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UK Advanced Command and Staff Course in Georgia
My first presentation of 2014 and as with the year just gone it was to be for an audience as unexpected as my first presentation then. In February 2013 it was to be at an intergovernmental seminar for the U.S. Government’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC) and Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). This year it was to be for 50 students from the U.K. military’s tri-service Advanced Command and Staff Course.
Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
I don’t usually do the tourist thing when traveling for work, but there was no way I couldn’t on my first visit to the Arab world in February last year. I didn’t have much time to spare during my stay in Abu Dhabi to speak at an intergovernmental seminar on counterterrorism and combatting violent extremism online, but I did have a few hours after the conference ended and having to leave for the airport.
Stranded in Doha
one of the stand-out moments of 2013 was being stranded in Doha for 24 hours on my way back from Abu Dhabi where I had been invited to speak on countering violent extremism online at an intergovernmental seminar organised by the U.S. Government’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSSC), Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), and the Hedayah Centre.
Another Ukraine Euromaidan Solidarity Rally in Tbilisi As MPs Brawl in the Georgian Parliament
Last night saw another rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, in support of Euromaidan protestors in Ukraine. Unlike last week’s rallies, which were definitely more grassroots, the latest rally appeared more organised and of interest to local media, probably because of the involvement of Tbilisi’s Mayor and plans to illuminate a prominent building on the city’s central Freedom Square in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
Ukraine Euromaidan Solidarity Action in Tbilisi
Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso has just published a few of my photographs of this week’s Ukraine Euromaidan solidarity action held outside the old parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia.
CFI 4M Journalism and Social Media Forum in the South Caucasus
Last week, the 4M Journalism and Social Media Forum came to the South Caucasus. Organised by Canal France International (CFI), previous 4M’s have been held in Nairobi, Cairo, Abidjan, Belgrade, and Tunis. Earlier this year, I had also been invited to speak at their 3rd annual meeting in Montpellier, France, although an air traffic controller strike meant I arrived a day late and couldn’t.
Kond: Stepping Back in Time
It’s one of my favorite places in Yerevan. It’s also one of the poorest. For both reasons, walking through Kond is like stepping back in time. Located in the very heart of the capital it’s also as if you’ve left Yerevan entirely. Indeed, when a National Geographical film crew filming a documentary on Christianity in Armenia said they wanted something ‘biblical,’ I could only take them to Kond.
Another Visit to Tbilisi's Catholic Armenians
As I mentioned in a previous post, a message posted to a mailing list saw me pay a visit to an Armenian Catholic center in Tbilisi. Although Armenians are mainly Apostolic, Catholic Armenians are still an important minority in both Armenia and Georgia. Today’s return visit wasn’t just to photograph the kids at the center though. It was also to help them with their English language skills.
Catholic Armenians in Tbilisi, Georgia
Part of work on minorities in Armenia and Georgia.