Middle East

CCTV | (Video News Report) | – – “March 20 marks the Persian New Year, Nowruz, which translates as “New Day.” Millions of people across the Middle East and Central Asia are celebrating the holiday.” CCTV News: “Iranians mark New Year with Nowruz celebrations”

Authoritarianism

Turkey’s Erdogan: Democracy Has ‘Absolutely No Value Any Longer’ given war on PKK Terrorism

contributors

TeleSur | – – “Democracy Has ‘Absolutely No Value Any Longer’” The Turkish president made the comments in the context of the government’s fight against the Kurdish PKK resistance group. In the fight against the Kurdish insurgency in the country, there is no place left for democracy and freedom of speech in Turkey, President Recep […]

Israel/ Palestine

Netanyahu Targets for Prosecution Whistleblowers on Israeli Military abuses in Neighboring Palestine

contributors

IMEMC | – – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said rights group Breaking the Silence had “crossed a red line”, following allegations that the group collected classified information from members of the Israeli military. The PM launched the allegation shortly after Israel’s Channel 2 aired an investigative report based on video footage obtained by undercover […]

Israel/ Palestine

Israeli Gov’t violations of Palestinian Journalists’ Rights reached new Peak in 2015

contributors

Ma’an News Agency | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian press freedoms watchdog on Thursday said 2015 had seen an “unprecedented” increase in Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists across the occupied Palestinian territory. The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, known as MADA, recorded a total of 599 violations against media freedoms throughout […]

Featured

Putin: Russia can ramp back up in Syria “within hours”

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The pan-Arab daily al-Hayat (Life) summarized Russian sources on Thursday’s speech by Russian president Vladimir Putin: Putin made several points: 1. Russia hopes that the ceasefire and Geneva peace negotiations can now go forward relatively smoothly toward a political settlement in Syria 2. Russia will continue […]

Russia

Putin’s Syria Gambit: Surprising Views of Russian Pundits on What Moscow Achieved

contributors

By Robert Coalson | ( RFE/RL ) | – – As Russian warplanes continued their partial withdrawal from Syria two days after President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly announced that Moscow's objectives in the country had been "generally accomplished," observers debated how the move changes the situation in the volatile region. Russian analysts are divided on what […]

Israel/ Palestine

Int’l Criticism mounts over massive Israeli ‘land grab’ in Palestinian West Bank

contributors

By Killian Redden | (Ma’an News Agency) | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — Palestinian and international leaders joined a growing chorus of criticism this week over Israel’s recent seizure of hundreds of acres of land in the southern occupied West Bank, saying it was proof Israel is “not interested in peace.” In the latest condemnation, […]

Featured

Syria’s Kurds to declare Federal Province

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Syria’s Kurds have decided to declare a federal province in the northeast of the country and along the northern border with Turkey. Many Arab states are unitary rather than federal and for the most part provincial governors are appointed by the central government and the central […]

Arab Spring

Forgetting Tahrir: The Man on Horseback and the fate of Egypt’s Revolution

contributors

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 […]