Arab Spring

Neil Serougi | ( OpenDemocracy ) | – – Why would a country that showed itself so courageous in confronting Mubarak’s repression now be content to sacrifice its hard won gains, and accept a regime that has gone far further? KimBadawi/Getty Images. All rights reserved.What became of the Arab Spring? The heady optimism that saw […]

Arab Spring

Can non-violent Revolt actually Change practical Politics?

contributors

By Mark Engler and Paul Engler | ( Tomdispatch.com) | – – Bernie Sanders’s insurgent presidential campaign has opened up a debate about how social change happens in our society. The official version of how progress is won — currently voiced by mainstream pundits and members of a spooked Democratic Party establishment — goes something […]

Arab Spring

Despite Risks, Egypt’s Cartoonists Take on increasingly Authoritarian Regime of al-Sisi

contributors

By Mohamed Hassan | ( Global Voices ) | – – Cartoonist Islam Gawish. Photograph from his Facebook page. Photograph by Mostafa Darwish. Less than two weeks after the fifth anniversary of the January 25 revolution, Egypt is not showing any signs of improvement in its treatment of human rights advocates. On the evening of […]

Arab Spring

Tahrir 5 Years Later: The Hurdles to Democratization & Arab Youth Revolts

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – A frequently met-with Western political and often journalistic narrative of the 2011 youth revolts in the Arab world is that idealistic young people came out into the streets and managed to overthrow four dictators, but then the essential Arab nature (violent, fanatical, tribal and sectarian) came […]

Arab Spring

5 Years after Tahrir Square, Egyptian Government in Crackdown on Dissent ahead of Jan. 25 Anniversary

contributors

Global Voices Advocacy’s Netizen Report | (Globalvoices.org) | – – Activists online and on the ground in Egypt have faced heightened scrutiny and legal threats from government authorities since early January, as the country approaches the fifth anniversary of the mass protest movement that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. In addition to multiple arrests of […]

Arab Spring

Five years on, Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution continues from the ground up

contributors

By Adnan Saif | (The Conversation) | – – Tunisians are marking five years since the culmination of their “Jasmine Revolution”. Since its longtime authoritarian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced out of office in January 2011, Tunisia has been embarking on a long transition to constitutional democracy – a transation that, although […]

Arab Spring

The Fifth Anniversary of Arab Uprisings: A Turning point in Modern History?

contributors

By Farhang Jahanpour | (Informed Comment) | – – The tumultuous developments that have rocked the Arab world and have come to be known as the Arab Spring resulted in the toppling of the first Arab ruler on 14 January 2011, exactly five years ago today. The Arab revolutions have not turned out as expected, […]

Arab Spring

Annual Informed Comment Fundraiser: Support Indie Journalism

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – It is that fundraising time of year again, folks. This year everyone who contributes $100 or more to Informed Comment by Paypal will receive a signed copy of the paperback version of my recent book, The New Arabs. Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor has kindly agreed […]