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Archives for October 2019

Democracy
Tunisia Had Successful Democratic Elections, but can the New President face down the Political Elites

Tunisia Had Successful Democratic Elections, but can the New President face down the Political Elites

The Conversation

By Omar Safi | – The election of Kais Saied, a 61-year-old former law professor and political outsider, to the Tunisian presidency was not surprising: he represents the Tunisian ideal of how the ruling class should be. The size of the vote in his favour was impressive. He won 73% of the vote in the […]

Lebanon
Lebanon: Security Forces Use Excessive Force Against Protesters

Lebanon: Security Forces Use Excessive Force Against Protesters

Human Rights Watch

Riot Police Fired on Crowds with Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets

Barack Obama
No, Trump's Withdrawal from Syria is not Like Obama Leaving Iraq

No, Trump’s Withdrawal from Syria is not Like Obama Leaving Iraq

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Some observers are likening Trump’s abrupt departure from Syria and President Barack Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq in 2011. The two events show no resemblance whatsoever, and the frequently-made charge that Obama could have stayed in Iraq is incorrect. Here’s the difference. 1. Obama did not betray America’s allies in Iraq, […]

Donald Trump
Trump Blows it Big Time in Syria: Dumps Kurds as the Empire Crumbles

Trump Blows it Big Time in Syria: Dumps Kurds as the Empire Crumbles

Reese Erlich

In less than two weeks, President Donald Trump has managed to create a massive and avoidable crisis in Syria. By greenlighting the Turkish invasion of northern Syria, Trump’s policy forced more than 160,000 Syrians to flee their homes. And guess who emerged as the political and military winners? Russia, Iran, and the Syrian government of […]

Democracy
Thank You, Tunisia: The only Democracy in the Middle East

Thank You, Tunisia: The only Democracy in the Middle East

Middle East Monitor

By Mohammad Ayesh | – The overwhelming election victory of Tunisia’s new President, Kais Saied, and the statements he made in its aftermath send a very clear message: the counter-revolution in Tunisia has failed; it has been defeated; it has ended. Tunisians have always embraced the saying, “If people fight for life, destiny will listen […]

Donald Trump
Dem Leadership brands as "Shameful" Pence's Agreement for Turkey "Pause" in Kurdish Areas

Dem Leadership brands as “Shameful” Pence’s Agreement for Turkey “Pause” in Kurdish Areas

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Mariam Khan at ABC News reports that yesterday speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority Leader Chuck Schumer lambasted the pause in fighting by Turkey negotiated by vice president Mike Pence “sham ceasefire.” They added, “President Erdogan has given up nothing, and President Trump has given him everything,” […]

Uncategorized
The Greening of the New Deal

The Greening of the New Deal

Tomdispatch

The Great Depression and the Climate Crisis, New Deals Then and Now

Israel/ Palestine
Are Israel Lobbies Primary Threat to First Amendment? Report Exposes Right-Wing Effort to Ban Criticism of Israel in US Schools

Are Israel Lobbies Primary Threat to First Amendment? Report Exposes Right-Wing Effort to Ban Criticism of Israel in US Schools

Common Dreams

By Jessica Corbett, staff writer | – ( Commondreams.org) – “Fanatical Zionists are pushing U.S. state legislatures to pass sweeping new restrictions on free speech.” Human rights and free speech advocates responded with alarm Thursday to a Guardian report revealing that pro-Israel and right-wing lobbyists are encouraging Republican state lawmakers to pass legislation that could […]

film
By rejecting stereotypes, Slam and Ramy show us authentic Arab Muslim men on screen

By rejecting stereotypes, Slam and Ramy show us authentic Arab Muslim men on screen

The Conversation

By Sherene Idriss | – There is a long history of damaging stereotypes of Arab and Muslim men on screen. Because of this, audiences from culturally diverse migrant backgrounds understandably crave more positive representations of their ethnic and cultural communities. Two new screen productions – Ramy and Slam – tell stories embracing the complexity of […]

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