By Juan Cole In his stirring eulogy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first president to be legitimately elected, by the entire South Africa people, President Barack Obama said, “There are too many of us who happily embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing […]
Archives for December 2013
Presidents shaking Hands with Dictators
By Juan Cole President Barack Obama’s casual hand shake with Cuban president Raul Castro at the memorial for Nelson Mandela has, predictably, set off a wave of outrage among right wing politicians and pundits who are anyway perpetually outraged by anything Obama does or indeed, just by his being president. Sen. John McCain, who frankly […]
Egypt’s crisis is structural
Egypt has been struggling to get back to normal, but the damage caused by decades of dictatorship has caused many Egyptians to consider military rule as the best option for now.
Google, Microsoft, Silicon Valley Giants Demand Rollback of out-of-control NSA Spying
By Andrea Germanos In an open letter to President Obama and members of Congress, AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo, write: We understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens. But this summer’s revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide. The balance in many countries has […]
After Mandela: Can Massacred South African Mine Workers get Justice?
The summer, 2012, massacre of striking mine workers by South African police, which killed 44 persons and wounded at least 78, continues to wend its way through the South African system. The largest casualty toll was on August 16, 2012. The mine is owned by Lonmin and is located in Marikana. South Africa is seeing […]
Can Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Heal the Middle East?
By Juan Cole Every transition from an authoritarian government to democracy is different. Some go relatively smoothly (Poland, South Korea). Others are rocky (Taiwan, Bosnia, Tunisia). In some instances, authoritarianism reasserts itself to a lesser (Russia) or greater (Ukraine, Egypt) extent. In some cases, the country falls into chaos (Iraq, Yugoslavia). What to do with […]
Knesset speaker Edelstein to lead delegation to Mandela memorial
MKs Dov Lipman, Pnina Tamano-Shata, Nitzan Horowitz, Gila Gamliel and Hilik Bar to also attend service for civil rights leader
Tech giants call on US to reform surveillance laws
Eight leading US-based technology companies Dec 9 called on Washington to overhaul its surveillance laws following revelations of online eavesdropping by Snowden
Young Israelis Emigrating Abroad Roils Politics in Tel Aviv
Uri Avnery discusses the issue of young Jewish Israelis leaving Israel for other countries, including Germany. Israel’s out-emigration rate was similar to other industrial countries a decade ago, but it is possible that it has increased because of the rise in rents and property values and the increased divide between poor and rich. Many young […]
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