A group of peace negotiators has won the Nobel Peace Prize for its role in preserving the Tunisian Revolution. That 2011 event kicked off the wave of uprisings known as the Arab Spring. The Tunisian Revolution is widely seen as the one bright spot of the Arab Spring, which has otherwise brought war, tyranny, and chaos to … Continue reading “Tunisian Nobel Peace Prize an Indictment of US Intervention in the Arab Spring”
Tag: arab spring
A House of Sand and Fog
Last summer, as the Sandstorm mistakenly dubbed the “Arab Spring” swept across North Africa, a cadre of professional revolutionaries the Empire created in Serbia bragged about their role in the revolts to some European videographers. Sure, the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt may have begun spontaneously, but Empire-trained activists soon took control and channeled the rage into “regime change.” … Continue reading “A House of Sand and Fog”
Did the Pentagon Help Strangle the Arab Spring?
Of all American military training programs around the world, the most publicized in recent years has been the one building up a local security force to replace U.S. (and NATO) troops as they ever so slowly withdraw from Afghanistan. By 2014, that country is supposed to possess an army and police force of at least … Continue reading “Did the Pentagon Help Strangle the Arab Spring?”
From Arab Spring to Fall Revolution?
In summer 2010, WikiLeaks published tens of thousands of classified U.S. State Department cables, much to the outrage and chagrin of the American national security establishment and its Amen Corner. The documents included embarrassing details on internal corruption in a number of Arab regimes and helped spark a “Facebook/Twitter Revolution” in Tunisia, ending in the … Continue reading “From Arab Spring to Fall Revolution?”
Winter is Coming
Nebojsa Malic on the wasteland of Empire’s victory
Israelis Sick and Tired – but of What?
As a humble columnist, I am puzzled. I have been writing on Israeli realities for a decade, and I find writing ever more difficult: nothing changes. How often can you write something different about the same things? The international media, on the other hand, has had no difficulty filling pages and screens, making the very … Continue reading “Israelis Sick and Tired – but of What?”
Obama and the Mideast Arms Trade
Say it ain’t so, Osama! His take-down was the story that grabbed almost 69 percent of the American “news hole” the week it happened, and from a media point of view it turns out to be the gift that never stops giving. Small wonder, since it’s got just about everything: multiple wives, lost high-tech stealth … Continue reading “Obama and the Mideast Arms Trade”
Secret War on Iran May Hurt Reform Movement
For years now, a concerted covert U.S. campaign of cyber-terrorism, commercial sabotage, targeted assassinations, and proxy wars has apparently been under way in Iran. From June 2009 to May 2010 a computer virus called Stuxnet was unleashed on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The widely publicized cyber-attack aimed at obstructing Iran’s nuclear enrichment was “precisely calibrated” to … Continue reading “Secret War on Iran May Hurt Reform Movement”
Riders of the Storm
The tides of history are moving fast, these days. It’s hard for the average human being – who, after all, has a life to live, filled with troubles that are small in scale but no less earthshaking to the individuals experiencing them – to make sense of it all. Indeed, even the so-called “experts” are … Continue reading “Riders of the Storm”
Sunni Monarchies Close Ranks
Reports that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is considering some form of membership for two non-Gulf states—Jordan and Morocco—confirm that the conservative Sunni monarchies of the Middle East are closing ranks against Iran, Shi’ite-led Iraq, and the democratic wave sweeping the region. GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani made the announcement Tuesday after a summit of … Continue reading “Sunni Monarchies Close Ranks”