Tahseen Bashir
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Tahseen Bashir, or Tahsin Basheer, (April 1925 – June 11, 2002) was an Egyptian
He coined several memorable political phrases. Regarding his belief in the centrality of Egypt within the Middle East he opined, "Egypt is the only nation-state in the Arab world; the rest are just tribes with flags".
When asked why the Egyptian
His first wife was Sana Hasan, who eventually moved to Israel and wrote Enemy in the Promised Land (1988) which described her experiences there; they later divorced. His second wife was long-time intimate, Laila Ibrahim Basmy, whom he married barely a month before his death.[1]
Two book titles by
Another version of Bashir’s ‘flag’ quip is: “'When the chips are down, there is only one real place in the entire area – Egypt,' a Cairo diplomat once declared. 'All the rest – forgive me – are tribes with flags.'"[2]
He graduated from Alexandria University, Princeton University, and Harvard University.[3]
References
- ^ Neil MacFarquhar, “Tahseen Bashir, Urbane Egyptian Diplomat, Dies at 77”, The New York Times, June 14, 2002.)
- ^ Tony Horwitz, Baghdad Without A Map (January 1992) p. 51.)
- ^ "Jonathan Frank Whetzel, who played a key".