Authoritarianism

By Cheryl Duckworth | (Informed Comment) | – – Daily headlines suggest we could soon be experiencing a genuine constitutional crisis. We’ve learned that White House lawyers are exploring if the President can pardon himself and fire the Special Prosecutor looking into the Russia issue, so there is no better moment than now to consider […]

Authoritarianism

Turkish Legislators hold Sit-in to protest Creeping Dictatorship

contributors

TeleSur | – – Under the changes, lawmakers can also vote to ban for three sessions fellow parliamentarians who use expressions such as “Kurdistan” or “Kurdish provinces.” Turkey’s main opposition staged a sit-in late Wednesday to protest proposed changes to parliamentary procedures which they say will restrict lawmakers’ ability to challenge President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling […]

Authoritarianism

Morocco’s Rif Revolt: Only a Democratic Response is Sufficient

contributors

By Hsain Ilahiane | (Informed Comment) | – – Since October 2016, the Berbers (Imazighen) of the Rif, a region on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, have been carrying out one of the most sustained and largest demonstrations of public discontent and rage in Morocco since the protests of the Arab Spring in 2011. Reminiscent […]

Authoritarianism

One Year Later: Why the Purges in Turkey Were Always in the Pipeline

contributors

By Sarphan Uzunoglu. | ( GlobalVoices.org ) | – – When it comes to Turkey, representatives of European Union countries—aided and abetted by Turkish liberals who got the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) wrong to begin with—are in a state of denial and shock. Their distress is rooted in the idea that prior to […]

Authoritarianism

The Dangerous Unreality of Trumpland rests on a Totalitarian Foundation

contributors

By Dan Dinello | (Informed Comment) | – – Like the Black Lodge in David Lynch’s revival of Twin Peaks, reality is twisted into strange, absurd forms in the world of Trump. He tirelessly assaults common sense with exaggerations, blatant lies, insulting tweets, and willful ignorance. Though his chip-off-the-old-liar son Donald Jr. got caught red-handed […]

Authoritarianism

Turkey: Erdogan Marks Coup anniversary with more Crackdowns

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey commemorated on Saturday the anniversary of the failed coup in that country. The coup attempt was genuinely unpopular. Erdogan blames it on the Gulen movement, a shadowy cult-like organization that for years was allied with Erdogan. But in the aftermath, Erdogan […]

Authoritarianism

Saudi Bloc: Qatar’s Al Jazeera can Stay, it Just has to Report as We Say

contributors

TeleSur | – – Al Jazeera said it rejects any “external intervention” and reiterates its “independence and professional editorial stance.” The four Arab countries currently boycotting Qatar are set to drop their demand that the Al Jazeera Media Network be shut down, a United Arab Emirates minister said. The closure of the Qatar-based broadcaster and […]

Authoritarianism

With CNN Reporter Attack Video, Trump apes Seedy Dictators

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Trump has taken another big step toward becoming an African dictator. On Sunday he tweeted a video someone made for him that was posted at a white supremacist site at Reddit.com. It showed him attacking a CNN reporter, WWF style, and wrestling him to the ground. […]

Authoritarianism

Speaking Truth to Erdogan: His Authoritarian Turn and Europe

contributors

By Ludwig Schulz | German Orient Institute | (Via Euractiv.com ) | – – Ludwig Schulz looks at how scientific analysis can help counter President Erdoğan’s fake narrative of Turkey’s thriving democracy and why the European Union should reconsider its policy towards EU accession countries. In his official message for Europe Day on 9 May […]