Boiling Point/Book

I was 3 years old.

The sirens went off.

We wore our gas masks, my father had already taped the windows, and we sat there waiting, waiting for something to happen.

that was 1990

boiling point

This was a tragic year for the Middle East, and the gulf region specifically. It was only a couple of years after the Iran-Iraq war ended (1980–1988); Saddam Hussein struck again, and the Gulf War began. Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait as a response to their overproduction of oil which was a huge loss to Iraq. The war only lasted a year, but the outcomes were immense. They were massive enough that even after 2 decades people in the region haven't recovered yet. The effects of the weapons used causing diseases, yet the fight over oil continues. It was Saddam Hussein who was supported by the U.S. government for 8 years in his war against Iran. It was him who annexed Kuwait, bombed and burned down a few oil wells. Then it was him who was executed in 2006 after the Iraq invasion in 2003.

نقطة الغليان

“i've told the AmericAn people before thAt this will not be Another vietnAm. And i repeAt this here tonight.”

07

لقد قلت مسبقًا للشعب األمريكي“حرب فيتنام لن تتكرر، وأكّرر ذلك اليوم

“

—George Bush, 1991

—جورج بوش،١٩٩١

.

غنThe symbol on the cover refers to the initials of

the book’s title in Arabic.

Considering the sensitive nature of the topic, only the initials were provided.

boiling point

by demah alsinan

نقطة الغليـــــــــــــــــان

in The very beginninginterests in the Middle east

The U.S. and the Middle east

12

36

76

The bUild UpMeet the tyrants

The U.S. agenda in the Middle east

The boiling poinTon going situation

A look into the future

table of contents

boiling pointنقطة الغليان 11

البدايةمصالح الواليات المتحدة في الشرق األوسط

عالقة الواليات المتحدة مع الشرق األوسط

تراكم الصراعاتتعرف على الطغاة

األجندة األمريكية في الشرق األوسط

نقطة الغليانالوضع الحالي

نظرة للمستقبل

١٢

٦ ٣

٦ ٧

in the very beginningالبدايـــــــــــــــــــــة

الشرق األوسط لديه الكثير من الموارد والكثير من األراضي والنفط والواليات المتحدة هي مجرد إمبراطورية أخرى على

مر العصور تنظر لمنطقة الشرق األوسط كإستثمار

“

” ت.س.

بائع في الرابعة والعشرين من عمره–منمتظاهرين سان فرانسيسكو

—

“The Middle East has a lot of resources, a lot of oil, land and the U.S. is just another empire throughout the ages that sees the Middle East as another investment.”

—T.S. 24 year old retail seller camping with the Occupy San Francisco protestors

.

نظرًا لحساسية الموضوع فضل هذا الشخص البقاء مجهواًلConsidering the sensitive nature of the topic this person prefers to remain anonymous

in the very beginning

The history of the relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East is saturated with a series of conflicts and wars that seem to lead to the same interests; which is caused by the interest in having power over the region and its resources. There has been a lot of hostility involved from both sides, but how did it all start? And most importantly, why? It's quite interesting to go back in history and observe the conflicts, and wars and see what caused each, and what the results were. There's a lot to learn from this history, as the cycle of it repeating itself should end someday. The relationship between the US and the Middle East goes back to WWII, the U.S. had its troops in Iran to protect the oil reserves in the region and to support The Soviet Union at the time in its war against Nazi Germany. Later, the protection of oil and support of the Soviet Union turned into protection of oil and Israel, while keeping the Middle East under full control for mainly these two reasons.

whAt mAkes the middle eAst interestingمصالح الواليات المتحدة في الشرق األوسط


البداية

This of course wasn't accomplished without the help of the men in power in the region. The U.S. Managed to keep its relationship well balanced with the regimes, it keeps them wealthy, safe and in power and in return it receives cheap oil. Throughout the history of the existence of the U.S. in the Middle East, the U.S. government managed to establish relationships with certain rulers, and sometimes just important figures and go against them at some point once they gain enough power to be viewed as threat. After WWII and the protection of Israel following the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the U.S. government managed to get involved in Afghanistan in 2001; following 9/11 and also in Iraq in 2003 under the claim that Saddam Hussein is hiding nuclear weapons. These wars set people behind in those regions, and are holding them back from progressing especially with their dependence on oil.

“of course, everybody sAys they're for peAce. hitler wAs for peAce. everybody is for peAce. the question is: " whAt kind of peAce?’"

—noAm chomsky

بالطبع الكل يّدعي أنه يدعي للسالم. هتلر كان يدعي للسالم. السؤال هَو أي نوع من السالم؟

—

”“

نعوم تشومسكي

’

العراقإيران

المملكة العربية السعودية

البحرين

الكويت

سوريا

مصر

فلسطين/إسرائيل

لبنان

األردن

تركيا

اليمن

اإلمارات

قطر

iraq invasion of kuwait gulf war –1991

u.s. invasion of iraq–2003

iran-iraq war

1980–1988

on going palestinian conflict since 1946

the multiple wArs involving the u.s. in the middle eAst–libyA is most recent 2011

الحروب التي خاضتها أو ساهمت فيها الوالياتالمتحدة األمريكية في الشرق األوسط–ليبيا مؤخرًا

باكستان

أفغانستان

عمان

u.s. invasion of afghanistan–2001

anti-soviet war 1980–1989

“the u.s. is the only country in modern history whose nucleAr bombs killed millions of people And still people cAn see the effects until now, so the u.s. government shouldn’t be tAlking About disArmAment.”—R.K. 23 year old from Pakistan –pursued his degree from the U.S. where he’s currently living


. ر.خ.

في الثالثة و العشرين منعمره–من باكستان

—

الواليات المتحدة هي الدولة الوحيدة في التاريخ الحديث اللتي

ساهمت في قتل الماليين من الناس باستخدامها للقنابل

النووية والعالم الزال قادر على متابعة

األضرار الناتجة عن هذا”اإلستخدام

“

It is a true irony that the only country who has ever used a

nuclear bomb unapologetically, is also the country who is

the leading preacher for disarmament. Not only that, but

that country still gets to possess nuclear weapons claiming

that they're in safe hands, while invading other countries

for having some potential to create them; and in some

cases such as Iraq, a lie that they're creating them.

“I think here in America the government does a good job in giving people the illusion of transparency.”

—F.A. A young Saudi man living in San Francisco

في اعتقادي الحكومة األمريكيةتقوم بعمل جيد في وهم شعبها

بالشفافية

“

.” ف.أ.—

شاب سعودي من سكان سان فرانسيسكو


isrAel receives Almost $3 billion in direct foreign AssistAnce eAch yeAr from the u.s. which equAls toone-fifth of america’s foreign aid budget

since 2007 the u.s. increAsed the isrAeli militAry Aid by $150 million eAch yeAr–thAt’s $3.09 billion in 2012 which equAls $8.5 million A dAy

خارطة فلسطين/إسرائيلPalESTinE/iSRaEl MaP


PalESTinian TERRiTORiES

iSRaEli TERRiTORiES

1946 1947un plAn

1949–1967 now

“i’m 24 yeArs old, And i didn’t know pAlestine existed till lAst yeAr. to me it’s AlwAys been isrAel.”

أنا اآلن في الرابعة والعشرين من العمر ومنذ عام فقط علمت بوجود دولة فلسطين

فبالنسبة لي هي دومًا كانت إسرائيل

“

”.

—t.m.24 year old college student living in oakland

ت.م. شاب جامعي في الرابعة والعشرين

من عمره من سكان أوكالند

—

“That treatment of people is one of the reasons that America puts out there for being in the Middle East in the first place. For having such a strong base in Israel, it’s a big reason for them. It’s because they have that big excuse that people in the Middle East aren’t treated well and we need democracy in that region and Israel is the only place with a big form of democracy and we need to stay in that place to be stable and that’s a valid argument as long as people are treated like that in the Middle East. Are their intentions what they’re saying, no maybe not. But that’s the argument they put out there.”

—S.B.23 year old accountant from India, has been living in the U.S. for 5 years

ش.ب.— محاسب من الهند في الثالثة والعشرين من

عمره–أمضى ٥ سنوات من عمره في الواليات المتحدة األمريكية

معاملة الناس بتلك الطريقة كانت أحد أسباب التواجد األمريكي في الشرق األوسط في المقام األول والسبب الكبير لهم وجود مثال لقاعدة قوية

كإسرائيل والعذر الكبير لديهم هو أن الناس في الشرق األوسط التتم معاملتهم بشكل جيد ويحتاجون للديمقراطية في تلك المنطقة وإسرائيل هي المكان الوحيد الذي يمثل الديمقراطية بشكل كبير ونحن بحاجة للبقاء في تلك

المنطقة للحفاظ على اإلستقرار وهذه المجادلة ]الحجة[ قائمة مادام الناس يعاملون كذلك في الشرق األوسط هل نواياهم هو مايقال ربما ال ولكن

.”تلك هي حجتهم التي يسوقون لها هناك


in the very beginning

the u.s. and the middle east

The conflict between both sides, the Middle East and the West in general is the strong culture that is often blurred with religion. Extremists and some of the religious states such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia use religion as a powerful tool to control people, and it works. It’s been working for a long time, and only now the ties are starting to fade with the rise of education, and people are finally showing a sign of awareness. The approach that the U.S. government uses to reach out for the Middle East was used by extremists for decades to rise against the policy of the U.S. in the Middle East; people don’t want to be told how democracy is done by an American president that shakes hands with a dictator just a few hours later. This only gets people angry, and more hateful towards the U.S. government. The U.S. Over the years managed to form ties with most of the governments in the Middle East for mutual interests, and with certain events; including people revolting against corruption, the strength of the relationship becomes more obvious. Dictatorship in the Middle East seems to be a system that took and is still taking place in almost all countries.

عالقة الواليات المتحدة مع الشرق األوسط


البداية

A good example is Hosni Mubarak the former president of Egypt who stayed in power for 30 years until his regime was removed after a series of protests in early 2011. Hosni Mubarak was supported by the U.S. government till the last few days of his rule, when the government's speeches turned from calming the protesters down to asking Hosni Mubarak to step down. He was considered “America's guy,” throughout the 30 years he managed to keep the peace treaty with Israel which was a good step to please the U.S. Government just a few years after he held power. Another example would be Qaddafi, Libya's former president whose relationship with the U.S. Government was different, yet the reaction to the Libyan people's protests seemed to serve the same interest. Which is reassuring the stability of Libya even after the ties fall. The civil war was on when Libyans caught up to the protests after they had spread around the Middle East; only in Libya it was more violent given its cultural tribal structure. And Qaddafi’s overwhelming power over Libya which contains a good amount of resources; most importantly oil, and his disapproval of the U.S. Government's policy brought the end of his dictatorship forward.

And while the u.s. Army is fighting for oil And power over the region

وبينما الجيش األمريكي يقاتل من اجل النفط

والسلطة على المنطقة

While the U.S. government is busy strengthening its relationship with Middle Eastern dictators; supporting and selling them weapons to ensure their power stays as strong and resilient, literacy rates are increasing and so are unemployment rates in the region. People are becoming more aware in the Middle East and an act of rebellion is seeping through the surface.

the build upتراكم الصراعات


The former Iraqi president, and America’s former man in Iraq. He was supported by the U.S. Government in Iran-Iraq War that lasted for 8 years (1980–1988). He worked for the CIA, and was one of the first American allies in the Middle East. During the conflict with Iran, Saddam received a lot of financial aid from the American government and was supported by its military. Why was he supported? For oil, of course, and for Iran to stay under the control of the U.S. government. In 1982 Saddam ordered the execution of hundreds of Shiites resulting in the Dujail massacre, and still remained to gain support. In 1988 and on the same year the Iran-Iraq war ended, Saddam Hussien managed another massacre, when he used chemical weapons against the Iraqi Kurds killing and injuring thousands of people.

صـــدام حسيــنsaddam hussien

during the conflict with irAn, sAddAm received A lot of Aid

from the AmericAn government And its militAry. why wAs he supported? for

oil, of course, And for irAn to stAy under control. with this Aid he mAnAged 8 yeArs

of wAr with irAn, the hAlAbjA mAssAcre AgAinst the irAqi kurds, And the

dujAil mAssAcre AgAinst irAqi shiites

After receiving an enormous amount of aid, Saddam who is one of the worst dictators in the world’s history, gained enough power and invaded Kuwait just two years later. The U.S. felt threatened, most probably for the region’s oil safety; hence its safety and invaded Iraq a little over a decade later in 2003 and ended his dictatorship. Saddam was a threat, but mostly to his own people, and not the American people; and all this threat was generated from the power the U.S. empowered him with. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, the main excuse was Saddam’s nuclear weapons; and 8 years have passed, and no nuclear weapons were found. He was given a quick trial supervised by the American forces, and executed the following year.

meet the tyrants


The former leader of Al-Qaeda. He was trained and funded by the CIA during Afghanistan’s war with the Soviet Union in the 1980’s. Initially, Bin Laden was supported along with the anti-communist group in Afghanistan by the U.S. to win the war. Soon, Bin Laden gained enough power to start his war against the U.S. and his main issue was the presence of the U.S. bases in the gulf region, specifically Saudi Arabia for being a holy land for Muslims. His rage towards the U.S. policy resulted in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. As a result, that gave the American government another reason to multiply its bases in the Middle East under its war on terror campaign. The U.S. government’s ties with Bin Laden are still vague, yet they managed to demolish the region’s safety, and also the U.S. safety as a result of interfering politically in every part of the Middle East.

أسامة بـن الدنosama bin laden

the AmericAn wAr on terror most probAbly ensured the

AmericAn people’s sAfety, but it undeniAbly mAnAged to increAse

the number of terrorist AttAcks And groups in the middle eAst

It took the United States’ government a lot of excuses and two ongoing wars (Afghanistan 2001–present) and (Iraq 2003–present) to capture one person who was only powerful as a result of the American support that was given to him. The American war on terror most probably ensured the American people’s safety, but it undeniably managed to increase the number of terrorist attacks and groups in the Middle East and around the world; who are trying to conquer and take over the U.S. army’s bases.


The former president of Egypt, and one of the recently removed dictators. His dictatorship lasted for 30 years, in which he kept a good and stable relationship with everyone in the region, including Israel, and especially with the U.S. Government. Hosni Mubarak managed to keep the Israeli peace treaty and when there were suspicions on weapons being transferred to Hamas in Gaza through the Israeli border, he was successful in putting and end to it; which made him a close friend to the American government in the region. While he kept the region safe for Israel and the U.S., the Egyptian people were suffering from unemployment and poverty. In 2008 statistics show that the unemployment rate in Egypt’s 82 million population reached 20%*, and the minimum wage was set to $70 a month*, which shows that a big percentage of the population lives under the poverty line. In 2010, food prices rose by 20%* and it was the time to rise against the silent regime; especially that the number of youth in the population keeps increasing drastically which commands immediate change in the system. In February 2011, Hosni Mubarak was removed after series of protests with hundreds of thousands of people gathering in Tahrir square in Cairo asking him to step down. The protests under Mubarak’s regime were treated in violence, with thugs and the riot police running over protesters with trucks and using mustard gas bombs supplied by the U.S. government to end the protests. Hosni Mubarak’s Swiss bank accounts were frozen shortly after the beginning of the uprising. He is currently in prison with his two sons facing charges for killing hundreds of protesters during the uprising in Egypt.

حسني مبارك hosni mubarak

in 2008 stAtistics show thAt the unemployment rAte in egypt’s 82

million populAtion reAched 20%, And the minimum wAge wAs set to

$70 A month, which shows thAt A big percentAge of the populAtion

lives under the poverty line

*Taken from Federation of American Scientists

هذه المعلومة مقتبسة من المصدر التالي*

.

هذه ليست سوى ثالثة أمثلة من العديد من الشخصيات التي عانت منها نسبة جيدة من العالم

وكذلك نسبة جيدة من الشعب األمريكي ال يجهلها. ال أحد يستطيع اإلنكار بأنها شخصيات إجرامية

ولكن هناك العديد من هذه الشخصيات عبر التاريخ التي حاولت حكومة الواليات المتحدة إخفائها بين

الوعود الفارغة وتعليقها بإسم جرائم التي ساندتهم في ارتكابها حتى لو بشكل غير مباشر. ما يثير القلق

في هذا هو أن حكومة الواليات المتحدة تعمل بشكل جيد للحفاظ على هذه األسماء المخفية تحت جرائمهم التي العديد من األميركيين ال يكترث للنظر

إليها أو البحث في أصول هذه العالقات وكيفية تطورها مما يجعل الشعب مؤمن بكل ماتقوله

الحكومة. بجانب ذلك تبرير العنف الذي يرتكب في أجزاء أخرى من العالم كوساية لحماية سكانها ليس سببا وجيها أو مبرر لمهاجمة الدول األخرى. اعتبارا

من عام ٢٠١٠ في تقديرات أ.ب.س تبين أن الوفيات التي وقعت في حرب العراق تقدر بـ ١٠٣،٠٠٠إلى

١١٣،٠٠٠ ٨٠٪ من هم من المدنيين والحرب ما زالت مستمرة. كم يقدر عدد الناس التي تتبع أعداد ضحايا

الهجمات األمريكية في مختلف أنحاء العالم؟ أال يستحق هؤالء الحماية والعيش بسالم و التعامل

معهم كبشر التركيز على الجوانب المادية للحرب مثلكيفية تأثير الحروب على اإلقتصاد وغير

ذلك وإهمال التأثير النفسي للحرب على أولئك الذين يعيشون في حالة من عدم االستقرار والخوف

المستمر يعد خطأ كبير. عندما يجهل الفرد تجربةالحرب وما تولد من إحباط وخراب فعندها كما

قال لي العديد من األمريكيون يتولد عدم االمباالة عند الشعب وهذا هو الحال في أمريكا. فالرعب

النفسي الوحيد الذي خاضه الشعب األمريكي هو أحداث سبتمبر التي دفع ثمنها العديد من األبرياء

في الواليات المتحدة وكذلك الشرق األوسط كردة فعل أمريكية. الحكومة األمريكية التمثل كل شعبها

ولكن ليتم ذلك الفصل في أنحاء أخرى من العالم واجب الشعب أن يتحرك

These are only three examples of

many figures that a good percentage

of the world suffered from; and a good

percentage of the American population

doesn’t know about. No one can deny

that they are criminals, but there have

been many throughout history that

the U.S. government tried to conceal

between empty promises and pinning

them into crimes it supported them to

commit. Even if indirectly. What makes

this troubling is that the U.S. government

works well to keep these names hidden

under their crimes that a lot of Americans

don’t bother to look at their origins.

How this relationship developed, and

why it developed. Believing everything

the government says and justifying the

violence it commits in other parts of

the world in the means of protecting

its population is not a good reason for

attacking a whole population. As of 2010

estimates in IBC* show that 103,000–

113,000 deaths occurred in Iraq’s war of

which 80% were civilians; and the war

is still going. How many people here in

the U.S. keep track of the victims of the

U.S. attacks around the world? Don’t they

deserve the protection from war and

attacks the U.S. government attacks other

countries in the name of. Focusing on

the materialistic aspects of war such as

how these wars affect the economy and

overlooking the psychological affect of

war on those who live in instability

and constant fear is not fair..

*ibC = irAQ body CoUnT

أ.ب.س = عدد قتلى العراق


تراكم الصراعات

To not know what it feels like to wake up daily to the sound of sirens and bombing, not knowing if you will be seeing your family again. How it affects the whole nation’s economy and people’s productivity; and for what? Oil? There are a lot of crimes committed by the U.S. government around the world to stop terrorism as it claims, yet terror can’t be stopped with terror. Other than the attacks in 9/11 the U.S. never endured a war in which is had to defend itself against an attack, and Americans don’t know the effects of war on others. This is why, and as I heard from many Americans, that people here don’t care enough to follow up with what their government is causing in other parts of the world. It is true that Americans don’t necessarily represent their government, but in order to influence the government’s decision one must act.

اإلشكال األول first problem

ش.م. شاب أمريكي يعمل في التسويق اإللكتروني–من

متظاهرين سان فرانسيسكو

في الواليات المتحدة ال أحد يستطيع رمي منازلنا بالقنابل. ليس بإمكانية أحد التهكم على منازلنا للبحث عن رجل ما. الفرد األمريكي ينعم بحياة سهلة

فهو يقبض من المال مايكفيه ولكن من واجبي كمواطن اإلعتراف بأن هناك.”أخطاء فادحة تحدث ومن الواجب مناقشتها

“

—

—S.M. An American protester in Occupy San Francisco–he works in internet marketing

“it’s easier when you think about it. Here in america no body bombs our houses, they don’t pop in and go: we need to find our guy. My life is super easy, i get paid well, but i still go there’s some messed up shit, we need to talk about it.”


opportunity فرصـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــة

You’ve been framed

campaignThere’s no doubt war is devastating, but to Americans who never experienced war, what does war look like? Do they know everything about their government’s

decisions in the Middle East and the effects of these decisions? You’ve been framed is a campaign that gives a live experience of what war’s devastation feels like and educates people about wars and relationships between Middle Eastern dictators and the U.S. government.

formatThis campaign is implemented through prints (posters) and through

an exhibition that goes around in different museums around the U.S.

Saddam Hussein shaking hands with Rumsfeld, 1983

50%

were with middle eAstern countries

of the u.s. foreign militAry sAles between 2006 and 2009


“this is the thing, you can't have real democracy when you keep lying to people just to support your cause. for example, people here [in the u.s.] are always lied to, with the news and everything. that's why they support wars they have no business supporting, or electing a president they have no business electing. i don't see how here, it's not true democracy. if you have to lie to people to get them to vote for you then that's not democracy. democracy is people having all the facts and then making a decision.”

—S.S. From Saudi arabia



When all people know about a region is the stereotypical image that is portrayed by the news and their government, then there’s a problem. Some publicly known sources distort facts to reach their goal. The Middle East is rich with culture and is dominated by religion, however trying to or implying that you have to apply the concept of American democracy in a region such as the Middle East is destined to fail. Mainly, people in the U.S. blame their ignorance of the Middle Eastern structure on their geographical distance, when the availability and diversity of the internet helped shorten it and made more reliable news resources approachable. Education in the U.S. is important for people to have the ability to distinguish truth from lies, and true education is the only way for people to own their minds, therefore their lives. Its importance is also to show the government that people are aware of the truth of what it’s doing in other places in the world. This will also stop the government from distorting the truth and taking credit for things it didn’t contribute in, such as the current uprisings in the Middle East.

اإلشكال الثاني second problem

هذه هي المشكلة األساسية. فمن المستحيل الوصول إلى الديمقراطية باستخدام الكذب كوسيلة

للوصول إلى غاية ما. على سبيل المثال الشعب في الواليات المتحدة يعيش تحت تأثير كذب وسائل

األنباء مما يجعلهم يدعمون الحروب التي ال تمت لهم بصلة التي تشنها حكومتهم أو انتخاب الرئيس

الخاطيء. أنا ال أرى بأن الواليات المتحدة تعيش في دمقراطية حقيقية فالدمقراطية هي سرد الحقائق

وبذلك إعطاء الشعب فرصة اإلختيار واتخاذ القرار

“

”..س.س

سعودية الجنسية —

educate the masses

The definition of democracy varies from a culture to another, and many Americans use distance as an excuse of not knowing enough about the Middle East’s culture, and stereotyping based on the media. This is a publication by a Middle Eastern group published in the U.S. to discuss and communicate the Middle Eastern view on the American foreign policy and express a different point of view from an insider’s perspective.

formatThis publication is in a journal format and web distributed quarterly.


أ ب ت ث ج ح خ د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ك

يل م ن ه و*arabic alphabets




People in the U.S. have a short-term memory remembering the history of their government’s policy; which gives the U.S. government the complete freedom and flexibility to lie to its people. This makes rewriting and altering history for its own benefits a fairly simple task. A recent example would be the war in Iraq and how it started off with finding the chemical weapons Saddam was allegedly hiding, even though at first; and after Saddam’s use of those weapons on the Iraqi Kurds; the U.S. government had Iran as its first suspect. But only a few years later the U.S. government had to change that as an excuse to invade Iraq, and it worked. No one questioned its intentions, and the war was backed up by most people. A couple of years after the invasion and the increasing losses, the U.S. government had to change its intentions to the fight of terrorism; and again, changed it to spreading democracy and nation–building, and people just go with the flow without returning to history. It took years of corruption and oppressive regimes that were backed up by the U.S. policy to get people in the Middle East to where they are now in terms of uprisings and revolting against their oppressors, but if only the American people were alert to what has happened in history, things might have been different, and many tragic events could have probably been avoided.

اإلشكال الثالث third problem

أحد الشخصيات قال: نحن ]الشعب األمريكي[ نعاني من فقدان الذاكرة فصححه شخص آخر بقوله: نحن نعاني من

مرض األزهايمر فنحن ال نتذكر شيء من تاريخنا. البد للشعب األمريكي أن يذكر نفسه بتاريخه

“

ت.س. ”.

“someone sAid before: we [AmericAns] hAve historicAl AmnesiA, someone corrected him sAying we hAve historicAl Alzheimer’s. we need to educAte ourselves here in AmericA About history.”

–

–t.s.

historic amnesia

One of the things that could influence the American policy in the Middle East is if the American people were aware of their history. Even if they didn’t approve of it or contribute in the government’s decision. Keeping track of history changes the way people in the Middle East think about the U.S. and could contribute in avoiding future decisions made by their government.

formatPrint and web campaign targeted towards ages 18 and up.





One of the striking realities of wars initiated or supported by the U.S. government is the reasons might shift in context but the reason is always the same–oil. The U.S.’s dependency on oil is the biggest part of the equation; if it weren’t for that dependency, there would probably not be dictatorships installed in the Middle East, or at least not as many, and they wouldn’t be as endurable. The dictators in the Middle East along with their supporter, the U.S. government are only looking for their own interests in being oil-centric. This puts people’s future at great risk in a Middle East with no oil and not enough investment in alternative energy. The excessive amounts of military expenditure that could be invested in green projects in the U.S. to maintain the planet and preserving the environment rather than ensuring the U.S.’s presence in the Middle East seems to be more profitable to the world as a whole. Showing awareness to the environmental issues developing of the world’s dependency on oil could also reduce the Middle East’s anger towards the U.S. for all the pollution and different types of cancers these wars had developed in the region.

اإلشكال الرابع fourth problem

ماذا عن النقاش عن تكنلوجيا الطاقة الشمسية التي لم يتم اإلستثمار بها فألمانيا مثاًل أعتقد أن ٨٠٪ من الكهرباء هناك

تستمد من الطاقة الشمسية ولقد حققوا ذلك من خاللأجيال تفكر بالمستقبل وليس باألرباح

“

ف.أ.

”.

“whAt About All the debAte on solAr technology, how it’s not being invested in. tAke germAny As An exAmple, i think 80% of their electricity is generAted through solAr power. they’ve done it through generAtions of Actively thinking of the future; not in terms of profits.”

–

–f.A.

give me an alternative

Planet earth is the only home we know, continuing on the same pace of starting wars over oil and depending on it might not hurt us now, but it will certainly ruin this home for future generations. Give me an alternative is an educational toolkit distributed in schools that explains the importance of preserving the environment and gives alternatives to its user.

formatToolkit for elementary school.


as of 2011 there are

4.5 million orphans in iraqonlY 18 orphanages exist in iraq



The use of violence to spread an ideology can work for a period of time, but eventually people will become aware and want change. The violence in the Middle East, specifically in places like Iraq and Afghanistan with over a decade of constant oppression results in physical and emotional loss. The increasing numbers of orphans and poverty after falling as victims of greed and faulted systems is immense, which needs immediate attention. As Reuters indicates statistics in 2011 show 4.5 million orphans in Iraq and only 18 available orphanages that’s holding only 700 of the 4.5 million. Another recent study by The Iraq Ministry of Planning shows that as of mid-2011 there are 900,000 widows in Iraq, which receive only $80/month as compensation.

اإلشكال الخامس fifth problem

ليس بإمكاني تخيل أن أحد ما يريد الديمقراطية وفي الوقتنفسه يستخدم الهمجية ففالعادة الطريقة تكون أكثر تحضرًا

“

س.س.

”.

“i cAn’t imAgine someone being bArbAric And Also wAnt democrAcy. it’s usuAlly they’re more civilized.”

–

–s.s.

design that counts

Regions that endured war take years to recover. Design that counts is a design competition held on the web, where designers get to design things such as posters in support of people suffering from the devastation of war, specifically wars involving the U.S. government. The benefits of this competition goes directly to donations in these regions.

formatDesign through web campaign.


boiling pointنقطة الغليان

boiling point

بدأت األحداث عندما قام شاب يدعىبوعزيزي بإحراق نفسه في ديسمبر ٢٠١٠

it all started in tunisia in december 2010, when a man named buazizi set himself on fire

Buazizi was supporting his family by selling vegetables in his vegetable cart when one day a police officer took away his unlicensed cart and humiliated him when he went to report in the police station. Buazizi’s frustration led him to set himself on fire as a sign of desperation; since without his cart, the 26 year old Buazizi won’t be able to support his family any longer.


كانت عربعة الخضروات مصدر الرزق الوحيد لبوعزيزي و عائلته وفي ذلك

اليوم من ديسمبر قامت شرطية بسحب عربته منه بحجة أنها غير مرخصة وعندما

حاول بوعزيزي رفع شكوى في قسم الشرطة قام أحد الشرطيين بالتعدي عليه وإهانته. تعبيرًا عن اإلحباط قام

بوعزيزي بإشعال النار في نفسه


.

الشرارة التي أشعلت الثورةthe spArk thAt triggered the uprising

الثورة في تونسTunisian uprising

The Tunisian people were just as desperate as Buazizi. As soon as he died; a few weeks after he set himself on fire, the Tunisian streets were filled with protesters demanding the president, Bin Ali; who was in power for over 2 decades to step down. This happened in less than a month. Soon, the Tunisian uprising spread across the Middle East triggering what was called a revolution fever, and led more protesters to go out in the streets demanding that their oppressive dictators step down. To many people around the world, the Arab uprising seemed to happen randomly and unexpectedly; but its unpredictably shows the level of desperation people in the Middle East has gotten to. Those uprisings were destined to happen, only in the Middle East it took a long while of tolerance to finally reach the boiling point where there is nothing left to lose. Governments holding a whole region back in the middle ages for power and greed–the social and economical tension was accumulating and was waiting for a spark to erupt.


tunisiAn uprising spreAd Across the

middle eAst triggering whAt wAs cAlled

A revolution fever

الثورة the uprising

MiddlE EaST’S UPRiSinGS

الثورة في الشرق األوسط

المملكة العربية السعودية

tunisia

البجرين

مصر

ليبيا

تونس

سوريا

اليمن

األردن

libya

egypt

jordan

syria

bahrain

yemen

saudi arabia

dec. 18 2010

jan. 13 2011

jan. 25 2011

jan. 14 2011

jan. 21 2011

feb. 04 2011

jan. 26 2011

jan. 17 2011

The uprising began in Tunisia and soon spread to Egypt, Libya Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and lightly in some regions in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. government’s reaction varied in every uprising; in Egypt for example the support didn’t come till the last minute, when the uprising showed tremendous success, the protesters were persistent even when they were crushed by the thugs and military under Hosni Mubarak’s command, it didn’t stop them. In places like Libya and Syria, the support was fast. In Libya for example and given the weak relationship with Qaddafi, the U.S. government wanted Libya’s 40 years ruling dictator gone–mostly to gain power over the last region. Not only was Libya’s uprising supported verbally, but also by the U.S. military. The reaction of secretary of state Hillary Clinton after Qaddafi’s capture being: “we saw, we came, he died”, showed the shady intentions of helping Libya’s protestors in the first place. In other places such as Bahrain, the uprising driven by the Bahraini Shiites was crushed with the help of the Saudi regime that’s highly supported by the American government–which reacted in complete silence.


ردة فعل الحكومة األمريكيةu.s. government reAction


The question that remains is what’s next? As I discussed this with many people, it seemed that there’s a lot of skepticism about the future results of this uprising. It took a long while for people to be aware and rise against their dictators, but did they wait enough? Are there enough educated people amongst the Middle East’s protesters to outgo the power of the U.S. In the region? Will the U.S. Government even allow it? There is a lot of questioning and it seems like the only way to know is to wait and see. As a Middle Eastern woman, I strive for the day the Arab world ends its war with Israel, frees itself from its dependency on oil, and end corruption. I believe that it is about time for the richest regions to develop and stop being ranked as third world countries; this change comes from within. It is only when people understand what they deserve and why they deserve to have a choice in everything that this will be accomplished and the Middle East will be free. This can only be achieved through education which leads to awareness. My exploration in this topic began in questioning why the United States is forcing democracy in the Middle East. What is the main motive behind the war in Iraq and the temporary support that fades away as soon as a regime falls? The current events in the Middle East definitely changes the American view of the Middle East, but how? How will that affect its relationship, and what does the Middle East’s future looks like in the next few years?

ماذا يحمل المستقبل؟whAt’s next?

My passion for the topic developed as I experienced both cultures; when I was living in Saudi Arabia, and around the invasion of Iraq, one of the strongest campaigns which still takes place from time to time was forwarded text messages that gave a list of the American products sold in the area and American restaurants for boycott. I believed in it tremendously and thought it was successful, until I moved here. Living in the United States for over 6 years and seeing how people perceive the Middle East showed me how people don’t really care if we; Middle Easterns have McDonalds or Falafel for dinner as long as the supply of oil is running smoothly. Things like: “where is that?” When I said I was from Saudi, is one of the things I heard living here in the United States. Where I lived we watch the news day and night, because that’s how unstable things are, and here I watch the news that doesn’t even pronounce countries right. The common things that stereotype the Middle East were a motive to create something that expresses a different point of view, a Middle Eastern one. There’s a common saying that says: “home is where the heart is,” but I guess to others, home is where the war is.

Boiling Point was printed and bound in USA

English typeface(s):

Trade GothicDesigned by Jackson Burke, 1948

Nexus serif Designed by Martin Majoor, 2004

Arabic typeface(s):

Univers Next Arabic Designed by Adrian Frutiger & Nadine Chahine, 2011

2011 Demah Alsinan, all rights reserved

photo credits

All the images featured in this book were taken by Demah Alsinan except for the pages listed below:

Page 7 Gulf WarPhoto Guy Briselden Flickr

Page 38 Saddam HusseinPhoto by Anonymous

Page 40 Osama Bin LadenPhoto by Anonymous, Associated Press

Page 42 Hosni MubarakPhoto by Amr Nabil, Associated Press

Page 80 Tunisia protestsPhoto by Christophe Ena

Documents

Boiling Point/Book