My essay is out in The Nation, entitled “The Great Arab Revolt”. ‘These governments took steps in recent decades toward neoliberal policies of privatization and a smaller public sector under pressure from Washington and allied institutions—and the process was often corrupt. The ruling families used their prior knowledge of important economic policy initiatives to engage […]
Egypt Situation Still Explosive
The military government of Gen. Mohammad Hussein Tantawi, the minister of defense, has taken important steps toward mollifying the Jan. 25 protest movement, but it is not clear that these measures can succeed in forestalling further clashes and severe conflicts in Egypt. The government has appointed respected jurist Tareq al-Bishri to head a committee charged […]
Bahrain Army Cracks down Hard on Protesters, kills 4, wounds 95
Bahrain’s king, Hamad Al Khalifa, ordered troops and tanks into Pearl Square in downtown Manama in the early hours of Thursday morning. They fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and used batons to clear the hundreds of demonstrators who had decided to stay the night in the square, killing four protesters and injuring 95. About 50 […]
Bahrain: US Naval Base or Iranian Asset?
What is at stake for Americans in the Bahrain unrest? 1. Bahrain is a major center for the refining of crude petroleum, refining some 270,000 barrels a day. This amount is not large, but given tight petroleum supplies and a price of over $100 a barrel for Brent Crude, an outage there would certainly put […]
Pressman: “Coup with a mass(ive) twist”
Jeremy Pressman writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: Since Mubarak’s departure, I have followed several discussions among academics and analysts about what just happened. Some contend it was a military coup . Many others call it a popular revolution. I am not surprised about this disagreement because while the general pressure that was […]
Fear Not the Muslim Brotherhood Boogeyman: Cole in Truthdig
My column in Truthdig is out, entitled Fear Not the Muslim Brotherhood Boogeyman Excerpt: ‘ The hysteria in American media about Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is not only ignorant and demagogic, it is hypocritical. The United States has actively promoted Muslim Brotherhood branches in other countries when it suited its purposes, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. […]
Iran, Bahrain Crack down on Protesters, as Rallies Held in Yemen
Last Friday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed support for Egyptian protesters. “Despite all the [West’s] complicated and satanic designs … a new Middle East is emerging without the Zionist regime and U.S. interference, a place where the arrogant powers will have no place…” Yet on Monday, Iran reacted to its own street protests in a […]
Top 5 Effects of Egyptian Revolution
5. Thousands of protesters marched Sunday on the presidential palace of Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Salih, who has ruled since 1978. The United States has increasingly forged a relationship with the Yemeni military aimed at destroying the alleged al-Qaeda operatives in that country. Aljazeera English has video on Yemen: 4. After 3,000 protesters came out in […]
Communique No. 5 Suspends Constitution, Prorogues Parliament
The Egyptian military high command council issued Communique no. 5 Sunday, answering some of the lingering questions being posed by protesters on Sunday. McClatchy has the translation. The communique makes it clear that Minister of Defense Mohammad Hussein Tantawi is the provisional head of state. Despite his closeness to the Mubarak regime before the revolution, […]
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