My essay, “The Corruption Game: What the Tunisian Revolution and WikiLeaks Tell Us about American Support for Corrupt Dictatorships in the Muslim World is up at The Nation Institute’s Tomdispatch. Excerpt: In July of 2009, for instance, the U.S. ambassador dined with Nesrine Ben Ali el-Materi and Sakher el-Materi, the president’s daughter and son-in-law, at […]
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Middle East
Protest against Aljazeera Leaks in Ramallah; US Dictated Leadership to Palestinians
Aljazeera reports on how Palestinians in the West Bank town of Ramallah were so angered at the allegations against the Palestine Liberation Organization leadership in the leaked documents published at the Qatari news organization’s site that they tried to invade the Aljazeera offices in that city. They accused Aljazeera of lying about their leaders. The […]
Continued Protests in Tunisia
Tunisian activists began focusing on Monday evening on Egypt, where they hoped a planned protest on Tuesday would show the continued impact of their own Jasmine Revolution among Arab neighbors. This, as it was revealed that the Ben Ali regime used a malicious code to steal the passwords of all the country Facebook users! They […]
Aljazeera’s Leaks Reveal Sham ‘Peace Process,’ Israeli Stonewalling
The Qatar satellite channel Aljazeera has gotten hold of some 1600 documents from the Palestine Authority regarding negotiations with Israel, which cast the Israelis, the Americans and the Fatah faction of Palestinians in the worst possible light. The leaked documents were shared exclusively with The Guardian newspaper. The documents could well destroy the Palestine Liberation […]
Thousands Protest Interim Government in Tunis
Signs that the Tunisia story is by no means over emerged this weekend. Protests continued in Tunis and elsewhere against the interim prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi and the president, Fouad Mebazaa, on grounds that they were part of the ruling Rally for Constitutional Democracy. The crowds wanted nothing to do with close associates of deposed […]
Iraq’s Civil War Grinds on, with 62 Dead, 200 Wounded in Karbala Blasts
Bombings took the lives of 62 Shiite pilgrims, mostly in the holy city of Karbala, but also in Diyala province. Sunni Arab guerrillas are still attempting to destabilize the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by provoking Shiite-Sunni feuds and spreading a feeling of instability that interferes with investment and reconstruction. On Tuesday, a […]
Tunisia’s Uprising: A Real Shot at Democracy – Cole at the Economist
A podcast interview with me about Tunisia and its wider significance in the Middle East is up at the Economist web site.
Map: Industry by Province in Tunisia
Courtesy Centre Technique du Textile
Tunisian Ministers Resign En Masse from old Ruling Party
Stung by continued protests against the Rally for Constitutional Democracy (RCD) of deposed president Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali, the members of that party in the interim cabinet all resigned from it on Thursday morning. The president and prime minister had earlier left the party. The government also announced the freeing of all political prisoners. Some […]