Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Arab society
Intercession ormediation by people on behalf of others to whom they are connected by friendship or blood
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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For those not acquainted with the term wasta, Samir Naim, professor of sociology at Ain Shams University in Cairo, explains that the word is an Egyptian invention applied to an act done by people who use their money or connections to get the act done.
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Well, this is the first anniversary of my discovery of the real meaning of the term wasta, "nepotism" or "connections", in our lives.
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The two with the most "wasta" -- or influence -- got boarding passes.
Flying Iraqi Airways, on a wing and (especially) a prayer 2010
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Whitaker's book contains a lively discussion of corruption and illegal commissions in Arab society, as well as the phenomenon of wasta, that is to say the use of connections, influence or favouritism.
iToot Stream 2009
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Protesters also complained that less-qualified people secured posts in the antiquities office through "wasta," which translates roughly as connections or influence.
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Naturally, this concept of "wasta" is not unknown in other cultures on the planet.
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In short, in Kuwait, with its extreme form of "wasta" oriented elitism and focus on a family's name, no Arab character in the tradition of Paris Hilton's develops and has their photo and jail sentences run across tabloids in the region week after week.
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With Kuwait\'s tremendously large invest fund, currently at 200 billion dollars -- mostly invested in North America and Europe --, Europeans and Americans need toget to know how the society and governments in the Gulf States really work -- "wasta" is the secret and it is explained in this article. '
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Also, simmering below the surface of this KFFG underachievement is history or tradition of elitism, cronyism and a concept called "wasta" which dictates transactions all over Kuwait today and will sadly continue do so into the decades to come.
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She added that she hoped in a future Egypt her daughter's ability to get a good education and good job would not depend on "wasta," which translates roughly as connections or influence - a requirement that many Egyptians bemoan.
SFGate: Top News Stories By JASON KEYSER 2011
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