Gary Johnson was not the only US presidential candidate to make a gaffe when he revealed he didn’t know what Aleppo–Syria’s pre-war largest city presently under siege–was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe last week. And he won’t be the last. Presidential candidates and presidents themselves have made hilarious, head-scratching and ridiculous foreign policy statements since the US was founded. From John McCain singing his desire to bomb Iran back in 2007 to Donald Trump claiming Daesh (ISIS) “honors” Obama last month, here are ten of the best foreign policy gaffes made ...

Many expats agree that the tipping point for acclimating to a new culture is three years. That's three years before you can navigate your way knowlegably around a new major city, command enough of the language to find what you need, and fully absorb the subtle nuances of social mores. But how do you know you've made the shift from visitor to near-native? It's when you don't quite fit back into the place you called home. A Facebook page named "You Know You’ve Been in The Middle East Too Long" ...

Last year, the Hajj celebrations in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia were marred by tragedy . A stampede killed over 2 thousand pilgrims and the collapse of a crane killed dozens more — bringing the Saudi government’s ability to cope with the influx of pilgrims (who number about 3.7 million annually) into question. For Hajj 2016, Saudi Arabia made unprecedented changes to its infrastructure and security in the region. Likely motivated by the fallout of the stampede and crane disasters last year as well as recent bombing attacks ...

Amman, Jordan — The sound of barbells hitting the ground, grunts, old school American hip hop, the latest in Egyptian pop hits and the call to prayer (for which the music stops) emanate from Man’s Fitness Corner . Located across from the Al Husseini mosque in the heart of downtown Amman, this all male gym is different from its West Amman counterparts i n a variety of ways. “People come from Jordan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Germany, Norway, Bangladesh the Philippines, Pakistan; it’s international cause it’s in downtown, and most ...

Three public spaces in downtown Amman have been temporarily re-purposed as platforms to promote Jordanian contemporary design. Supported by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Amman Design Week offers an extraordinary range of talent and experimentation never before displayed as a single "happening". Planned as an annual event to encourage growth in Jordan's design sector, with workshops and lectures that stimulate learning and innovation. A wide range of handcrafted artifacts - many interactive - are showcased at " The Hangar" in Ras el Ain, the Jordan Museum "MakerSpace", and the ...

Alaa Al Shbbli of Syria (L) fights for the ball with Ki Sung Yueng of South Korea (R) during the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between South Korea and Syria at Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Seremban on September 6, 2016. MOHD RASFAN / AFP

In 2012, a pair of Lebanese pals began posting pictures of their travels on social media, featuring themselves poised in mid-air as a way to up visual interest. The spectacular images were riveting, and sharable, and soon Nader Diab and Imad Berro had a "thing" on their hands. They used their nascent fame to spread an unique and important message, inciting travellers to take a more respectful and responsible approach to global adventure . Now "The Globe Jumpers" and their like-minded travelling tribe post spectacular images snapped in the world's ...

Players of United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrate their winning goal against Japan during their football match in the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup at Saitama Stadium on September 1, 2016. KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP

When a fighter in the People’s Protection Units (YPG)-the most prominent Kurdish armed group in Syria-dies, fellow fighters and their supporters say “shahid namrin.” This is Kurdish for “a martyr never dies.” Wanting to fight Daesh (ISIS), it is believed that hundreds have come from abroad to YPG territory in northeast Syria to join the group. They’ve primarily come from Western countries , but also Egypt , China and elsewhere. There has been controversy about how useful the volunteer fighters are , but numerous foreigners are currently fighting in the ...

France made headlines this week for banning the “burkini” , a Sharia-compliant swimsuit worn by practicing Muslims women while swimming in public places. Though the ban was overturned in court, France and the rest of Europe has a long and well-known history of banning “Islamic” clothing like the face veil (niqab) and burka in various locales. France has even taken steps against the headscarf (hijab) as well, which has not earned the country any friends from the Muslim community. Naturally, stories from Europe about banning "Islamic" clothing tend to grab ...

Al-Nasr's starting eleven pose for a group picture during the Asian Champions League quarter-final football match between Qatar's El-Jaish and UAE's Al-Nasr at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on August 24, 2016. KARIM JAAFAR / AFP