Elisabeth Kendall
@Dr_E_Kendall
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The Mistress/President of Girton College, Cambridge University. Arabist & Middle East specialist (militant jihad; Yemen; Arabic poetry). No ivory towers here...
Joined July 2012
@JohnJCrace @guardian I was getting a falafel sandwich in #Beirut last night. Falafel guy "Where you from?".Me "Britain".Falafel guy falls about laughing "Here to monitor the protests? [I'm not, but we were speaking Arabic] Look at your own mess! [more laughs]".So much for British soft power. .
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This is deeply disturbing. In today's @Guardian podcast, @GuardianAnushka speaks in depth to @carolecadwalla & @shahmiruk on how #VoteLeaveBrokeTheLaw, then tried to undermine the whistle-blower. The rot appears to go to the heart of government. #Brexit
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Not that anyone was wondering. "Why I became a #jihad #poetry critic".#Yemen #AQAP @Politics_Oxford @PembrokeOxford.
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Just had a WhatsApp from a tribesman in #Yemen's north-east deserts, checking to see if I'm ok. Apparently they've just heard news of how many Brits🇬🇧 are dying from #CoronaVirus. How lovely is that?. I wish Brits were equally worried about what Yemenis 🇾🇪 are dying from. .
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#Yemen: Finally something that the Houthis, STC & Hadi government can all agree on. All 3 rival power structures have released warm words of respect, appreciation & condolence on the passing of #Oman's #SultanQaboos. It's hard to imagine any other world leader achieving this
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I spoke to BBC News about why #Yemen's #Houthis are doing what they're doing in the #RedSea. (Live from @GirtonCollege @Cambridge_Uni)
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UK #Parliament is currently in an emergency debate on #Yemen. Turnout is disgraceful. This is how the House Chamber looks right now. British voters do care about famine, cholera, blockade, sale of UK weapons that *may* kill civilians, atrocities on all sides. Why don't our MPs?
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Excellent news: Journalist Adel al-Hasani released after 6 months horrific detention in #Yemen. Well done to the MANY who raised his case privately, and also to public voices incl @hrw @RoKhanna @guardian @patrickwintour @HuffPost @AkbarSAhmed @CNN @theintercept @SuaadS (old pic)
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Strongly disagree with views aired in @Guardian & @BBCNewsnight that revoking #ISIS bride #ShamimaBegum's citizenship is racist. UK Home Secretary (himself of Pakistani Muslim heritage) acted -rightly or wrongly- because she opted to join ISIS not because of her Bangladeshi roots.
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Flags at UK royal residences & government buildings are flying half-mast today to mark the passing of #SultanQaboos. The special relationship between #Britain & #Oman - and our monarchs - is long & enduring. All respect to Oman for a swift & smooth transition to Sultan Haitham
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Latest #alQaeda paper just out. Congrats #SteveBannon for being lead story with headline "the war is with #Islam as a religion". Yes, a gift
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The #Yemen war could be heading into a new phase focused on the south. There are both regional & international interests at play. Read this important new article by @gregorydjohnsen for @GulfStatesInst
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The UK's new #EducationMinister puts out a statement in which 5 of the 7 sentences contain grammatical errors. My 11 year old niece could do a better job.
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UK Foreign Minister's defence of #Brexit in @WashingtonPost is embarrassing.-We survived World War 2 (Not reassuring).-Our mighty int'l standing remains (No. But anyway Brexit hasn’t happened yet).-We have a nuclear deterrent (Hopefully this is irrelevant).
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Alleged new #AQAP statement claiming to lead fight vs Houthis in Bayda #Yemen is fake (or at best a rogue splinter). Here's why.-Numbered statements fell out after 2017.-Header has been grey since 9/2020.-Was not issued on official wire.-Omits footer.-No parallel CE date.-Style. .
#البيضاء .⓵.تنظيم فاعدة الجهاد في جزيرة العرب-ولاية البيضاء يصدر بيانا يؤكد ان التنظيم هو من يقاتل في جبهتي الزاهر والصومعه كقوة اساسيه ولا وجود لقوات هادي فيها كما اكدت لكم اكثر من مرة سابقا.
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#Yemen: So impressed that tribes in the deserts of #Mahra decided to postpone their annual #camel race. They sent me a WhatsApp saying they want to help limit #CoronaVirus spread. Ten years ago they had barely heard of the internet. Here's a pic of the event a few years back
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Seven years ago today, PhD student Giulio #Regeni was abducted whilst conducting fieldwork in #Egypt. He was tortured and murdered. His killers have not been brought to justice. We will never forget. #veritapergiulioregeni .
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Eight years ago today, our PhD student #GiulioRegeni was abducted whilst conducting fieldwork in #Egypt. He was tortured and murdered. Justice has yet to be done. Today we unveiled a plaque for Giulio. We will never forget. #veritapergiulioregeni .
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This breaking news is hard to digest. #UAE court has just sentenced British student Matthew Hedges to life in prison for spying. He was researching UAE foreign policy for his PhD.
BREAKING: UAE appeals court sentences UK PhD student Matthew Hedges to life in prison for spying and supplying sensitive information to external actors
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The final, and most spectacular, of my snapshots of Arabic road signs. Can someone please make this into a T-shirt?
And here's another one. Remember: it's a description, not an instruction.
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What an incredible welcome from Cambridge University's @GirtonCollege. I feel very privileged to be here. The "Installation of the Mistress" was a truly memorable and magnificent ceremony!.
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As reports come in of another missile strike by #Yemen's #Houthis on a vessel in the #RedSea, here's why US-UK strikes are unlikely to act as a deterrent. (From an earlier interview with Germany's DW, live from @GirtonCollege, @Cambridge_Uni)
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Following @realDonaldTrump's controversial tweet on #GolanHeights, the UK government does not mince its words:."The UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by #Israel. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law".
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GOOD: UK Parliament focuses on #Yemen for 2nd time this week with 3.5 hour Yemen debate today. BAD: I calculate that only 3% of MPs attended
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When I first crossed this desert border between #Yemen & #Oman before the war, there was barely a vehicle in sight. Now the "no man's land" between them is a massive jam of trucks heading *into* Yemen. No wonder rival groups seek to control this lucrative entry point.#WarEconomy
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No, @ForeignPolicy, it is not "Time for Peace Talks with #IslamicState & #alQaeda". This would bestow legitimacy on groups that the vast majority of locals abhor. Far better to address the deep grievances that drive people to join them in the first place.
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3 weeks ago, an #alQaeda-linked media organisation put out an ad for translators. Their English site has now launched. But I suggest the jihadists review their interview process. If they weren't already going down for #terrorism, they should all be arrested for grammatical crimes
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Gorgeous #Girton: it was minus 6 this morning, jogging around @GirtonCollege @Cambridge_Uni in the frost!
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Nice one @Facebook. You've removed my piss-take of #alQaeda's Xmas message. Yet in May, when I reported the Facebook page hosting 57 full issues of alQaeda's hate-filled newspaper, you told me you couldn't find anything wrong with it. #ChristmasTurkey
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This is significant. The #alQaeda newspaper, al-Masra, has today been resurrected after 16-month gap. Leads with #Khashoggi. #Jihadist journalism take is that #Saudi is finding scapegoats to appease America & Crown Prince is a "murderer". Story makes it onto 4 of the 8 pages
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Re. the security breach of 🇺🇸US #Yemen war plans: It seems I've been attributing the US administration with a level of logic and insight that it may not in fact possess. Leaving aside the incompetence of the breach and the abhorrent use of playful emojis to celebrate bombs that.
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Awkward. #AlQaeda fan channels quieten down about #MunichAttack on news of killer's Iranian descent (hence he could be Shiite & their enemy).
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Former hostage Terry Waite was asked by @Channel4News for ways of coping with #isolation. For the record, STAYING AT HOME is not comparable to being kidnapped in Beirut & held captive by #Hezbollah for 5 years. Please can the media stop stoking hysteria. #LockdownNow #COVIDー19
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2/ For more analysis on how the relationship between #Yemen's Houthis and so-called #ISIS has evolved, read my paper for @NewlinesInst (especially section 3) here:.
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Yes, the threat of #Yemen's #Houthis & #alQaeda collaborating is real but it's neither new nor unique. Three important points:.1. The Houthis have a history of doing business with #AQAP when needs must.2. There's evidence they did the same with #ISIS 2018-20.3. The Houthis are.
🔴 Iran-backed rebels providing weapons to former enemies and doing prisoner swaps in fight to overthrow secessionists in south, experts say. Read more 👇.
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Shocking: UK government to resume #ArmsSales to #Saudi for use in #Yemen after finding no "pattern" of violations. Well here's a pattern: For 5 years in a row, the @UN Expert Panel has reported Saudi violations in Yemen. Extracts below from UN Report 2020 are just the latest.
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If you want to understand what is going on with the #Taliban and #Afghanistan, listen to this excellent #podcast. @ColeBunzel @HooverInst talks to @asfandyarmir @StanfordCISAC. These two experts have it covered.
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I'm deeply honoured (and utterly thrilled!) to have been elected to an Honorary Fellowship @PembrokeOxford. Huge thanks 🙏. So happy we'll be keeping our link alive after I move to "the other place" (@GirtonCollege, @Cambridge_Uni)!.
We are delighted to share that @Dr_E_Kendall has been elected to an Honorary Fellowship at Pembroke College! This is in recognition of her distinguished academic career as a British Arabist & her services to the College and its community. Read more here:
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Re US claims yday of #Iran's role in #Yemen, note.-Iran wasn't the military game-changer for the Houthis 2014-15. Former Pres Saleh was, bringing with him c.2/3 of Yemeni military.-Houthi grievances were domestically generated.-#Saudi-led campaign has assisted not diminished Iran
Nikki Haley claims that the U.N. has obtained “undeniable” evidence that Iran supplied Yemeni insurgents with missiles and other arms. But U.N. Secretary General Antonion Guterres reached no such conclusion.
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Arabists know to ignore #Google Translate. This really useful article by D. M. Varisco lists quality #Arabic dictionaries now available online. No need to march around clutching 10 volumes of Lisan al-'Arab. #Languages.
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#Saudi Minister assures the world that the investigation into #Khashoggi's killing will show it was a rogue operation. I'm sure it will. But the whole point of an investigation is that one isn't supposed to know the result in advance.
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A government that vets guest speakers for potentially critical views is disturbing. The carefully framed rationale may sound acceptable but I'm sceptical (I've experienced it). And don't forget: these are the folks lecturing universities on free speech.
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#Yemen: As if cholera & diptheria were not enough, measles is now spreading among children. War/blockade has disrupted vaccines/medicine & food shortage has weakened immunity. Measles is not "normally" fatal. But if vaccines & medicine can't get through, children will die.
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#Germany has again extended its ban on weapons exports to #SaudiArabia. It was due to end Sunday. Germany also called on #France & #Britain (who had pressured it to lift the ban) to ensure their weapons are not used by Saudi in #Yemen.
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My new article on #IslamicState in #Yemen (ISY) covers 4 questions.1/Why did ISY fail to take root?.2/What are its challenges?.3/What's behind ISY's recent conflict with #AQAP?.4/Where next for ISY?.Abstract attached. Or read it all for free via this link:
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My new piece for @WashInstitute explains how #alQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula may be changing. Please read it. All of it!.#AQAP #Yemen.
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#AlQaeda seizes the moment to release new 83-page issue of "One Ummah" magazine - in English. That's significant as it focuses on current challenges like.▪️#BlackLivesMatter protests.▪️#Covid_19.▪️Economic downturn.Frames these as religious issues generated by infidel regimes
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So here we have a #Christmas message from #alQaeda. Not exactly glad tidings of goodwill. It promises hellfire even for Muslims if they send greetings for this "infidel festival" & retailers if they display Xmas symbols (er, its own message shows a bearded sheikh in a red suit. )
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#ISIS in #Yemen has changed. It is no longer simply a branch of transnational #jihad, but a #proxy in a broader regional power game. I've been tracking this group for years. Here are the results. @CGPdc @PembrokeOxford @UniofOxford.
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Cheeky dress rehearsal for conferring degrees at @Cambridge_Uni's Senate House! (Thanks a million to the Esquire Bedell & Praelector @EMHistoryMaghe . patience is golden!)
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Well done #Oman (again!) for securing another release in #Yemen: Indian priest kidnapped in #Aden 18 months ago by #IslamicState is now free
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It's not often one gets to unpick the #Yemen conflict for several hours on camera. Depressing stuff. Amid all the Ukraine horror, don't forget Yemen. An 8-part documentary series is in the offing.
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UK raises #terrorism threat level to SEVERE. This assessment seems right. After #ViennaTerrorAttack and the spate of attacks in #France, further acts of terror (including copycat attacks) are a real possibility.
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Shameless plug: Brush up your #Arabic this summer with this quick-fix vocab building series, now with audio files for phone/iPod (20% off!)
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10 years ago this week, Hadi was elected #President of #Yemen & recognised by the UK, US & other powers. He's still in place. Now seems an appropriate time to remember that:.1. He was the sole election candidate.2. He was elected for 2 years (2012-14).3. He lives in #SaudiArabia.
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New #AlQaeda video hammers home Zawahiri's flourishing desire for harmony, tolerance & forgiveness. "Together to Allah 3" modestly admits parts1&2 may have been a bit dry. They were. So is this, apart from a bizarre anecdote of a bedouin who urinated in a mosque (he was forgiven)
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When is a #famine not a famine? When it's too hard to access the data to prove it. 🙏 Al Jazeera for the opportunity to highlight #Yemen's ongoing suffering on @AJInsideStory tonight
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Horrifying new #Yemen report launched yesterday by @UNDP & @GermanyUN. Data modelling by @PardeeCenterIFs shows if war continues:.-By end 2019 75% of Yemenis will be in poverty.-By 2020 it will be poorest country in world.-By 2030 95% will be malnourished.
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Nine years ago today, our PhD student #GiulioRegeni was abducted whilst conducting fieldwork in #Egypt. He was tortured and murdered. Justice has yet to be done. On this day, as ever, I lit a candle for Giulio in our chapel. We will never forget. #veritapergiulioregeni
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