Jason Burke
Encyclopedia
Jason Burke is a British
journalist
and the author
of several non-fiction
books. A correspondent
covering South Asia
for The Observer
and The Guardian
, he is based in New Delhi
as of 2010. In his years of journalism, Burke has addressed a wide range of topics including politics, social affairs and culture in Europe
and the Middle East
. He has written extensively on Islamic extremism and, among numerous other conflicts, covered the wars of 2001 in Afghanistan
and 2003 in Iraq
. According to a 2009 article in Asharq Al-Awsat, Burke has been the "first journalist to conduct an interview with President Pervez Musharraf
after he seized power in Pakistan in October 1999" and "the first western journalist to enter the Afghan city of Khost during the US war in Afghanistan".
In 2003, Burke authored Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror
, which was later updated and republished as Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam. Noam Chomsky
described it as the "best book there is" on the Al-Qaeda
. In 2006, he authored On the Road to Kandahar: Travels through Conflict in the Islamic World
.
in 1998 to cover events there and in Afghanistan
. During this period, he also traveled to Baghdad
and Basra
. Around 2000, he was hired by The Observer to serve as its chief foreign correspondent. Since then, he has become the South Asia correspondent for The Guardian, The Observers sister publication, as well. As of 2010, he is based in New Delhi.
Prior to his New Delhi assignment, Burke was based in Afghanistan
, Pakistan
, and Paris
, but his work has taken him to many locations. According to a 2006 book review in The Daily Telegraph
, Burke "is one of the journalistic band of brothers whose job is to get to the trouble spots ahead of the TV crews and show the electronic media what it is all about". His travels have included Gaza
, Kurdistan, Thailand
, Algeria
, and Jordan
, among others.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of several non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books. A correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
covering South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, he is based in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
as of 2010. In his years of journalism, Burke has addressed a wide range of topics including politics, social affairs and culture in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He has written extensively on Islamic extremism and, among numerous other conflicts, covered the wars of 2001 in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and 2003 in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. According to a 2009 article in Asharq Al-Awsat, Burke has been the "first journalist to conduct an interview with President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
after he seized power in Pakistan in October 1999" and "the first western journalist to enter the Afghan city of Khost during the US war in Afghanistan".
In 2003, Burke authored Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror
Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror
Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror is a 2003 book by Jason Burke about the history and goals of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda and a loose amalgam of related groups. Using first-hand descriptions of terrorist camps, Burke attempts to illustrate that the west's misunderstanding of the diversity of...
, which was later updated and republished as Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam. Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
described it as the "best book there is" on the Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. In 2006, he authored On the Road to Kandahar: Travels through Conflict in the Islamic World
On the Road to Kandahar: Travels through Conflict in the Islamic World
On the Road to Kandahar: Travels through Conflict in the Islamic World is a 2007 nonfiction book written by Jason Burke, chief foreign correspondent of The Observer, based on his experiences living and traveling in various Islamic countries around the world...
.
Biography
Burke attended Oxford University. For four years, he held a position as an investigative reporter at the Sunday Times. He relocated to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1998 to cover events there and in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. During this period, he also traveled to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. Around 2000, he was hired by The Observer to serve as its chief foreign correspondent. Since then, he has become the South Asia correspondent for The Guardian, The Observers sister publication, as well. As of 2010, he is based in New Delhi.
Prior to his New Delhi assignment, Burke was based in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, but his work has taken him to many locations. According to a 2006 book review in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Burke "is one of the journalistic band of brothers whose job is to get to the trouble spots ahead of the TV crews and show the electronic media what it is all about". His travels have included Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, Kurdistan, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, among others.