Dissent

( Middle East Monitor ) – “Rights are granted to those who align with power,” Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, eloquently wrote from his cell. This poignant statement came soon after a judge ruled that the government had met the legal threshold to deport the young activist on the nebulous ground of “foreign […]

Dissent

Turkey’s Youth on the Frontlines of Protests

Arzu Geybullayeva

High school students have now joined university students in protests that have rocked the country since March 19 Written byArzu Geybullayeva ( Global Voices ) – Ever sinceMarch 19, when Istanbul’s popular mayor and main opposition party’s presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was first detained, then arrested, on bogus corruption and terrorism charges, Turkey has been […]

Dissent

“The American Spring:” Trump is increasingly Like Middle East Rulers who were Overthrown

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Nationwide “Hands Off!” rallies were held in over 1,200 towns and cities, in every single state of the Union on Saturday, staged by over 150 organizations, including workers’ unions, democracy advocates, veterans and human rights groups, according to David Collins at AP. Some of the urban demonstrations were significant, with […]

Democracy

A Do-it-Yourself Kit for Defeating Trumpism: Because the Mainstream Politicians Won’t

H. Patricia Hynes

Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – The Republican Administration’s edicts – imposed by broligarchs President Trump and Elon Musk – are with us for the next two to four years. Who/what will defeat them? Not the inside-the Beltway Democratic politicians. Most are supine and silent, or cautious and cowardly, or helping to advance […]

Dissent

Istanbul Mayor’s Arrest Sparks Türkiye’s Largest Protests in over a Decade

Volkan Isbasaran

Istanbul (Special to Informed Comment) – Major protests over the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, have entered their sixth day. Demonstrations have erupted in at least 55 out of Türkiye’s 81 provinces, according to AFP, which marks one of the most widespread waves of […]

Democracy

Trump rages to snuff out Democracy’s Candle: Will we Rage against the Dying of its Light?

Rebecca Gordon

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Allow me to stipulate that I do not wish to die. In fact, had anyone consulted me about the construction of the universe, I would have made my views on the subject quite clear: mortality is a terrible idea. I’m opposed to it in general. (In wiser moments, I know that […]

Dissent

Social Movements constrained Trump in his first Term – Much more than People Realize

The Conversation

By Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst (The Conversation) – Donald Trump’s first term as president saw some of the largest mass protests seen in the U.S. in over 50 years, from the 2017 Women’s March to the 2020 protests after George Floyd’s murder. Things feel different this time around. Critics seem quieter. Some point to […]

Democracy

What the US can learn from South Koreans who stopped an Authoritarian Power-Grab

Waging Nonviolence

Jungmin Choi As Elon Musk and his DOGE team set about dismantling government agencies, many Americans expected a strong response from Congressional Democrats. Instead, party leaders offered weak statements and little resistance to being refused entry to the very agencies they are tasked with overseeing. This lack of urgency amid what’s being called an administrative […]

censorship

Iran: Unchecked Repression of Dissent

The Conversation

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Iranian authorities have continued their brutal, targeted repression even though the new Iranian president has promised change, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2025. The authorities have targeted human rights defenders, women, ethnic and religious minorities, and families of those arrested or killed in the 2022 protests. For […]