Authoritarianism

( Human Rights Watch ) – (Tunis) – Tunisian authorities have intensified their attack on opponents of President Kais Saied’s 2021 power grab, moving to neutralize the country’s largest political party, Ennahda, Human Rights Watch said today. Since December 2022, the Tunisian government has arrested at least 17 current or former members of the party, […]

Africa

Trump joins ranks of Sexual Abusers-in-Chief like Gaddafi and Mussolini, but CNN thinks he Deserves a Townhall

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Donald John Trump was found liable by a jury on Tuesday for having sexually abused and then libeled writer E. Jean Carroll. The only reason he wasn’t also found liable for rape was that the victim said he inserted something else into her– fingers or some instrument — against her […]

Authoritarianism

Tunisia Doubles Down on Democratic Rollback

Human Rights Watch

Published in: Foreign Policy Eric Goldstein Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division goldsteinricky ( Human Rights Watch ) – Some coups and power grabs start with the arrest of the leader of the political opposition. In Tunisia, it took almost two years for President Kais Saied to jail Rached Ghannouchi, the longtime […]

Authoritarianism

Many Female Voters see Turkey’s May 14 Elections as Crucial to Future of Women’s Rights

Arzu Geybullayeva

Written byArzu Geybullayeva ( Globalvoices.org) – In a report that was published in 2007 by European Stability Initiative, a think tank, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was hailed for bringing about reforms to empower women since coming to power in 2002. “If this report had been written in 1999, the year Turkey […]

Authoritarianism

Neither Iran nor Israel Needs Dictatorship: The Bad Joke of Pretender to a non-Existent Throne Kowtowing to Netanyahu

Fariba Amini

Newark, Delaware (Feature — Special to Informed Comment) – The recent visit of Reza Pahlavi to Israel and his meeting with PM Netanyahu raise many questions. Why now and what is the meaning of this pilgrimage? What is it about water? Is water the main issue in Iran? This must be a joke. Reza Pahlavi […]

Authoritarianism

Heavy Fighting Breaks out in Sudanese Capital, Imperiling Revolution

Middle East Monitor

( Middle East Monitor ) – Clashes erupted Saturday between the conventional Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), formerly known as the Janjaweed militias, in the capital Khartoum. The RSF had been deployed in 2019 by the military junta against the civilian revolutionary movement that overthrew dictator and war criminal Omar […]

Authoritarianism

In Turkey, will one man continue to rule them all? The May 14th elections hold the answer

Arzu Geybullayeva

Written byArzu Geybullayeva ( Globalvoices.org) – May 14 will go down in the history of Turkish Republic as one of the most important elections to date. The stakes are high, and there is a growing sense among the general public that if the current leadership stays in power, the country’s future is grim […]

Authoritarianism

Leaked Pentagon Report: Israeli Intel Agency Mossad Agitated against Netanyahu’s weakening of Courts

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – John Hudson and Louisa Loveluck at the Washington Post report that a leak of Pentagon documents reveals that the U.S. is intensively spying on Israel and concludes that Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, has encouraged both its own employees and the Israeli public to join protests against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s […]

Authoritarianism

In Bad Sign for Climate Summit, Oil-Rich UAE warns Conference Attendees against Criticizing Government

Human Rights Watch

Katharina Rall Senior Researcher, Environment and Human Rights @katha_nina ( Human Rights Watch) – Speakers at a recent climate and health summit in Abu Dhabi were advised by the conference organizers not to “criticize Islam, the government, corporations or individuals” or protest while in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a recent investigation […]