Search Results for: kurdistan

The View From Your Window Contest: Winner #109

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A reader writes:

My first thought was California, a military or student housing facility within view of the scrubby hillsides. The signage at the end of the of the long low-slung buildings indicates an institution, and the skimpy back "patios" indicate a temporary workmanlike housing situation. There also appears to be nobody but young men in the picture.

But the lawns are too well-kempt for students, and image searches of military housing (even temporary) seems to be multi-story and somewhat more tacked on to the scenery. I'm looking half-assedly at military bases and other candidate locations in Colorado, Arizona, California, Utah, New Mexico, Hawaii (for some reason), Nevada and not finding any other clues. I'm hesitant to even peek into the rabbit holes of lands abroad – Israel? Spain? The colorful building in the background isn't turning up in any image searches, either, so I'm pretty low on clues.

I throw up my hands! Based solely on the fact that the hill in the background looks kind of like a hill in an Albuquerque real estate photo that popped up in my search, I'm gonna go with the Duke City on this one.

Another writes:

The low-slung hills and hazy sky suggest Korea in late Spring or early Summer, just before the rainy season.  The buildings in the background also look like the kind of architecture that proliferated in the country during the rebuilding phase following the Korean War.  The buildings in the foreground look like barracks, but I don't believe that it could be a base belonging to the Korean military, as Korean bases are typically treeless expanses of dirt and the space in the photo has clearly been heavily landscaped.  As such, I'm going to guess that this is an American base in the Republic of Korea, though never having had base access during my time in the country, I couldn't say which base in particular. I'm going to guess Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do, ROK. Am I close?

Closer than Albuquerque. Another:

This is a bit of a guess, but I’m going to take a stab at Isfahan in Iran. First, he mountains around the city look a lot like those around Palm Springs, in fact there are more than a few similarities between the two places. Secondly, that structure top right could be one of the many bridges across the river, maybe Allahverdi Khan bridge. Thirdly, there looks to be a blue dome, top left in the distance, there are bunch of these all over the city, as you can see from the picture below also. In addition, the radiotower is consistent (although not exclusive to Iran), the only people to be seen are dressed in trousers and shirts as opposed to shorts and t-shirts (again consistent but not exclusive) and appear to be dark haired men. Not sure what the building is, maybe a school or some kind of dormitory.

Getting warm. Another from Iran:

At first glance I thought this would be an easy one, but upon closer look it's one of the toughest yet!  My guess is Tehran.  The mountains look similar, it may be some type of boarding school or a residential part of a military base.  What throws me off is whatever is on the distant mountain on the left – I thought it was some type of oil field but it almost looks like a windfarm up there with a bunch of towers, so I think it could just as easily see it be in the American West or Mexico.  I'm just hoping all my Google searches for "oil field installations on a mountain near Tehran" didn't put me on the No-Fly list!

Another:

Islamabad, Pakistan?

Warmer:

It is testament to the Dish’s diverse readership that you can find someone to give us a view of what might be a minimum security prison in the Americas.  Or is this a university on the outskirts of a formerly troubled district in the Middle East?   How about a hotel complex in Morocco?  That’s how befuddled I am this week.  I like when a View initially appears as if it could be on any of three or more continents.  I hate it when I can’t narrow it down – even 20  minutes into sleuthing around.  I’m going with Iraqi Kurdistan because it’s a place with increasing press about new development, the colorful modern buildings in the background fits a little, and the sparsely forested foothills topography could work.  But I’d only give myself a 10% chance of being within 1,000 miles of the actual location.  Looking forward to the reveal.     

It's right after the jump:

The View From Your Window Contest: Winner #88

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by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

This week's VFYW reminds me very strongly of where I lived and worked in the early 1990s – Muscat, Oman.  I lived in an apartment complex called Hatat House and the view to the east was of jagged hills arising out of the surrounding plain and the area, a neighborhood called Ruwi, was developed right up to the foot of those hills.  Sadly, this was before digital cameras and I have few pictures from that time, and Google Earth doesn't offer a lot of confirming evidence since Street View hasn't arrived there yet.

Another writes:

The sparse mountains look like Kurdistan, and the cement constructed houses are typical of the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq.  The photographer could be in one of the new, Turkish-built apartment buildings.  The sliding door and small balcony are characteristic.  I'm gonna guess Sulaimania, though in truth this could probably be anywhere in the region.

Another:

Roxborough State Park, Colorado – or really close to that.  Never participated before and I don't have the cartographic acumen like so many of your readers, but I've biked enough around those great rocks to know them.

Another:

So I am watching the golf tournament and I see a shot of a mountain with some kind of odd observatory on the top of it. (Watching golf, in Carlin's words, is "like watching flies fuck", so I decided to check out your site and this may be the only time I will ever get one of these right.) I don't google, I don't get earth shots like the rest of the VFYW-philes, but I believe it's in Arizona. When I hit info on my TV they say this tournament is called the Phoenix Open, in Scottsdale. So there's my answer. I never do these contests, but if I'm a winner, I'd much rather have your book on the cannabis closet than the VFYW book.

Another:

Finally! One I can answer.

His Own War

Michael Hastings argues that before Libya, Obama's foreign­ policy decisions were based on the mistakes of the Bush era, "predicated on a foreign-policy doctrine with which he fundamentally disagreed":

[Libya] was the first war he started on his own – and the success of the Libyan rebellion is largely the result of the decisions he made at the very outset of the uprising. … Insiders say Obama laid out five guiding principles for any intervention in Libya: "that it be effective, multilateral, follow international law, put no American boots on the ground, and pursue a well-defined, achievable goal."

This interaction is illuminating:

The View From Your Window Contest: Winner #68

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A reader writes:

I never spend any time on VFYW, except for reading people's entries. But I looked at this photo and finally felt that shock of recognition. I'll bet a lot of money that's California, probably South Bay, somewhere south of San Francisco, near the 101, north of San Jose. Those mountains, the blue sky, the intense construction, the pervasive signs of car culture – it is an intensely Californian scene, possibly SoCal but I'll bet on San Mateo, Redwood City, something like that.  

Good luck to me! I want to appear in the initial surge of people getting it kind of right, another "Another." ;)

Another writes:

I've never entered the contest before, but I would swear that the view looks like Salt Lake City, UT. I was just there for a convention, and it looks like the area near the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel next to Temple Square, where I stayed. I'm not nearly good enough to guess and provide you with maps or other photos … oh well, so much for my first try!

Another:

The last time I had a feeling about southern Africa and ignored it, I was right (Luanda, Angola). So despite some evidence to the contrary (trees look vaguely northern, parking spots on the left suggest driving on the right, etc) I'm going to throw out Windhoek, Namibia.  I spent a semester studying there my junior year of college, and the mountains in the background, as well as the couple of red-roofed buildings, jumped out at me as being characteristic of Windhoek.

Another:

I feel like the hills and sorts of buildings in the background are similar to Windhoek, Namibia. If not, I'm thinking it's somewhere in Central Asia, Mongolia, or Chinese desert/mountain provinces such as Inner Mongolia. The statue really suggested to me Mongolia at first, as it seemed somewhat Soviet in style.

Another:

The picture has "Former Russian State" written all over it. I don't know why. Mainly, I think, because I spent time in the Russian Far East, and my hostess was from Kazakhstan. I thought, oh hell, let's do a Google image search for cities in Kazakhstan. I came up with some buildings and views that looked almost exactly like the city of Aktobe. If it's not Kazakhstan, then it has to be somewhere in the Middle East or Central Asia. Kind of has a Dubai vibe.

A professor writes:

The window in question is the capitol building in Baton, Rouge Louisiana. The statue is of Huey Long.

The “Do Something” Brigade

Hitchens wants intervention in Libya. His strongest point: The wealth that Qaddafi is squandering is the by-product of decades of collusion with foreign contractors. The weapons that he is employing against civilians were not made in Libya; they were sold to him by sophisticated nations. Other kinds of weaponry have been deployed by Qaddafi in … Continue reading The “Do Something” Brigade

Debating Israel-Palestine III

In my NETANYAHUJimHollander:AFP:Getty refuses to accept or embrace.

You can put this self-defeating posture down to a hardening of Israeli attitudes after the withdrawals from Gaza and Lebanon (which led to further attacks, not peace); or to the increasing power and clout of the Israeli religious right (which sees occupation of Judea and Samaria as theologically necessary); or to the reflexive support of Israel's government (of whichever coalition) by the American Jewish Establishment, which fails to grasp how central a two-state solution is to America's broader foreign policy goals, and how dangerous the status quo is to Israel's survival as a Jewish state.

Or you can go one better and cite all of these factors in various degrees and mixtures, along with intangibles like Netanyahu's personality, the effectiveness of sanctions against Iran, etc.

Or you can go one further and question the premise behind Israel's current public posture: that Iran really does pose an existential threat to Israel unknown since Hitler, and that this has to be dealt with before any deal with the Palestinians, and start your analysis all over.

Jeffrey Goldberg's essay sure does offer a lot of evidence for the power of the idea of an Iranian "Auschwitz" to scramble the rationality of the Israeli public and elites. And yet, oddly enough, his reported essay convinced me Israelis may – understandably – feel such a threat at a deep level but that most of the sane ones do not actually believe that an Iranian breakout capacity for a nuclear bomb would be the end of Zionism. And once you grasp this, the irrationalism of their intransigence on the West Bank becomes even starker.

Even Netanyahu rules out the idea of Tehran suddenly nuking Tel Aviv:

“Several bad results would emanate from this single development [Iran's nuclear bomb breakout]. First, Iran’s militant proxies would be able to fire rockets and engage in other terror activities while enjoying a nuclear umbrella. This raises the stakes of any confrontation that they’d force on Israel. Instead of being a local event, however painful, it becomes a global one. Second, this development would embolden Islamic militants far and wide, on many continents, who would believe that this is a providential sign, that this fanaticism is on the ultimate road to triumph."

We can, I think, roll our eyes a little at the latter fear. Jihadists, as we well know, can interpret anything as a providential sign of their eventual triumph. And the occupation of the West Bank is easily a more effective recruitment tool for largely Sunni terrorists to fight the West than a Shiite nuclear bomb. The former fear is, in contrast, perfectly legitimate, but not existential. Yes, a nuclear Iran would become even more emboldened – especially after the US spent a trillion dollars destroying the most viable counter-weight, Iraq. Yes, this could lead to some wealthy Arab states' appeasing the new regional power, or seeking their own nuclear balance; yes, it could galvanize Hezbollah and Hamas; and it could undermine confidence in Israel's long-term survival.

But none of that amounts to an existential threat – and that matters:

“The real threat to Zionism is the dilution of quality,” [Ehud Barak] said. “Jews know that they can land on their feet in any corner of the world. The real test for us is to make Israel such an attractive place, such a cutting-edge place in human society, education, culture, science, quality of life, that even American Jewish young people want to come here.” This vision is threatened by Iran and its proxies, Barak said. “Our young people can consciously decide to go other places,” if they dislike living under the threat of nuclear attack. “Our best youngsters could stay out of here by choice.”

If this truly is the real fear, then it seems to me, at best, highly hyperbolic to equate it with another Auschwitz. In fact, the whole scenario seems rather obviously manipulative. "If you don't bomb Iran, you'll be responsible for a Second Holocaust" is not the argument a sober and rational ally should make to its indispensable benefactor. It's a form of moral and emotional blackmail.

The Iraq Tragedy

It tells you something about the laws of unintended consequences (something missing from the neocon handbook) that the man they championed as Iraq's "democratic" leader, Nouri al-Maliki, recently went to Beirut to pay his respects to a Hezbollah mullah regarded as a terrorist by the neocon chorus. It also tells you something that the neocon … Continue reading The Iraq Tragedy