Andy Carvin

After Two Years In Hiding, A Bahraini Blogger Escapes

Andy Carvin — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:11:00 +0000

The Arab world was aflame in March 2011. Longtime rulers in Tunisia and Egypt had been toppled. NATO was poised to attack Libyan government forces. The Syrian uprising was just beginning. And on the small island nation of Bahrain, the government was cracking down on pro-democracy protesters.

Across Bahrain, protest leaders were rounded up and some were quickly tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. The writing was on the wall for the leaders of the movement, including Ali Abdulemam.

He was perhaps the country's most prominent online activist.

Another Boston Bombing Mystery: Who is @Al_FirdausiA?

Andy Carvin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:22:00 +0000

(Andy Carvin, NPR's senior strategist for social media, sends us this dispatch about a Twitter account that may hold clues in understanding the surviving Boston bombing suspect.)

Social media became a large part of the story last week as amateur sleuths scoured the Internet for clues about the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.

Syrian Activist: 'It's Snowing And We're Shaking Here'

Andy Carvin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:19:00 +0000

According to activists inside and outside Syria, the government's 27-day siege against the opposition stronghold of Baba Amr has now succeeded. Initial reports suggest that forces are entering this neighborhood in the city of Homs, but details are sketchy at best because most of the reporters and citizen journalists covering the story have either fled or died.

One man, though, continues to bear witness.

On The Syrian Border, Getting Too Close Could Get You Shot

Andy Carvin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Our car pulled over along a deserted traffic circle in a small Jordanian village. An old man freshly covered in thick, wet sleet climbed into the back seat, his cold breath reeking of cigarettes.

"This is Khaled," my Syrian contact said. "He will show us to the border."

It took the better part of today to get from Amman, Jordan, to the Syrian border. A freak rain storm followed by a sudden blizzard had turned what should have been a two-hour drive into something much worse, as Jordanians seem to drive in snow as poorly as my fellow Washingtonians do.

Gadhafi's Compound, Slowly Being Erased From History

Andy Carvin — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 23:46:00 +0000

"I don't know why the traffic is like this," he said. "It's Friday just before prayers; where are all these people going?"

My friend Emad and I had been driving around the perimeter of Bab al-Azizia, Gadhafi's notorious compound just outside downtown Tripoli. It was here that NATO concentrated many of its bombing runs, as did President Reagan in the 1980s. Now the outer walls are a crumbling mess, covered with anti-Gadhafi graffiti.

It probably would have been faster for us to walk than drive at this point, but there was still nowhere to park.