Camille Otrakji is a Syrian political blogger based in Montreal. Although he tends to keep a low profile, Otrakji has been, for the past several years, at the forefront of many of the most interesting and influential online initiatives relating to Syrian politics. He is one of the authors and moderators at Joshua Landis’s Syria […]
Subjects Archives: Movements
Free the Cuban Five!
Freedom for the five Cuban patriots! Gervasio Umpiérrez is a cartoonist based in Montevideo, Uruguay. This cartoon was published in his blog on 25 April 2011. Cf. “U.S. Government Asked the Court to Deny Gerardo Hernandez’s Habeas Corpus Motion” (26 April 2011); “The U.S. Government Asked the Court to also Deny Antonio Guerrero’s and […]
Hamas’s Option in Syria
Two political analysts shared their view with Islam Online: the leadership of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” will not leave Syria unless it is asked to do so. They say that it is not in the interest of Hamas to leave Damascus now. An Internal Affair London’s Al-Hayat newspaper claimed that Hamas decided […]
Egypt’s Workers Keep the Revolution Alive
Kamal al Fayoumi, Mahalla Textiles Worker and Democratic Labor Party Activist: All of us, as workers, said that the revolution began on February 11 when Mubarak left. When the head of the old regime stepped down, it was just the start of the revolution. The revolution began only with the solidarity of all of Egypt’s […]
May Day Toast to the Workers of the World
“Let’s drink a toast to all those farmers, workers, artists and intellectuals of the last 100 years who without thought of fame and profit . . . worked tirelessly in their dream of a worldwide socialist revolution, who believed and hoped that a new world was dawning and that their work would contribute to […]
The Syrian Opposition’s “National Initiative for Change”: A Missed Opportunity
Given the atrocities currently committed in Syria and the spectacularly bad press this generates for the regime, one would think that issuing an effective petition calling for political change in this country would be an easy task. All such a petition needs to do is to jump on the bandwagon of rapidly mounting protests […]
Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect
This 2011 edition of “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” marks the 20th year the AFL-CIO has produced a report on the state of safety and health protections for America’s workers. This year is historic for workers’ safety and health. It is the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, where 146 […]
The Pillars of Democracy
Nicolas Sarkozy: “Boys, these are the pillars that support authentic democracies!” Barack Obama: “Well said, Sarko!” José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero: “This is not Iraq . . . This is not Iraq . . . This is not Iraq . . . This is not Iraq . . .” Ferran Martín, born in Barcelona in […]
Maseerat al ‘Awda, the Return to Palestine March
Following a general meeting that brought together representatives from various Palestinian and Lebanese civil society organizations as well as individual activists, the Organizing Committee of Maseerat al ‘Awda, the Return to Palestine March, has announced the launch of its preparatory activities. The “Return to Palestine March” will take participants to the border with Occupied […]
Letter to the International Labor Organization
Excerpt: We demand that Ali Nejati, Fereydoun Nikoofard, Ghorban Alipour, Mohammad Heydari Mehr, Jalil Mohamadi, and Reza Rakhshan (who are all board members of the Haft Tapeh Trade Union), and Behrooz Nikoofard, another laid-off worker, be returned to work immediately. Full Text: See the letter in Persian: نامه سندیکای کارگران نیشکر هفت تپه به […]
Protesters in Saudi Arabia: “Down with the Khalifas, Down with America, Down with Israel, Down with Wahhabism!”
Awamiya, 22 April 2011: “The People Want Human Rights” Qatif, 22 April 2011: “Down with the Khalifas, Down with America, Down with Israel, Down with Wahhabism!” Qatif, 22 April 2011: “With Our Soul, with Our Blood, We’ll Free Bahrain!” Cf. <www.facebook.com/Revolution.East>. See, also, Yoshie Furuhashi, “Longing for Revolution in Saudi Arabia” (MRZine, 6 March 2011); […]
Bahrain, Free the Docs! Bahraini Government Continues to Abduct Physicians
According to reports from Bahrain, doctors are disappearing as part of a systematic attack on medical staff. Many physicians are missing following interrogations by unknown security forces at Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama. Although families have tried to contact administration officials, the administration denies any knowledge of their whereabouts. According to family members, the physicians […]
The Revolution of Anger
ثـــــورة غضــــــب Never will we accept humiliation We are the lovers of martyrdom Raise your voice and say it loud My cause is my nation, and my blood my weapon! Never will we accept humiliation We are the lovers of martyrdom Raise your voice and say it loud My cause is my nation, and […]
After Yugoslavia: Alternative Balkanization from Below, against the Belgrade Consensus
Andrej Grubacic. Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! Essays after Yugoslavia. Introduction by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. PM Press, 2010. This is not a typical book review and I am not a detached reader. The book’s author, Andrej Grubacic, is a friend and collaborator, a comrade in the truest sense of the word. And as he makes clear throughout […]
Obstruct Militarization and the Usurpation of Democracy
On behalf of the American University Anthropology department, I am deeply honored to welcome you all to AU, and to the Latin American Solidarity Coalition’s “Conference to Build a Stronger Movement to End US Militarism and the Militarization of Latin America.” It’s exciting personally to be involved in such an important event — after all, […]
Slain Honduran Teacher’s Sister Writes to Nancy Pelosi: Stop Supporting Porfirio Lobo’s Regime in Honduras!
Zenaida Velasquez is a sister of Ilse Velasquez, a Honduran teacher recently killed by the military-backed regime in Honduras. Dear Representative Nancy Pelosi: Right now I am in Honduras, my country of birth. I came here due to an emergency — bad news. . . My youngest sister, Ilse Ivania Velasquez Rodriguez, a dedicated […]
Mashaei to Run for President of Iran? “Ask Me Six Months before Election”
Presidential chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei has said that he has not decided yet to run for the 2013 presidential election. “Ask about my candidacy for the presidential election six months before the election,” he told reporters on Saturday when asked about his plans for the next presidential election. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s close […]
The Arab Spring and the Saudi Counter-Revolution
We return from a recent trip to the region persuaded that the main question engaging people with respect to the “Arab spring” is no longer “who’s next,” but rather “how far will Saudi Arabia go in pushing a counter-revolutionary agenda” across the Middle East? Whether Saudi Arabia is really capable of coping with the momentous […]
Saudis March for Revolution in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Candlelight March in Solidarity with the People of Bahrain, 14.04.11 Funeral March for Saudi Torture Victim Mohammad Hassan al-Hayek, 14.04.11: “The People Want Human Rights” Jaroudiya and Awamiya Villagers Participate in the Central Qatif March, 14.04.11 The Message of the People of Qatif to the House of Saud, 15.04.11: “Friday, 22 April 2011 Will Be […]
Washington, DC: Rally against Human Rights Abuses in Bahrain
“Demand an end to the intimidation, torture and killing of peaceful protesters, human rights activists, and health and medical personnel in Bahrain at the hands of the Bahraini military and security forces provided by Saudi Arabia and other states.” — American Council for Freedom in Bahrain Washington, DC, 15 April 2011 For more information about […]
