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Sunday, September 27, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Arabs Rise for Rights
Tunisia Speaks Up, Shakily
Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press are the big gains of Tunisia's so-called Jasmine Revolution, according to a top Tunisian economist, writer and opposition figure. But he warns that dark days still lie ahead.U.S.-EGYPT: Bush’s Democracy Sage Offers Obama Advice
With then-U.S. President George W. Bush's endorsement of his book, Natan Sharanky, the Ukrainian Soviet dissident turned Likud politician in Israel, rose to super-stardom in the world of democracy promotion.
MIDEAST: Now Gaza Begins to Shake
Ripple effects of the Egyptian uprising are now spreading to Gaza, where some groups are planning a new rally next week. Moves by some Gazans to mimic protesters in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen by taking to the streets are making the Hamas government nervous.EGYPT: An Air of Dangerous Freedom
Imam Mohammed Al-Saba of the Eisa mosque here in the centre of the rural town Kirdasa takes the pulpit to tell his congregation he can smell "the air of freedom for the first time in 30 years."
Egyptians Pay Heavily for Uprising
The massive economic toll of Egypt’s popular uprising appears to be motivating the government to take extraordinary and often brutal measures to put an end to massive demonstrations calling for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.From Tahrir to Times Square, Protestors Rally in New York
Cairo's pro-democracy movement stretched from Tahrir Square to Times Square Friday, as hundreds of people gathered in New York City to urge the worldwide community to throw their support behind the Egyptian peoples' fight for self- determination.
EGYPT: ElBaradei Appears an Unconvincing Alternative
Since early last year, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei has been touted as a possible successor to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. But many protesters say ElBaradei enjoys little if any credibility on the street.Lobbyists Help Egyptian Officials Get Aid, Support From U.S.
When Major General Mohamed Said Elassar, assistant to Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the Egyptian minister of defence, came to the U.S. capital last April, he was given the equivalent of a red carpet welcome. The delegation of high-ranking Egyptian military officials that he was leading was ushered from one Congressional office to the next, from the Pentagon to the State Department.
Egypt’s Fate Lies in a Square
Demonstrators who turned up in Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday in even larger numbers than on earlier days are from all walks of life: old men wearing traditional galibiyas, young people in jeans and T-shirts, and women of all ages wearing Islamic head scarves. The protesters, whose numbers across the nation are now estimated at more than one million and growing, shout variations of one slogan: "The people want the fall of the regime!"U.N. Avoids Tough Stance on Egyptian Crisis
The U.N. Security Council, which is empowered to intervene in crisis situations threatening international peace and security, has remained tight-lipped over the weeklong rioting, killings and mass demonstrations in Egypt - even as the political upheaval has spilled over into Jordan and Yemen.EGYPT-U.S.: Obama Pressed to Pressurise Military
On the eve of massive planned protests dubbed "Day of Departure" in Egypt, continuing attacks by pro-government conspirators on anti-government protestors and roundups of human rights activists and foreign journalists are contributing to pressures on the administration of President Barack Obama to take a tougher line, including withholding military aid, toward the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.OP-ED: The Fox Guarding the Henhouse
The extraordinary events of January 2011 in Egypt should prove one point for good: Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, U.S. presidents wish their favoured Arab states would forever remain nice, docile autocracies.U.S.-EGYPT: Neo-Cons Split on Mubarak
The ongoing crisis in Egypt has resulted in a rare split among U.S. hawks, as some leading neo-conservatives have called for Washington to help oust President Hosni Mubarak, while others have joined the Israeli government in quietly supporting Egyptian leader against protesters calling for his ouster.EGYPT: Mubarak Switches On Smear Campaign
The regime of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has unleashed a media campaign to discredit pro-democracy protestors. That comes on the back of a violent crackdown by his supporters.Q&A: Hunger, Food Shortages Fuel Uprisings
The rise in food prices and growing hunger, one of the causes of the popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries in the Arab world, is due to financial speculation and not a lack of arable land, says Janaina Stronzake, a leader of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement (MST).
Iranian Shadow Touches Egypt
The young activists who began Egypt’s popular uprising admit the online campaign that turned into the country’s largest ever anti-government street demonstrations has far exceeded their expectations. But as the movement gains momentum, protesters are beginning to think about what kind of state will emerge if President Hosni Mubarak falls. And many are worried.MIDEAST: A Region in Flux, But Will Reforms Stick?
As the world watched nine days of largely peaceful demonstrations in Egypt degenerate into bedlam fueled by confrontational pro-government hoodlums wielding Molotov cocktails Wednesday, observers are tracking the regional contagion of popular, reform-driven uprisings and wondering whether they are enough to usher in real change.Arabs Push for Stability in Lebanon
With political crises in Egypt and Tunisia overshadowing other issues in the Middle East, the appointment of billionaire Najib Mikati as Lebanon’s new prime minister is winning regional support in the hope that the change will minimize instability in yet another Arab country. Many questions are arising, however, about the formation of the new government and how much clout Hezbollah will have over it.
EGYPT: Why the Army Won’t Shoot Protesters
Khalid Ibrahim Al-Laisi has been a soldier in the Egyptian army for 20 years. Today, far from shooting protesters, he says the time has come "to revolt against oppression."U.S.-EGYPT: Obama Calls for Transition “Now”
Hours after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak vowed to stay in place until September's elections, the Barack Obama administration sent its strongest signal yet that the aging autocrat and one-time staunch U.S. ally must relinquish his hold on power sooner rather than later.EGYPT: Litany of Abuses Fuelled Protesters’ Fury
In Egypt, where protestors continued to demonstrate Tuesday for the eighth day in a row, the use of torture by law enforcement officials over the past two decades has contributed to the growing unrest, rights groups say.« Previous Page — Next Page »
The Arab Spring has changed the Arab seasons that have followed; it had to. The struggle continues in Syria; in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and in countries that did not change that dramatically, such as Bahrain and Yemen, the political world, and the tone of society itself has changed. IPS has not left these countries with the headlines that accompanied cataclysmic changes. We continue to track changes closely, always keeping in our sights first the rights of peoples, and then reporting changes from fresh, newsy and human perspective.
Middle East & North Africa
