Wikipedia

Claude Salhani

Claude Salhani (March 25, 1952 – August 13, 2022) was born in Cairo. He was a Lebanese, French & American photographer for United Press International (UPI) and Reuters news agencies, later head of UPI Photos and UPI Foreign Desk Editor as well as policy expert and author, best known for his photographic reportage of the 23 October 1983 Beirut barracks bombings on the United States Marines.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] During his journalism career, Salhani covered Black September, the Lebanon Civil War, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Dhofar War (Oman), the Iran-Iraq War, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Gulf War, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Czech Velvet Revolution, and the Iraq War (Operation Enduring Freedom) as well as the wider Middle East, Europe, and Africa.[1][3][6]

Claude Salhani
Born(1952-03-25)March 25, 1952
Cairo, Egypt
DiedAugust 13, 2022(2022-08-13) (aged 70)
Paris, France
Occupation(s)Photographer, journalist, editor, author
Years active1981–2022
Employer(s)Sygma, UPI, Reuters, Sipa Press
Known forPulitzer Prize-nominated photos of the 1983 bombing on USMC HQ Beirut

Background

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Claude Salhani was born on March 25, 1952, in Cairo, Egypt. In the 2000s, he earned an MA in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University.[1][6]

Career

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1983 Beirut embassy bombing, photographed by Claude Salhani

In 1970, age 18, Salhani joined An-Nahar and L'Orient-Le Jour newspapers in Beirut.[1][3] He covered clashes between Jordanian and Palestinian forces ("Black September") in Jordan.[1] By 1973, he had joined Sygma photo agency, whose clients included Time and Newsweek magazines, and landed photos on at least two covers of Time (1973,[8] 1975[9]).[1] He worked for Sygma until 1980.[6] In 1981, he became head of UPI Photos for the Middle East; in 1983, he covered the bombing of US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.[1][3] In 1984, he joined Reuters news agency as head of Reuters Photos for Europe, Middle East, and Africa; he lived in Brussels, London, and Paris.[1][6][10][11] In the early 1990s, he moved to Washington, first to head US operations for Sipa Press and then to rejoin UPI as head of Photos through the rest of the 1990s and in 2000 international editor.[1][12] He also served as editor for the Middle East Times and the Washington Times.[1] Later, Salhani became a media analyst for major newspapers and an international television station.[3] He contributed to publications by The National (UAE), the Cato Institute,[13] and American Foreign Service Association. He also appeared on C-SPAN television.[4]

Personal life and death

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Salhani married Cynthia Nuckolls; they had two children, Justin and Isabelle.[1][6]

Salhani had many narrow escapes on the front lines. In 1981, Salhani inside the Reuters building when Israeli artillery hit it and escaped with minor injury.[1][5] On another occasion, a Palestinian splinter group detained him; Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organization secured his release.[1][5] In 1983, while photographing the 1983 bombing of USMC HQ barracks in Beirut, he also helped dig out survivors.[5]

Salhani was personal friends with Gibran Tueni, founder of An-Nahar.[14] He was a mentor to many photographers and journalists, including UPI and Reuters colleagues Martin Sieff,[5] Dalal Saoud,[1] Aline Manoukian,[7] and Jack Dabaghian,[6] all of whom paid tribute to him.

Claude Salhani died age 70 on August 13, 2022, in Paris, France,[1][3][5] and a service was held at Père Lachaise Cemetery.[6]

Awards

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  • Honorary US Marine Corps member for help during the 1983 bombing on USMC HQ Beirut[5]
  • Pulitzer Prize nominee for photographs of the 1983 bombing on USMC HQ Beirut[1]

Legacy

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The US National Portrait Gallery has a photograph of Yasser Arafat by Salhani dated 1974.[15]

Since the 1970s, Salhani's photos, editorials, and personal recollections also became sources for other books on history and policy,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] as well as for his own memoir, Black September to Desert Storm (1998).[24][25][26]

In 1995, US Ambassador David D. Pearce called him "one of the premier photographers of the war in Lebanon."[27] In 2022, UPI colleague Martin Sieff called him "the Willie Mays of journalism – he could – and did do everything well."[5]

Occasionally, Salhani himself appeared as an actor in history, for example Thomas L. Friedman's 1990 book From Beirut to Jerusalem[28] and David Petraeus and Nigel West's 2016 Spycraft Secrets.[29]

Salhani contributed personal photos to US military historians including former US Marine Benis M. Frank in his 1987 book U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982-1984[30] and former US Navy SEAL Chuck Pfarrer in his 2003 book Warrior Soul.[31]

Works

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Books

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Books (Non-Fiction) Authored
  • Black September to Desert Storm : A Journalist in the Middle East (1998)[4][32]
  • While the Arab World Slept: The Impact of the Bush years on the Middle East (2009)[33]
  • Islam Without a Veil: Kazakhstan's Path of Moderation (2011)[34][35][36][37]
Books (Fiction) Authored
  • Inauguration Day: A Thriller (2015)[38][39]

Articles

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Articles for UPI
  • "The other Sept. remembrance" (2002)[40]
  • "Analysis: What is Plan B in the Iraq War?" (2003)[41]
  • "Iraq: One year Later" (2003)[42]
  • "Analysis: Preparing the post-Arafat Era" (2004)[43]
  • "Politics & Policies: Iran a Clear Danger" (2005)[44]
  • "Analysis: Today They Killed My Friend" (2005)[14]
  • "Politics & Policies: Ahmadinejad's Antics" (2005)[45]
  • "Jordanian Role Larger Than First Reported" (2006)[46]
  • "Intelligence Summit Takes Flak" (2007)[47]
  • "Analysis: Outsourcing war is good business" (2007)[48]
Articles for The National (UAE)
  • "Al Jazeera's historic role in Arab political change becomes a news story in itself" (2011)[49]
  • "Hamas cools to Syria as the Arab Spring's tally mounts" (2011)[50]
  • "Fighting an old war on terror requires new coordination" (2011)[51]
  • "Turkey takes a leading role in the region but not everyone applauds" (2011)[52]
Articles for the Washington Times
  • "Lebanon on a Tinderbox" (2006)[53]
  • "Kazakhstan assumes presidency of Europe security group" (2010)[54]
  • "Kazakh official warns against quitting Afghanistan" (2010)[55]
  • "Kazakh crackdown on media exposes vulnerabilities" (2010)[56]
  • "Revolt in Central Asia" (2010)[57]
  • "Key player in nuclear, Afghan security" (2010)[58]
  • "Is Iran behind an attempted coup?" (2010)[59]
Articles for the Cato Institute
  • "The Syria Accountability Act: Taking the Wrong Road to Damascus" (2005)[60]
Articles for Foreign Service Journal
  • "Resolving the Palestine Question" (2003)[61]
Articles for The National Interest
  • "Olmert's Secret Weapon: Prime Minister Deployed a Boomerang" (2006)[62]
  • "Live from Lebanon" (2006)[63]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Saoud, Dalal (22 August 2022). "Claude Salhani, former UPI photographer in Beirut, dies at 70". United Press International (UPI). Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Bio". Mideast Reviews. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Passing of Photographer Claude Salhani (Arabic)". AnNahar. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Claude Salhani". C-SPAN. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Sieff, Martin (17 August 2022). "Tribute to the great journalist Claude Salhani". Global Policy Institute. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Dabaghian, Jack (26 August 2022). "Une figure emblématique du photojournalisme: Claude Salhani (1952–2022)". A l'oeil [Gratis]. Puech. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b Manoukian, Aline (26 August 2022). ""Farewell handsome guy": Claude Salhani". A l'oeil [Gratis]. Puech. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  8. ^ "American Jews and Israel". Time. 10 March 1975. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  9. ^ "War on Terrorism". Time. 31 October 1977. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Reuters Appoints 5 Editors To Run News Photo Service". New York Times. 4 December 1984. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Editor & Publisher". Editor & Publisher Co. 1985. p. 40. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  12. ^ News Media Yellow Book. Monitor Leadership Directories. 2006. p. 43. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  13. ^ "A Changing World: Moscow, Iraq, the EU" (PDF). Cato Policy Report. Cato Institute: 4. 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  14. ^ a b Salhani, Claude (12 December 2005). "Analysis: Today They Killed My Friend". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Yasser Arafat". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  16. ^ Chami, Joseph G. (1977). Days of Tragedy: Lebanon 75-76. J. Chaim - G. Castoriades. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  17. ^ The Arabs: People and Power. Encyclopedia Britannica / Bantam Books. 1978. p. 252. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  18. ^ Rodgers, Harrell R.; Harrington, Michael (1981). Unfinished Democracy: The American Political System. Scott, Foresman. p. 611. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  19. ^ Chafets, Zeʼev; Ḥēfeṣ, Ze'ev (1985). Double Vision: How the Press Distorts America's View of the Middle East. Morrow. pp. 72, 326 (fn9). Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  20. ^ Cooley, John K. (1991). Payback: America's Long War in the Middle East. Brassey's. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  21. ^ Bulliet, Richard W. (1992). Crisis in the Middle East. Grolier. p. 92. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  22. ^ Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier. 1996. pp. 669–670. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  23. ^ Nourizadeh, N. (2014). The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. AuthorHouse. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  24. ^ ibn ʻAbd al-Ghanī Nawāwī, Muḥammad; El-Nawawy, Mohammed (2002). The Israeli-Egyptian Peace Process in the Reporting of Western Journalists. Ablex. p. xiv. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  25. ^ Bird, Kai (2014). The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames. Crown, May. pp. 403, 409. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  26. ^ Haberfeld, M.R.; Hassell, Agostino (2009). A New Understanding of Terrorism: Case Studies, Trajectories and Lessons Learned. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 282. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  27. ^ Pearce, David D. (1995). Wary Partners: Diplomats and the Media. Congressional Quarterly. p. 83. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  28. ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (1990). From Beirut to Jerusalem. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 62. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  29. ^ West, Nigel; Petraeus, David (2016). Spycraft Secrets: An Espionage A-Z. The History Press. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  30. ^ Frank, Benis M. (1987). U.S. Marines in Lebanon, 1982-1984. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. pp. 25, 40, 42, 44, 48, 52, 54, 55, 57, 59, 60, 64, 72, 76, 78, 87, 99, 120, 135, 136, 138. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  31. ^ Frank, Benis M. (2003). Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL. Random House. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  32. ^ Salhani, Claude (1998). Black September to Desert Storm : A Journalist in the Middle East. University of Missouri Press. LCCN 97050623. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  33. ^ Salhani, Claude (2009). While the Arab World Slept: The Impact of the Bush years on the Middle East. xLibris. LCCN 2009908452. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  34. ^ Salhani, Claude (2011). Islam Without a Veil: Kazakhstan's Path of Moderation. Potomac Books. LCCN 2011008864. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  35. ^ Salhani, Claude (2011). Islam Without a Veil: Kazakhstan's Path of Moderation. Potomac Books. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  36. ^ Salhani, Claude (2011). Islam Without a Veil: Kazakhstan's Path of Moderation. Potomac Books. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  37. ^ Salhani, Claude (2007). "The Problem is Knee-Jerk Reactions and Counter-Reactions". In Nimer, Mohamed (ed.). Islamophobia and Anti-Americanism: Causes and Remedies. Amana Publications. pp. 93–96. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  38. ^ Salhani, Claude (2015). Inauguration Day: A Thriller. Yucca. LCCN 2015019930. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  39. ^ Salhani, Claude (2015). Inauguration Day: A Thriller. Yucca. LCCN 2015019930. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  40. ^ Salhani, Claude (12 September 2002). "The other Sept. remembrance". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  41. ^ Salhani, Claude (1 March 2003). "Analysis: What is Plan B in the Iraq War?". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  42. ^ Salhani, Claude (14 March 2004). "Iraq: One year Later". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  43. ^ Salhani, Claude (4 November 2004). "Analysis: Preparing the post-Arafat Era". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  44. ^ Salhani, Claude (27 October 2005). "Politics & Policies: Iran a Clear Danger". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  45. ^ Salhani, Claude (14 December 2005). "Politics & Policies: Ahmadinejad's Antics". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  46. ^ Salhani, Claude (June 2006). "Jordanian Role Larger Than First Reported". United Press International.
  47. ^ Salhani, Claude (9 March 2007). "Intelligence Summit Takes Flak". United Press International. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  48. ^ Salhani, Claude (26 September 2007). "Intelligence Summit Takes Flak". United Press International. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  49. ^ Salhani, Claude (29 September 2011). "Al Jazeera's historic role in Arab political change becomes a news story in itself". The National. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  50. ^ Salhani, Claude (3 October 2011). "Hamas cools to Syria as the Arab Spring's tally mounts". The National. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  51. ^ Salhani, Claude (8 October 2011). "Fighting an old war on terror requires new coordination". The National. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  52. ^ Salhani, Claude (20 October 2011). "Turkey takes a leading role in the region but not everyone applauds". The National. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  53. ^ Salhani, Claude (19 November 2006). "Lebanon on a Tinderbox". Washington Times. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  54. ^ Salhani, Claude (15 January 2020). "Kazakhstan assumes presidency of Europe security group". Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  55. ^ Salhani, Claude (1 February 2020). "Kazakh official warns against quitting Afghanistan". Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  56. ^ Salhani, Claude (11 February 2020). "Kazakh crackdown on media exposes vulnerabilities". Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  57. ^ Salhani, Claude (12 April 2020). "Revolt in Central Asia". Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  58. ^ Salhani, Claude (13 April 2020). "Key player in nuclear, Afghan security". Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  59. ^ Salhani, Claude (22 September 2020). "Key player in nuclear, Afghan security". Washington Times. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  60. ^ Salhani, Claude (18 March 2004). "The Syria Accountability Act: Taking the Wrong Road to Damascus". Policy Analysis. Cato Institute. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  61. ^ Salhani, Claude (June 2003). "Resolving the Palestine Question". Foreign Service Journal. American Foreign Service Association. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  62. ^ Salhani, Claude (13 September 2006). "Olmert's Secret Weapon: Prime Minister Deployed a Boomerang". The National Interest. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  63. ^ Salhani, Claude (17 November 2006). "Live from Lebanon". The National Interest. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
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