War eradicates Christianity in Iraq and Afghanistan

Despite long-term U.S. military occupations aimed at establishing representative governments in Iraq and Afghanistan, a real threat exists that Christianity now faces eradication in those countries. This is due to severe and persistent persecution of Christians there, according to the chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “We are looking at two different […]

Arab Spring certainly not the first democratic movement in Muslim world

The Arab-Islamic world has a long history of democracy –democracy which is regularly crushed by western force. In 1953 Iran had a parliamentary system, the US and Britain overthrew it. There was a revolution in Iraq in 1958, we don’t know where it would have gone, but it could have been democratic. The US basically […]

Oil and the destabilization of formerly stable authoritarian Arab regimes

Whatever the outcome of the protests, uprisings, and rebellions now sweeping the Middle East, one thing is guaranteed: the world of oil will be permanently transformed. In 2009, suppliers in the Middle East and North Africa jointly produced 29 million barrels per day, or 36% of the world’s total oil supply. Compare this to Russia, […]

Why is Internet freedom different for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks than protestors in Egypt?

In a major policy address, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton challenged autocratic regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere to embrace online freedom and the demands of cyber dissidents or risk being toppled by tides of unrest. Meanwhile, the US government’s legal hunt for Julian Assange the founder of WikiLeaks continues in a magistrates court […]

Kill Switch for the Internet alarms privacy experts

Hosni Mubarak’s Egyptian regime used an Internet “kill-switch” in recent weeks. It works and we saw the results live on television. Virtually every government in the world has the ability to silence the voice of their citizens by simply shutting off access to the Information Super Highway. It is mind-boggling. With a “kill-switch,” government can […]

Revolution in Egypt bad news for Jews of Israel

The view from Israel is that the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions are bad, very bad. Educated Arabs — not all of them dressed as “Islamists,” quite a few of them speaking perfect English whose wish for democracy is articulated without resorting to “anti-Western” rhetoric — are bad for Israel. The images that moved and enthused […]

Revolution underway throughout the Middle East

Algeria – Heavily outnumbered by riot police, thousands of Algerians defied government warnings and dodged barricades to rally in their capital demanding democratic reforms. This could have implications for the world economy because Algeria is a major oil and gas exporter. Yemen – Yemenis have clashed with police in the capital Sanaa on the third […]

Palestinians can only dream

In the Jenin refugee camp this week, dozens of excited children and teenagers assembled one afternoon this week in the modest but well-kept auditorium located on the edge of the camp. The theater’s performances are not for children only, though the kids in the audience heartily applauded this production with earsplitting whistling and clapping. Afterward, […]

Mohammed Hussein Tantawi now in charge of Egyptian Government

Mohammed Hussein Tantawi is Egypt’s deputy prime minister, defense minister and commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces. In the West, little is known about him, or how he intends to lead the Egyptian military, now that it’s in charge of the government. Tantawi was only recently made deputy prime minister, appointed by former President Hosni […]

Revolution 2.0 more secular than Islamic

February 11 will be remembered as Egypt’s Fourth of July, now that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down from his 30-year presidency. February 11 is also Victory Day in Iran: a national holiday commemorating the Iranian Revolution in 1979. [Iran] hoped for its model to spread … a domino effect in the region, seeding Islamic republics […]