Max Rodenbeck

Last updated
Max Rodenbeck at the Woodrow Wilson Center Max Rodenbeck HD.jpg
Max Rodenbeck at the Woodrow Wilson Center

Max Rodenbeck (born 1962 [1] ) is a British/American journalist and author based in Berlin . [2] He is Berlin Bureau Chief for The Economist magazine, where he has written on international affairs for more than 30 years. [3] He was previously The Economist's South Asia Bureau Chief in New Delhi from 2016-2022 and Middle East Bureau Chief in Cairo from 2000-2015. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Cairo: The City Victorious, regarded as one of the best single-volume biographies of the city available, and is a contributor to the New York Review of Books , [4] the New York Times [5] and Foreign Policy magazine. [6] He has been described as "one of the foremost experts on today’s Middle East". [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Max Rodenbeck was born in Charlottesville, Virginia to a British mother and American father. [7] His family moved to Cairo when he was 2 years old, and he was raised between Egypt, Britain and the US. [8] Following boarding school in Massachusetts, he studied Arabic and Islamic History at the American University in Cairo.

Writing

Journalism

Rodenbeck started writing in the English-language press in Egypt in the 1980s, and also contributed to a number of tour guides such as the Insight series volumes on Cairo, Egypt and The Nile. He began covering Egypt and the Middle East as a stringer for The Economist in 1988, while also writing as a freelancer for the Financial Times, Middle East International, The Cairo Times and numerous other publications. In 2000 he was appointed Middle East Bureau Chief for The Economist, covering the region from Iran to Morocco. [9] During his 15 [10] years in the post he covered events ranging from the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the US occupation of Iraq, [11] to the failed revolutions of 2009 in Iran, [12] and the Arab Spring in 2011. [13] Notably, Rodenbeck's reportage in 2010 correctly predicted the eruption of the Arab Spring. [14] Since January 2016 he has been South Asia Bureau Chief for The Economist, based in Delhi.

Cairo: The City Victorious

Rodenbeck's historical portrait of Egypt's capital, Cairo: The City Victorious, was first published by Picador in the UK, and Alfred A. Knopf in New York, where it met wide critical acclaim. The work "traces the life of Cairo from birth...through the heights of medieval splendor, and on to the present day". [15] In its review of the book, The Washington Post Book World described 'Cairo' as "an enormously entertaining read… Rodenbeck's lively and affectionate portrait…veers easily between past and present, personal and historical." [16] The book was cited as "a book to read" by the New York Review of Books, [17] as one of the five best travel books of the year by The Sunday Times, and "the most authoritative and entertaining read on the convoluted and picturesque 1000-year history of the Egyptian capital” by Lonely Planet. [15] Cairo: The City Victorious has since been translated into eight languages.

Media Appearances and Fellowships

Rodenbeck has been interviewed on Charlie Rose, [18] with Christiane Amanpour on CNN, [19] on National Public Radio (NPR), [20] The Wire (India), [21] as well as The Economist Radio, and podcasts such as The Arabist. [22] Rodenbeck has also been a regular panelist at the annual Jaipur Literary Festival in Rajasthan, India, and was a visiting fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC in 2015. [23]

Related Research Articles

The American University in Cairo is a private research university in New Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, along with a continuing education program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kermit Roosevelt Jr.</span> American intelligence officer (1916–2000)

Kermit "Kim" Roosevelt Jr. was an American intelligence officer who served in the Office of Strategic Services during and following World War II. A grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, Roosevelt went on to establish American Friends of the Middle East and then played a lead role in the CIA's efforts to overthrow Mohammad Mosaddegh, the democratically elected Majlis-appointed prime minister of Iran, in August 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Copeland Jr.</span> American espionage agent, musician, and businessman (1916–1991)

Miles Axe Copeland Jr. was an American musician, businessman, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) founding member best known for his relationship with Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser and his public commentary on intelligence matters. Copeland participated in numerous covert operations, including the March 1949 Syrian coup d'état and the 1953 Iranian coup d'état.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed El-Erian</span> Egyptian-American businessman

Mohamed Aly El-Erian is an Egyptian-American economist and businessman. He is President of Queens' College, Cambridge, and chief economic adviser at Allianz, the corporate parent of PIMCO where he was CEO and co-chief investment officer (2007–14). He was chair of President Obama's Global Development Council (2012–17), and is a columnist for Bloomberg View, and a contributing editor to the Financial Times.

Ethar El-Katatney is a Saudi Arabian-born Egyptian journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis J. Ricciardone Jr.</span> American diplomat

Francis Joseph Ricciardone Jr. is a former President of the American University in Cairo. Ambassador Ricciardone was the United States ambassador to Turkey between 2011 and 2014. Previously he was Deputy Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was also on leave from the U.S. Department of State as a guest scholar at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He has served as U.S. Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt (2005–2008), the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Palau (2002–2005). As a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, he received U.S. government and other organization awards for his work in foreign policy and program management, political reporting and analysis, and peacekeeping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang G. Schwanitz</span> German-American Middle East historian (born 1955)

Wolfgang G. Schwanitz is a German-American Middle East historian. He is a specialist in comparative studies of modern international relations between the United States, the Middle East, and Europe. Schwanitz is known for his research on relations between Arabs, Jews, and Germans, and on the history of German relations with the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khairy Pasha Palace</span> Neo-Mameluk building in Cairo, Egypt

Khairy Pasha Palace is a neo-Mameluk building and former palace of Khairy Pasha, located on 113 Qasr El Eyni Street, in Tahrir Square, Cairo. It served as the American University in Cairo's Tahrir Square campus since 1920 until 2008 when the new campus was inaugurated in New Cairo. The building in the photograph on the right was originally the Girls' School of the Greek Community of Cairo. In 1964 it was sold to the AUC and served as the Greek Campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American University in Cairo Press</span> Academic publisher

The American University in Cairo Press is the leading English-language publisher in the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherif Sonbol</span> Egyptian photographer (1956–2023)

Sherif Sonbol was an Egyptian photographer specialising in architecture, scenic fine arts, and photojournalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hossam el-Hamalawy</span> Egyptian journalist

Hossam el-Hamalawy is an Egyptian journalist, blogger, photographer and socialist activist. He is a member of the Revolutionary Socialists and the Center for Socialist Studies.

Issandr El Amrani is a Moroccan-American political analyst, journalist and commentator who writes about Egypt and the Middle East for British, American and Middle Eastern publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karim Alrawi</span> Writer and playwright

Karim Alrawi is a writer born in Alexandria, Egypt. He has taught at universities in the UK, Egypt, US and Canada. He was an International Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa and taught creative writing at the university's International Writing Program. He was president of Egyptian Pen from 1992 to 1994 replacing Mursi Saad El-Din. He was followed in the position by novelist Gamal El-Ghitani.

Ibrahim Aslan was an Egyptian novelist and short story writer.

Al-Monitor is a news website launched in 2012 by the Arab-American entrepreneur Jamal Daniel. Based in Washington, D.C., Al-Monitor provides reporting and analysis from and about the Middle East. Al-Monitor is the recipient of the International Press Institute’s 2014 Free Media Pioneer Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdel Fattah el-Sisi</span> President of Egypt since 2014

Abd el-Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has served as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. Before retiring as a general in the Egyptian military in 2014, Sisi served as Egypt's deputy prime minister from 2013 to 2014, minister of defense from 2012 to 2013, and director of military intelligence from 2010 to 2012. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in January 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012–2013 Egyptian protests</span> Period of unrest around the 2012 presidential elections and 2013 coup

The 2012–2013 Egyptian protests were part of the crisis in Egypt including the June 2013 protests, the July 2013 coup d'état, and part of the post-coup unrest. They saw varying opposition against three contiguous heads of state; namely, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), Muslim Brotherhood, and the de facto ruling Egyptian Armed Forces.

David D. Kirkpatrick is a writer for The New Yorker. From 2000 to 2022, he was a correspondent for The New York Times, based in New York, Washington, Cairo and London. From 2011 through 2015, he served as the newspaper's Cairo bureau chief and a Middle East correspondent. He has received three Pulitzer Prizes as part of various teams at The New York Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hassan Abdullah</span> Egyptian Governor of The Central Bank of Egypt (born 1960)

Hassan Abdallah is an Egyptian financier. He is the current governor of the Central Bank of Egypt. He previously held the chief executive officer position of the Arab African International Bank (AAIB), a regional financial services institution that was Egypt's first Arab multinational bank. Abdalla joined the AAIB in 1982 and, by 2002, had become CEO. In parallel to his executive mandate, Abdalla has also been an adjunct finance professor at the American University in Cairo (AUC) for the past 18 years. In August 2022, Hassan Abdallah was appointed as the new acting governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) by presidential decree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rania Al-Mashat</span> Egyptian economist and politician

Rania El-Mashat is an Egyptian economist and politician who is the country's current Minister of International Cooperation and former Minister of Tourism from 2018 until December 2019. She previously held high level positions at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC and at the Central Bank of Egypt.

References

  1. ↑ "Rodenbeck, Max, 1962- - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress, from LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)".
  2. ↑ "Max Rodenbeck".
  3. 1 2 "'Economist' Writer to Discuss Transition in Middle East | University of Central Florida News". 31 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Rodenbeck, Max. "A Mighty Wind". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Rodenbeck, Max (25 June 2010). "The Muslim Past". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Rodenbeck, Max. "The Day After: Egypt". Foreign Policy. Foreign Policy Magazine. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  7. ↑ Jobbins, Jenny. "Profile of John Rodenbeck, Ahram Weekly". Ahram Weekly.
  8. ↑ "The Much More Eternal City". archive.nytimes.com.
  9. ↑ "Max Rodenbeck".
  10. ↑ "The Economist Media Directory". The Economist Group. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Rodenbeck, Max (3 July 2003). "Bohemia in Baghdad". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2 June 2020.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  12. ↑ Rodenbeck, Max (18 June 2009). ""Demanding to be counted: An apparently rigged election is shaking the fragile pillars on which the Iranian republic rests"". The Economist. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "The long wait". The Economist. 17 July 2010.
  14. ↑ "Holding its Breath: a special report on Egypt" (PDF). The Economist. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Cairo: The City Victorious, AUC Press". AUC Press. American University in Cairo Press. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Cairo by Max Rodenbeck: 9780679767275 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com.
  17. ↑ Mortimer, Edward. "The Much More Eternal City". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Journalist Max Rodenbeck of The Economist phones in from Cairo to report on the continued protests in Egypt's Tahrir Square in light of the recent election". Charlie Rose. Charlie Rose Program. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  19. ↑ "Egyptian Vote -- CNN Transcript". CNN. CNN. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  20. ↑ "Money Flows Into Egypt, But Where Does It Come From? Renee Montagne talks to Max Rodenbeck, Middle East correspondent for The Economist". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  21. ↑ "India's Kashmir Decision: What are Its Repercussions for India's International Image? Dr. Happymon Jacob speaks to Max Rodenbeck (South Asia Bureau Chief of the Economist) about the international reactions to the situation in Jammu & Kashmir". YouTube. The Wire. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  22. ↑ El Amrani, Issandr. "Max Rodenbeck on Iran". The Arabist. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  23. ↑ "Wilson Center Profile: Max Rodenbeck". Woodrow Wilson Center. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.