America and the Middle East; Confrontational Engagement

* Abdul Bari Atwan was born on February 17, 1950 in Dair Al-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. After receiving primary school education at the camp, he moved first to Jordan in 1967, and then in Cairo, Egypt. In 1970 he entered Cairo University where he studied journalism and also received a diploma in English-Arabic translation. After his graduation he started work as a journalist, first with the al-Balaagh newspaper in Libya, then with al-Madina in Saudi Arabia. In 1978, he moved to London, where he has lived ever since, and assumed a job with al-Sharq al-Awsat, a major Saudi-owned international daily. In 1980 he set up the London office of al-Madina and in 1984 returned to al-Sharq al-Awsat. In 1989, al-Quds al-Arabi was founded by expatriate Palestinians and Abd al-Bari Atwan was offered the job as editor-in-chief, which he has held since. As editor of al-Quds al-Arabi, Abd al-Bari has become a well-known Arab public figure, and is a regular guest on Dateline London on BBC World, Sky News and CNN World, as well as on several Arabic-language networks. He also holds a Master degree in Political Science from SOAS and is author of two books: “The Secret History of Al Al Qa’eda” and “A country of worlds”.