur
    • Poets and Policymakers
    • Political Dissonance
    • Project on Middle East Democracy
    • Refugees International
    • Sahel Blog
    • Save Darfur's Blog
    • The Majlis
    • The Middle East Channel
    • افهم دارفور

  • Twitter Feed: seanpbrooks

    • Sudan Tribune: Sudan foreign currency reserves down 75 percent since 2006, IMF data shows http://bit.ly/9BdsoV #Sudan http://myloc.me/alGtS 2010/08/10
    • RT @glcarlstrom: Amnesty International on rampant human rights abuses by Sudanese security services: http://is.gd/dyjaw 2010/07/19
    • RT @girifna: detailed statement to be released soon; reason for abduction was to convince them to work as informants for the Sudan Security 2010/07/07
    • RT @rfcrabbses: Goal!!!!! #USA #worldcup 2010/06/23
    • Manute Bol: A Giant Among Us http://ow.ly/21CVz 2010/06/22
    • RT @columlynch: This is rich: the security council has no meetings scheduled for next week, presumably to watch world cup 2010/06/18
    • RT @PomedWire: Egypt: Over 100,000 Lawyers Join General Strike. http://bit.ly/b6D0Br 2010/06/14
    • Children Carry Guns for a U.S. Ally, Somalia - http://nyti.ms/aj7jd0 2010/06/14
    • RT @robcrilly: Mo Ibrahim Foundation decides for 2nd year no credible candidates for African leadership prize http://wp.me/p7qur-dQ 2010/06/13
    • RT @ParraV: NPR covers VP Biden's meeting with Salva Kiir: http://n.pr/cCSC7a #Sudan http://myloc.me/80Ea0 2010/06/09
    • Omar al Bashir's brother is part of Sudanese delegation in Geneva, he is sitting four seats away from me - very similar appearance 2010/06/09
    • Last week other side event in Geneva by Sudan human rights defenders, Voices for the Silenced http://bit.ly/dnvITN http://myloc.me/807DU 2010/06/09
    • At UN Human Rights Council side event in Geneva organized by Al Zubair Charity Foundation, Sudan NGO friendly to NCP - will be interesting 2010/06/09
    • New civil society mtg in Doha...Radio Dabanga: Chief mediator meets Darfuri civil society leaders in Nyala http://bit.ly/bpxI7p #Sudan 2010/06/09
    • RT @HarunAlAmriki: Yemen Observer: Southern Movement escalates tension http://bit.ly/a8hKYf http://myloc.me/7ZAj3 2010/06/09
Brains Like a Shoe · coogee theme · 2009
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