Communiqué The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Comandante Hugo Chávez, in the name of the Venezuelan people and its government, energetically condemns the terrorist attacks perpetrated today in Damascus in the Syrian Arab Republic, whose terrible result is at least 30 dead and hundreds of wounded. The Bolivarian government wishes to send the […]
Geography Archives: Middle East
Raising Flags of Jihad in Syria
A flag of the Islamic State of Iraq sighted at a Syrian opposition demonstration in Khan al Sabl, Idlib, Syria, 23 December 2011 A jihadi flag sighted at a Syrian opposition demonstration in Binnish, Idlib, Syria, 21 December 2011 A jihadi flag sighted at a Syrian opposition demonstration in Maarat al Numaan, Idlib, Syria, […]
The Committee to Protect Journalists Is Mistaken About Turkey
According to the tally of the American Committee to Protect Journalists, there are only eight journalists in jail in Turkey. We, as members of the Freedom for Journalists Platform, comprised of 94 national and local media associations, would like to point out that this is a grave error, unless of course it is deliberate […]
Erdoğan’s Way
See how Recep Tayyip Erdoğan uses TMY (Terörle Mücadele Yasası, Anti-Terror Law) and ÖYM (Özel Yetkili Mahkemelerin, Special Courts) to deal with anyone who stands in his way. . . . Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian cartoonist. Cf. Ayça Çubukçu, “Turkey: The ‘Progressive’ Land of Repression” (Guardian, 11 December 2011). | Print
Egypt: #OccupyCabinet
It all began with the kidnapping and torture of Aboudi Ibrahim, a protester from the #OccupyCabinet sit-in: A first military attack on Tahrir Square today: An army solider strips the shirt off a female protestor, beats her, and abuses her: If you look closely, you see the attack on her and what appears to be […]
Begging Iran for Drone Back
“Could you maybe give me back my plane?!!” Abbas Goodarzi, born in 1978, is an Iranian cartoonist. This cartoon was first published on his Web site as well as numerous news Web sites in Iran; it is reproduced here for non-profit educational purposes. Translation by Yoshie Furuhashi (@yoshiefuruhashi | yoshie.furuhashi [at] gmail.com).
A Conference for Security and Cooperation for the Middle East? Interview with Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Ali Fathollah-Nejad from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London is a member of the initiative for a civil-society Conference for Security and Cooperation in the Middle East (CSCME). One of its key aims is the creation of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
Tough on Euros, Weak on Nazis
Hurray! Merkel won the day! It took a long night of backroom bargaining, but except for that Tory, David Cameron, all European Union members agreed to save the euro, save the economy, save the world! It had been on the brink of disaster, Sarkozy warned on the eve of the meeting: unless we reach agreement […]
Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law
Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law (TMY), aimed at the press. . . . Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian cartoonist. Cf. “500 students, 65 journalists, 8 MPs detained under Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law” (Carlos Latuff, 9 December 2011). | Print
Egypt’s Nour Party Leader: Onward to Salafi Pragmatism, Keeping Good Relations with US and Peace Treaty with Israel
Cairo — Emad Abdel Ghafour, the head of the Nour Party representing the Salafi school of Islamic fundamentalism, which is expected to make a great leap forward in Egypt’s first parliamentary elections since the collapse of the Mubarak regime, made the party’s foreign policy public, in an exclusive interview with Jiji Press. “We’ll strive […]
Testimony of Mohamed Mounir, Tortured by Egypt’s Military
On the night of Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011, just a week before parliamentary elections in Egypt began, 31-year old Mohamed Mounir went to Tahrir Square to join thousands of Egyptians once again demonstrating there. The demonstrations all over the country flared up again after the Egyptian security forces brutally attacked a group of demonstrators in […]
Pulling on the Russian Leash
Victor Nieto is a cartoonist in Venezuela. Cf. Vitaly Churkin, “Russia Against Any Sanctions on Syria” (2 December 2011); “Done Deal: Russia Supplies Cruise Missiles to Syria” (RT, 2 December 2011). var idcomments_acct = ‘c90a61ed51fd7b64001f1361a7a71191’; var idcomments_post_id; var idcomments_post_url; | Print
Workers and Peasants Are the Voice of the Egyptian Revolution
The Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions and all its 139 affiliated unions, with their collective membership of 1,670,000, call on the Egyptian people (youth, workers and peasants) to block any attempts to prevent the implementation of the demands of the revolution through the recreation of the old regime by its criminal tools. Therefore the […]
Why Syria Matters: Interview with Aijaz Ahmad
Aijaz Ahmad: For one thing, Syria is the last remaining representative of Arab nationalism as it used to be understood historically. It still calls itself socialist. Even though it has implemented a great deal of neoliberal reform, the state sector is still dominant. It bans, literally bans, religion from politics. It will not recognize the […]
Deconstructing the Foundational Myths of Israel
Shlomo Sand. The Invention of the Jewish People. Verso, 2009. By this time already, after 60-plus years of heatedly arguing the topic back and forth, is there anything new and insightful to be said that might have a bearing on the Israel-Palestine conflict and help to bring some political and intellectual closure at long last […]
Sayed Mohsen Abdel-Ghani, 17 Years Old, Tortured by Egypt’s Army and CSF
On Sunday, 20 November, Sayed was arrested on Mohamed Mahmoud Street. For four days, the Central Security Forces and the army tortured him. For more information about Mosireen, visit <mosireen.org>. See, also, <against-torture.net>. var idcomments_acct = ‘c90a61ed51fd7b64001f1361a7a71191’; var idcomments_post_id; var idcomments_post_url; | Print
Free Elections in Egypt
Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian cartoonist. Cf. “As with Morocco, with the outcome largely predictable, the most interesting aspect of the results will not be the allocation of seats but the turnout. SCAF will be hoping for a high participation rate as evidence of popular endorsement of its transitional role” (James Asfa, “Democrats Against Elections: […]
Scripting Erdoğan’s Syria Policy
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “Syria is an internal affair for us!”Barack Obama: “What a smart little boy he’s become!” Barack Obama: “We have reached the end of our patience!”Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: “We have reached the end of our patience!” The top cartoon was first published by Gırgır; the bottom cartoon was first published by Çizgice. They […]
Will French Intelligence Agents Be Training Syrian Deserters?
According to Le Canard enchaîné, French agents are now in Lebanon and Turkey “for the mission to build the first contingents of the Free Syrian Army.” French intelligence agents have been sent to northern Lebanon and Turkey to build the first contingents of the Free Syrian Army out of the deserters who have fled Syria, […]
Support Today’s Freedom Riders by Ending U.S. Support for Israeli Apartheid
Fifty years ago, Freedom Riders braved beatings and arson by supremacists intent on maintaining apartheid in the Jim Crow South. By challenging segregated transportation through nonviolent action, these African American and white activists set in motion a process that ultimately dismantled segregation. While the struggle for racial justice continues, at least this shameful chapter of […]
