Ian Black (Journalist) Obituary

British Journalist Ian Black passed away on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at age 69 following a battle with frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Ian Black was born on July 15, 1953.

Black earned MA in history and social and political science from the University of Cambridge in 1974 and a PhD in government from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1978.

He then spent 36 years with The Guardian as a Middle East editor, European editor, diplomatic editor and foreign leader.

Over the course of his career, Black reported and commented extensively on the Arab uprisings and their aftermath in Syria, Libya and Egypt, along with frequent visits to Iran, the Gulf and across the MENA region.

Following retirement in 2016, Black was appointed as a senior visiting fellow at the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics (LSE).

Black authored several books, including introduction to The Arab Spring: Revolution, Rebellion and a New World Order (Guardian Books, 2012); Israel’s Secret Wars (Grove Press, 1991), Zionism and the Arabs, 1936–1939 (Taylor & Francis, 1986, 2015); and contributed to the Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa (Macmillan Library Reference, 2004). His latest book is Enemies and Neighbours: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017.

Ian has written for the Economist, the Washington Post and many other publications, and is a regular commentator on TV and radio on Middle Eastern and international affairs.

In August 2021, Black was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobar degeneration – an uncommon neurological condition. Black was later told he also showed signs of corticobasal syndrome, an even rarer disorder involving the shrinking of the brain.

Black is survived by his wife Helen Harris and their two daughters and by his son from a previous marriage.

Ian Black’s funeral arrangements are yet to be announced by the family.