MENAPIA
I was writing about the broader Middle East tonight (i.e., the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) and my language was very unwieldy. The problem is that we don’t have any term that refers to these countries, despite their importance (singly and as a group) for US foreign policy. The Arab world doesn’t work as Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are not Arab countries. The Muslim world doesn’t work because lots of Muslims live outside these countries (think India, Indonesia, and Nigeria). The best I can think of is to use an acronym. Everyone knows MENA (Middle East and North Africa), so how about MENAPIA (Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan)? I like it because it rhymes. MENAPIA, MENAPIA!
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How about CENTCOM? That’s probably not the most appropriate way to think of it. But Barak, just because you live in D.C. does not mean that you have to find an acronym for EVERYTHING. I realize that all Serious Organizations have an acronym but it doesn’t have to be that way! How about “the Hot Zone?” It’s a pun, get it?!
But if we go with acronyms, how about TORTIIATM?
(The Only Region That Is Important At The Moment). Rolls off the tongue.
I get it. I also like “the region where compromise isn’t an option.” No, I don’t love acronyms. In this instance, it would have made writing much easier. Maybe that’s why people use them in the first place. Leaves more real estate on the ppt slide.