Activists preparing for “third intifada”
May 13th, 20110 CAIRO (IPS) — Following the February ouster of Egypt's longstanding President Hosni Mubarak, calls have been circulating in Egypt and throughout the region for a "Third Intifada" to begin 15 May. "Unlike the first two Palestinian uprisings, the proposed Third Intifada is meant to involve the...
Monarchies closing ranks against spread of democracy
May 13th, 20110 WASHINGTON (IPS) — 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, Iraq and the democratic wave sweeping...Will U.S. troops stay in Iraq after all?
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Amid high-level U.S. congressional delegations to evaluate developments in Iraq, a growing number of voices here, from both the Barack Obama administration and members of Congress, are concerned about a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country by December 2011 – a...Badalow, Prusiewicz announce Heights City Clerk candidacies
DEARBORN HEIGHTS – Two applicants for the November 2011 city clerk race have announced their candidacy as Dearborn Heights Councilwoman Janet Badalow and current interim City Clerk Walter Prusiewicz have both expressed their intentions to run. Prusiewicz replaced Judy Dudzinski in the position...Nameless, faceless, stateless: Bedouin of Kuwait struggling for identity
Kuwait is one of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries located in the Middle East known for its oil wealth and benefits bestowed upon the citizens. But tucked away in the northern part of the country – 60 kilometers from the men in Bugattis and women carrying Balenciaga -- are the Bedouin....
Murder of international peace activists raises questions, anger
April 23rd, 20110 Members of Hamas' security forces carry the coffin of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni in Gaza City April 18, 2011. Friends of the Italian activist Arrigoni arrived in Gaza to escort his body to Italy via Egypt. Hamas found his body after he was killed by al Qaeda sympathisers in the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ismail Zaydah RAMALLAH...
U.S. denies trying to undermine Assad
April 22nd, 20110 Syria's President Bashar al-AssadWASHINGTON (IPS) — As anti-government protests in Syria showed no sign of abating, the U.S. State Department Monday denied that it was seeking the regime's ouster. "No, we are not working to undermine that government," said spokesman Mark Toner in response to a front-page report in Monday's...Hizbullah challenges Bahrain government
BEIRUT (IPS) — Hizbullah's hardening stance in the Bahraini crisis has sowed discord between Lebanon and the Gulf island, currently home to about 5,000 Lebanese expatriates. As the situation escalates, many fear that the status of other Lebanese in the rest of the Gulf could come under threat. In recent weeks, some 16...Assad forms new cabinet, grants detainees amnesty
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, has formed a new cabinet two weeks after sacking the country's government...Palestinians ready for statehood
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } The Palestinians are ready for statehood, according to a report to be presented to major aid donor...
Fears of Lebanon being caught in Saudi-Iran cold war
April 16th, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } BEIRUT — A war of words between Lebanon's pro-Western and Iranian-backed camps has sparked fears of a...
U.S. keeps quiet over repression in Bahrain
April 16th, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } WASHINGTON — If President Barack Obama wanted to place Washington "on the right side of history"...
Bahrain unrest: Torture fears as activists die in jail
April 16th, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Two Bahraini Shi'a activists who were detained after weeks of anti-government protests have died in police...Clinton presses for reform across the Arab world
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that the Arab world's revolutions could...Maliki’s doubts threaten post-2011 troop presence plan
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaks to the U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division troops from......
Syria puts reform on the agenda amid calls for justice
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } DAMASCUS — Syrian lawmakers plan to adopt major reforms in May, including an end to emergency rule, a...How Bahrain strong-armed the president of the United States
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }The men walking down the street looked ordinary enough. Ordinary, at least, for these days of tumult and protest in the Middle......
Libya splitting Republicans like Balkans did in 1990s
April 8th, 20110 Head of the rebel forces Abdel Fattah Younes attends a news conference in Benghazi April 5, 2011. Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi's forces on Tuesday criticized NATO as too slow to act and said they would ask the U.N. Security Council to suspend its mission unless it "did its job properly". Younes said NATO's inaction was...
U.S. treads cautious line on Yemen protests
April 8th, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Lucida Grande"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } An army soldier tries to prevent an anti-government...Can Assad save his regime with radical reforms?
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Regime change in Syria may have a huge impact on the entire Middle East. If the changes are genuine...Why Erdogan can’t let Assad down
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } ANKARA (IPS) — A new week, a new campaign for Ankara's diplomacy. After a victorious......
Neo-Cons target Assad regime
April 2nd, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } WASHINGTON (IPS) — Despite the clear opposition of the Barack Obama administration and apparent...
Bahrain steps up crackdown on opposition
April 2nd, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Bahrain has stepped up the arrests of Shia Muslims, including cyber activists, with more than 300 detained......
Yemen protesters vow not to budge until Saleh quits
April 2nd, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } SANAA — The Yemeni opposition accused President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday of "maneuvers" to gain time in...Isreali court orders Jerusalem family to share home with Jewish settlers
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } In the last month Palestinians in Jerusalem continued to face ongoing violence and settler takeovers of their......