Of the People, By The People, For the People
MAHMOUD AMIN HISHMEH, CGNEWS: For too long Arabs have listened to the views of outsiders on what a ‘new Middle East’ should look like. Now they’re creating it for themselves.
Personal View: Anger Mounts as Syria Death Toll Mounts
KHALEDTRON: The regime tells us these are Salafists, terrorists, infiltrators, agents of the West who wish our country harm, who wish to compromise Syria by destabilizing it from within.
The #1 Victim of Al Qaeda Attacks? Muslims
HUSSEIN ABDALLAH, GGNEWS: Al Qaeda’s strategy of violence has made them less and less relevant to the people effecting change throughout the Arab world.
Niqab Ban Lifts Veil on Problems East and West
OMAR AL ISSAWI: Playing the victim, engendering sympathy and hurling accusations of conspiracy, persecution and discrimination will only get a cause so far…
Getting Beyond ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ in Egypt
DR H.A. HELLYER, CGNEWS: The recent constitutional referendum delivered a resounding victory for the ‘Yes’ camp. Both sides, however, have a vested interest in protecting the freer, more plural Egypt that has emerged.
‘New Egypt’ Seen Afresh By An American Student
LEE ANN HOLTSCHULTE, CGNEWS: I’d booked the trip many months before the revolution so you can imagine that I treated my trip to Egypt in March with a little trepidation. It was an inspiring visit.
Novels of the Revolution: What will they look like?
M. LYNX-QUALEY: With many of the ‘red lines’ now swept away novelists throughout the Arab world are free to touch on subjects hitherto out of bounds.
Among the People of Benghazi: A Westerner’s View
MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Very little seems to be known about the rebels who are fighting Qaddafi. When I found out that a trusted source was effectively ’embedded’ with them I had a few questions to put to her.
Reaction to ‘The King’s Speech’: ‘Disappointment’
NEWS FROM SYRIA: Expectation was high in advance of the speech delivered by President Assad yesterday. By the time he had finished speaking I was left with a sense of confusion, anger, depression but most of all disappointment.
Democracy Gets off to ‘a Flying Start’ in Egypt
JASON PETRUCCI: An impressive turnout, an engaged electorate, robust debate – the constitutional referendum in Egypt has given the people a taste of real democracy in action.
Laughter: Is it Really the Best Medicine?
SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMMED: Dictators are particularly sensitive to the corrosive effects of humour. They’ve always taken it very seriously indeed…
Of the People, By the People, For the People
JUAN COLE: Were he alive today Rousseau would have been impressed with how his idea on ‘popular sovereignty’ has been embraced in the Middle East
The Day My Vote Counted: A Trip Worth Making
HODA OSMAN: How far will you go to exercise your new-found ability to vote? I’ll tell you how far – 5,621 miles which is the distance from New York to Cairo
‘Prediction Business’ In Crisis in the Middle East
MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: Throw away the crystal ball. Events in the Middle East over the past few months have defied everyone’s predictions.
What if Qaddafi Wins? Thinking the Unthinkable
MICHAEL J. TOTTEN: With the West refusing to be drawn into the conflict it looks increasingly like Qaddafi could prevail against the rebels. What will be the consequences?
Obama’s Advice to Troubled Leaders: ‘Hang on in There’
MONDOWEISS: ‘Regime alteration’ is the new buzz phrase in the Washington corridors of power. The Obama administration is advocating a ‘tortoise’ rather than a ‘hare’ strategy to those seeking change in the region. Will it resonate?
Dictatorship: The Ultimate ‘Boys Only’ Club
SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Adeptness in brutal suppression and torture are characteristics demanded of all dictators. One other vital characteristic is also required – maleness.
Why What Worked in Egypt, Will Not Trip Up Iran
KUSHA SEFAT, INFORMED COMMENT: The international conditions for revolution were ripe in Tunisia and Egypt. This is simply not the case in Iran.
Tawakkul Karman: The Woman Leading Yemen’s Protests
ALICE HACKMAN: She has been profiled by leading international publications but long before the world discovered Tawakkul Karman she was battling fearlessly in support of human rights.
‘Women’s Rights’ Must Be Secured in ‘New Bahrain’
SANA’ MOHAMMAD BIN HAMOUD: Women’s rights campaigners have made impressive advances in Bahrain. However protesters should push further.
