Virtually every sector of the Tunisian economy has been on strike and unemployment is worse than during the years of President Ben Ali.
The Brownshirts of the Arab Spring: Tunisia’s Salafists (Part 1)
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Human Rights
If the NTC Can’t Control Tripoli’s Airport. . .
The militia left the airport but the commander wasn’t released.
The Other Case for Intervention in Syria
The potential for a major escalation of the Syrian crisis exists due to an overlooked source.
The Crisis in Syria Calls Out for an Intervention — with Russia
In the chorus of condemnation that resounded after the massacre, Russia’s voice stood out for its glaring ambiguity.
American Culture Wars in Uganda
On March 14, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) filed a U.S. federal lawsuit against American Minister Scott Lively, using the Alien Torts Statute (A.T.S.). The ATS allows for non-citizens to launch US court actions for violations of international law. SMUG accuses Lively of collaborating with four named Ugandan co-conspirators (conservative evangelicals Martin Ssempa and Stephen Langa, Member of Parliament David Bahati, and the current Minister of Ethics and Integrity James Buturo) to create an enabling environment for persecution and violence against gays and lesbians in Uganda. Lively is also accused of directly contributing to the infamous 2009 “Kill the Gays” bill1 which never came to a vote. In February, however, Bahati reintroduced the legislation.
Time to Recall the Land Grabbers
On 5 December 2011, GRAIN received the 2011 Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’, at the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm. GRAIN was awarded “for its worldwide work to protect the livelihoods and rights of farming communities and to expose the massive purchases of farmland in developing countries by foreign financial interests”. GRAIN seized on the opportunity to demand an immediate end to land grabbing and a restitution of lands to local communities. The following speech was delivered to the Swedish Parliament by GRAIN during the Awards Ceremony.
Syria’s Atamans
A political solution cannot occur without a military one, but a military solution alone does not guarantee stability or security, even in the short term.
Review: The Journey to Tahrir
The essays in The Journey to Tahrir: Revolution, Protest and Social Change in Egypt, 1999-2011 validate Hannah Arendt’s famous quote that “revolutionaries do not make revolutions. The revolutionaries are those who know when power is lying in the street and then they can pick it up.” Journey to Tahrir, edited by Jeannie Sowers, rejects the mainstream media’s often monolithic and melodramatic portrait of a random pro-democracy uprising in Egypt. Instead the contributors meticulously dissect the numerous components that coalesced in November 2011 in a mass social upheaval that brought down the Mubarak regime.
Quebec’s Student Revolt Goes Viral
The passage of an anti-protest bill finally attracted the attention of the United States.
Egypt’s Path Winds Toward Democracy
This May, for the first time in their history, Egyptians voted for president in a largely free and fair election. For the second time in less than a year, a new democratic regime is emerging from the outgrowth of the Arab Awakening.