Orientalist required

Newspaper seeks journalist to write about ancient and dazzling cultures capable of brutish violence
  

Worldwide, jobs for Orientalists are becoming rather scarce these days but there are still opportunities in the United States.

The Los Angeles Times is advertising for a "seasoned" reporter to cover the Middle East:

This correspondent will anchor our coverage of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Syria, as well as monitoring the turbulent progress of “democracy” in Egypt, North Africa and the Gulf. 

But more than that, we are looking for an accomplished writer who is capable of plunging into these ancient and dazzling cultures, capturing their mesmerizing variety, deep intellectual history, turbulent social upheaval and – from ISIS insurgents to entrenched dictators – their capability for brutish violence.

The successful candidate will be the one who avoids the office and wanders the back roads; who will leave the others to tally the daily mayhem and bring us stories we will not have the power to forget.

Readers of the Los Angeles Times: You have been warned.