Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem
Iran: Leaked documents reveal top-level orders to armed forces to ‘mercilessly confront’ protesters Iran’s highest military body instructed the commanders of armed forces in all provinces to “severely confront” protesters who took to the streets following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police, Amnesty International said today (Friday…
World community should do more than rejecting Israel’s baseless terrorist accusation against Palestinian NGOs By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Israel continues to invent methods to silence voices of justice, using the “law of the land” as a pretext. A policy of discouraging Palestinian civil society is bound to encourage alternative methods of resistance: possibly a third…
Zim San Diego Delays Docking For Seven Days In Attempt To Wait Out Palestinian Activists Calling For BDS With spreading news of planned protests against the Israeli shipping company, Zim San Diego remains in Elliott Bay, afraid of the protesters that will greet it upon arrival. (See update and correction below) Falastiniyat and endorsing organizations…
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Is the Neither-Peace-nor-Security Assumption Dominating Again? By Abdennour Toumi The reputed Israeli-Palestinian peace process is an effort that has yielded anything but progress. There have been no successes for recent U.S. presidents who have tried to bring Israeli and Palestinian leaders together to find a way to break through to peace. In…
Lebanon and Syria’s futures intertwined By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz On October 17, 2019 the Lebanon erupted into a nationwide uprising demanding the dismantling of a corrupt and sectarian political system. Responding to unprecedented street protests, Saad Hariri resigned immediately. A new cabinet was formed by Hassan Diab, an academic with a limited background in public…
The Breach of the Capitol: An American Wake Up Call By Imad Hamad I am an independent. I always vote for the person not the party. My political identity is that I am simply a proud American citizen. I am naturalized- an American by choice. Since 1980, the year I landed in America, I have learned to…
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United States: UN experts condemn crackdown on peaceful protests and highlight calls to overhaul policing UN independent human rights experts* today condemned the violent crackdown on widespread peaceful protests after police in Minneapolis killed African American George Floyd. They also urged the implementation of strong measures to eradicate racial discrimination and radically reform US policing…
George Floyd Reaffirms our Humanity Racism is a universal challenge. There is no society on earth that is free from racism. While the US and other countries have made progress to be less racist, racism still exists. The death of George Floyd has resulted in avalanche of condemnation and massive protests. This reaction to Mr….
The newly formed Lebanese cabinet deserves a chance By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz A popular uprising forced the resignation of the Lebanese prime minister and his cabinet last October. But a strong self-serving government and a very unpopular parliament are still operating with full force. The uprising has a long way to go to achieve its…
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Sanders, Khanna announce new legislation to block funding for War with Iran Senator Bernie Sanders co-sponsors legislation to block funding for President Trump’s war with Iran in Iraq while Americans protest across the country against the violence and targeted assassination of Iranian Military Commander Qassem Soleimani. The National Nonviolent PeaceForce denounces Trump’s violence as well as…
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Algeria: “I Can See Clearly Now” “All politics is local,” former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill said, yet in Arab countries all politics is considered global. By Abdennour Toumi The political tempest that erupted in Algeria last winter is resonating powerfully in the ears of the masses. Algerians are still marching and celebrating both the…
Algeria: The People Are Missing In Algeria, Saïd’s name was firmly rooted as a passe-droit code among a relative consensus of the Algerian regime’s clans. By Abdennour Toumi The relation between the Algerian regime, finance, and the powerful business barons of the private sector under the Bouteflika system have pushed many observers and political analysts…
Algeria: Hirak Act II The Hirakists persist in their demands for regime change, while the Military are pushing for the Constitutional order. By Abdennour Toumi Algeria’s “triangle of hope” could lead to the question the street, the Generals, and the Presidential Palace are asking: Will democracy in Algeria really be workable? According to classic political…
Algeria: Egyptian Scenario will Fail There are some similarities between Egypt and Algeria. Both countries have armies that have been in power since they gained it, and both armies appointed presidents of their own. By Abdennour Toumi Algerians are still marching, demanding the fall of what remains of the regime, while the country’s strongman, General…
Is Algeria facing a brain drain? The phenomenon of departures abroad has slowed lately because of the Hirak’s dynamic of renewed hope, but the temptation is growing strongly. By Abdennour Toumi Algerian “brain-drain” may well be one of the major challenges facing the new government that emerges from the election results. The country ranks 85…
Algerian Hirak: From Algeriana to My Best Enemy The Hirak idealists have now clashed over a systemic concept of how to approach this election and who leads what. By Abdennour Toumi Today Algerians are caught between the regime’s ruse and its mosaic opposition’s idealism. Eleven Fridays have passed since the people of Algeria stood up…
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Algerian Political Opposition: It’s the System, Stupid The Algerian regime has been preventing any emergence of any independent elite or leader to the system. By Abdennour Toumi Algerian Hirak has entered its 11th Friday as the protesters’ demands begin to narrow down, but are still unrealistic. This is how General Ahmed Gaïd Salah, the Military…
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Algeria and Sudan: The next (but not last) Arab Spring cycle By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz State building takes decades not years. It is easier to topple dictators than regimes, and it is faster to change regimes than ideas. Protestors need to agree and organize to make a good transition to democracy. State building requires review…
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