Middle East & North Africa Archives - Page 153 of 633

On Drugs and Democracy

by Inge Fryklund | Aug 6, 2012

The UN Office of Drug Control (UNODC) has thoroughly documented the violence, crime, and corruption linked with the worldwide heroin and opium trade. The U.S. news media report every day on the mayhem and corruption of government officials caused by the drug wars in Mexico, Colombia, and other points south of our border. In Afghanistan, the Taliban tax the opium trade and protect poppy farmers from eradication, fueling the insurgency and our 11-year war.

However, these problems are all consequences of drug prohibition, not of the drugs themselves.

Damaged Historical Sites and Stolen Antiquities Fray Syria’s Links to the Origins of Civilization

by Russ Wellen | Aug 6, 2012

As with Iraq, Syria’s link to its past as the cradle of civilization is threatened.

Art and the Arab Awakening

by Nama Khalil | Aug 2, 2012

The visual landscape of the Arab World has changed greatly as various forms of creative expression have flourished in the days since the Arab Spring. Graffiti and street art not only played a distinct role in the political dissent of this revolutionary period. Art has also been an ongoing experience for the revolutionary youth that is strengthening civil society and the democratic process.

Sanctions Derail Diplomacy on Iran

by Javad Heydarian | Jul 31, 2012

Mohammad ElBaradei, former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, used to say using the so-called “carrot and stick approach” on Iran – simultaneous use of sanctions and incentives to induce cooperation – is doomed to fail, because “Iran isn’t a donkey”. Others would go further and say that Iran is a proud civilization, and an ambitious regional power, which will not give up an iota of its nuclear ambitions, no matter how painful the price.

Exactly Which “Terror Plots” Are Relevant to the Bulgarian Bombing?

by Gareth Porter | Jul 31, 2012

Cypriot investigators believe the Lebanese they suspected of planning to harm Israeli tourists was acting alone, not working for Hezbollah.

Military Intervention in Syria: No

by Phyllis Bennis | Jul 31, 2012

Whatever our humanitarian concerns might be, real decisions about direct military intervention will be made with little regard for Syrian civilians, Syrian civil society, or Syria’s national survival – all of which will suffer consequences that could last a generation or more. A U.S./NATO air war against Syria would likely not end like Libya’s – with no western casualties and a quick exit. Given Syria’s military, especially air capacity, it will look far more like Iraq than Libya.

African Migrants and the Israeli Apartheid Debate

by Joel Schalit | Jul 30, 2012

The name of the neighborhood could not have been more symbolic. Located in southern Tel Aviv, the impoverished Hatikva quarter has always born the stigma of sharing a name with Israel’s national anthem, while playing home to some of the poorest, most marginalized Jews in the country—as well as a growing population of African asylum seekers, mostly from Eritrea and South Sudan.

As Drones Grow More Precise, Their Targets Become Increasingly Vague

by Russ Wellen | Jul 25, 2012

The CIA seems to think the accuracy of drones is an excuse to worry less about who’s targeted.

Divesting from All Occupations

by Stephen Zunes | Jul 25, 2012

The Palestinian solidarity struggle would be considerably strengthened if, instead of calling for divestment specifically from companies supporting the Israeli occupation, the call was for divestment from companies supporting all foreign belligerent occupations.

Tunisia’s Culture War: Salafists Run Amok

by Rob Prince | Jul 25, 2012

The strategies and acts of Salafists in Tunisia parallel those in Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria.