This week's recommendations

First, a fine-tuned essay article by David Grossman (NYT), on Israel and his dead son.

Also from NYT is a long article on Iraqi refugees in the Middle East.

Both of the above links were given to me by a close blogger-friend who I hereby sincerely thank!

Another Iraq-article (BBC) takes it's story and grim outlook from a recent Chatham house report. The report itself (Accepting Realities in Iraq) can be found here.

Anna Dahlberg of Swedish Expressen (with whom I rarely agree on ideology or domestic politics, but whose Middle East reporting is poignant and to the point, frequently as a result of actually going there and seeing for herself!) writes on Arabs and democracy, making a powerful plea for that it well within the realm of the possible, if only given a sporting chance.

Finally (as usually!) I want to recommend you Swedish-speakers to listen to tomorrow morning's Konflikt, from Swedish radio P1. It's my favourite programme, and the fact that their staff will chair several interesting panels and debates during this year's Stockholm Re:Orient festival in June only goes to show!

Update Saturday: At WEF in Amman, the crown-prince of Dubai has donated a large sum of money to education in the Middle East, to help bridge the gap to a knowledge society and assist women's literacy and job creation.

Also for Swedish-speakers, I suggest reading this Dagens Nyheter-piece on "Lawrence of Arabia". By the way, I tend to recommend the David Lean-film for those wanting the 20th-century "Middle East history in perspective"-crash course!

Update Sunday, also in Swedish: a Dagens Nyheter op-ed by 4 former Nordic foreign ministers (all today with ICG) on a Nordic role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.