Middle East

Violent repression of Yemen’s protesters led to 24 deaths on Tuesday in Sanaa and Taizz. Demonstrations were put down near Sanaa university, and dissident Gen. Ali Mohsen Ahmar maintains that an assassination attempt was made on his life by members of the presidential guard. Aljazeera English reports on the renewed protests and violence.

Libya

Impatient Rebels Critique NATO Aid

Juan Cole

Gen. Abdelfatah Yunis, the commander of rebel military forces in Benghazi expressed dissatisfaction on Tuesday with the pace of the NATO/ UN intervention in his country. He worried that Misrata, the country’s 3rd-largest city, might fall altogether any moment. He could not understand why supplies were not delivered promptly to the harbor by NATO ships. […]

Israel/ Palestine

Amnesty Int’l: United Nations Must Reject Israeli Campaign to Avoid Accountability for Gaza War Crimes

Juan Cole

This came to me as a news release from Amnesty International: Amnesty International Public Statement Tuesday, April 5, 2011 United Nations Must Reject Israeli Campaign to Avoid Accountability for Gaza War Crimes, Says Amnesty International Statements by Leading Israeli Politicians Are Based on “Deliberate Misinterpretation” of Justice Goldstone’s Comments in Newspaper Opinion Article Contact: Suzanne […]

Libya

UN Allies Strike Convoy near Brega as Rebels begin Oil Exports

Juan Cole

NATO airstrikes near the oil city of Brega (Marsa al-Buraiqa) on Tuesday morning repelled the advance of an 8-vehicle military convoy of Qaddafi loyalists. The Transitional government in Benghazi is eager to gain control of Brega, from which they were pushed back on Monday night, because they could then export petroleum from it under a […]

Libya

Libyan Rebels Aspire to Democracy

Juan Cole

The USG Open Source Center translates an article about a rebel news conference in which they lay out their vision of Libya’ future: Libya’s TNC Presents Memo Detailing Vision for Post-Al-Qadhafi Stage Report by Khalid Mahmud in Cairo: Al-Sharq al-Awsat Exclusively Publishes the Transitional Council’s Vision of the Post-Al-Qadhafi Libya. The Revolutionaries Vowed To Write […]

Libya

Crackdowns Against Arab Spring Continue

Juan Cole

1. Tens of thousands of protesters are said to have come out in the Yemeni city of Taizz on Monday, but were fired on by security forces, who killed 11 and wounded 500. This according to CNN. Protesters also rallied in Sanaa, Aden, Ibb and Hodeida. Ta’izz, a city of 460,000, lies in the southwest […]

Libya

Libyan Rebels Grateful to West, say Qaddafi Psycho

Juan Cole

The USG Open Source Center translates radio broadcasts on Sunday of the Voice of Free Libya Radio, which is based in Benghazi: ‘ Libyan Rebel Radio Eulogizes Slain Doctor, Mocks State TV Voice of Free Libya Sunday, April 3, 2011 … Document Type: OSC Summary The two main items broadcast by Benghazi Voice of Free […]

Libya

Westbrook: Half-Measures in Libya will Fail

Juan Cole

Here is David A. Westbrook’s guest column for Informed Comment It is in many ways a critique of the position Juan Cole has taken, that a limited air intervention in Libya was necessary and desirable. Westbrook argues that the intervention is flawed policy because half-hearted. IC is open to alternative points of view and seeks […]

Libya

Questions for Glenn Greenwald on Libya and the end of NATO

Juan Cole

I have a set of questions for Glenn Greenwald. I ask them in the spirit of open and reasoned dialogue and am genuinely interested in his response. He is a hero of mine for his stances against torture and against government surveillance, and because he himself was suggested by security firms to the Bank of […]