Democracy

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump revealed again on Wednesday that he has no legal or ethical compass. In an interview with ABC news Chief Anchor George Stephanopolous, Trump was asked if he would go to the FBI if a foreign government contacted him with dirt on his Democratic opponent or if he would accept […]

Corruption

Chickens Came home to Roost: US meddled in Foreign Elections for Decades

Tom Engelhardt

(Tomdispatch.com) – In this country, reactions to the Mueller report have been all-American beyond belief. Let’s face it, when it comes to election meddling, it’s been me, me, me, 24/7 here. Yes, in some fashion some set of Russians meddled in the last election campaign, whether it was, as Jared Kushner improbably claimed, “a couple […]

Democracy

Health, Poverty, Conflict in Charts: Is the World Better off Today than ever before in History?

The Conversation

By Julius Probst | – Swedish academic Hans Rosling has identified a worrying trend: not only do many people across advanced economies have no idea that the world is becoming a much better place, but they actually even think the opposite. This is no wonder, when the news focuses on reporting catastrophes, terrorist attacks, wars […]

Democracy

De Niro: “There’s Something more powerful than Bombs: Your Vote”

AFP

New York (AFP) – Actor Robert De Niro, one of the intended targets of a bomb plot and an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, urged Americans on Friday to get out and vote. “I thank God no one’s been hurt, and I thank the brave and resourceful security and law enforcement people for […]

Democracy

Is there Too Much Democracy in the Middle East?

Juan Cole

In the Washington Post last week, historian of the US Yoav Fromer of Tel Aviv University published an article about how the problem with the Middle East is too much democracy and not too little. Fromer seems to take at face value George W. Bush’s policy of “democratization.” That was a slogan to cover the […]

Elections

Iraqi Journalist Who Threw Shoes at Bush Running For Parliament

TeleSur

After the incident that made him famous worldwide, Muntazer Zaidi started a foundation aiming at providing relief to Iraqi victims of the U.S. occupation. Ten years after he threw both his shoes at George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, making worldwide headlines and sparking a small diplomatic crisis, journalist Muntazer Zaidi is […]

Elections

How Troll Farms & Fake News are being Weaponized against Iraq’s Women Politicians

Niqash

Special Correspondent | Niqash.org | – – (Baghdad) As Iraqi elections near, the epidemic of disturbing and divisive fake news on local social media only gets worse. But who exactly is behind it? And are they motivated by profit, popularity or a political agenda? Last week, a rumour swept social media in Iraq: The authorities […]

Democracy

Tunisian women hit campaign trail as equals to men

contributors

By Aymen Jamli | – – Tebourba (Tunisia) (AFP) – Tunisian women “have the chance to act”, says Ines Boussetta, as she hits the campaign trail in northern Tebourba, listening attentively to the problems of the rural region’s inhabitants. Boussetta is one of hundreds of Tunisian women heading party lists in May 6 municipal polls […]

Democracy

As Lebanon prepares to vote, Amnesty for the disenfranchised provokes Fierce Debate

contributors

Haley Bobseine | (Informed Comment) | – – After almost a decade of multiple postponements stalling the national political process and depriving citizens of their right to vote, Lebanese parliamentary elections will be held next month under a new legal framework. Passed in June 2017, the new election law replaces the majoritarian system with multi-member […]