Egypt has erupted in protest. The grievances behind the protests have long been there. Egyptian President Mubarak has held power for over 30 years, largely through election rigging. This past November in the Parliamentary elections, the president’s party won 500 of 518 seats, which resulted in the loss of almost all opposition seats. The effect is that voices of opposition have been pushed out of government. Furthermore, the Egyptian government does not have a clean history in regards to human rights. The Emergency Law, passed in 1981 allows people to be arrested without charges, detain prisoners indefinitely, and limit freedom of expression and assembly. While the law is only supposed to be used to combat terrorism, that is not the reality. Low wages and poverty are also a source of the Egyptians’ discontent with the current regime. Nearly half of Egyptians live on less than $2 a day. The people have taken to the streets in protest, calling for President Mubarak to step down.
To the full New York Time Article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/world/middleeast/29mubarak.html?_r=1&hp
Friday, January 28, 2011
State of the Union
On Tuesday, the 25th, President Obama delivered this year’s State of the Union address. He emphasized bipartisanship and efforts to get the economy back on track. He also emphasized spending in critical areas, such as education and clean-energy technology. However, Republicans believe his approach is to the deficit is not enough.
To hear the State of the Union Address, click here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2011
To read about the State of the Union Address, click here: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/state_of_the_union_message_us/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=state%20of%20the%20union%20&st=cse
To hear the State of the Union Address, click here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2011
To read about the State of the Union Address, click here: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/state_of_the_union_message_us/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=state%20of%20the%20union%20&st=cse
Thursday, January 20, 2011
All Signs Lead to Secession in Southern Sudan
While the Sudan has suffered from civil war and bitter division for many decades, the latest political action almost guarantees an absolute divide in the form of secession. Indeed, a week-long referendum poll that ended on Saturday, January 15th, indicated that around 95 percent of the Southern Sudanese population, both domestic and abroad, favored becoming a separate country, according to a recent New York Times article. While tallying votes began last week, the results are not expected to be formally announced until early to mid-February 2011.
Moreover, if secession from the North is the final outcome of the referendum, Southern independence would not take place until the expiration of the "Comprehensive Peace Agreement" on July 9th of this year. The 2005 American-influenced agreement marked the end of the 22-year Second Sudanese Civil War between Northern Arab political leadership, and Animists and Christian populations in the South. Yet, secession will not end strife between the North and the South, and the more complicated schisms regarding religion, ethnicity, and oil. While votes were being cast in the South, rallies were active in the North, with groups shouting anti-government slogans and expressing disillusion over whether fair elections were possible. In addition, as Al Jazeera reports, a secession means that nearly nine million Southern Sudanese would "take with them some 80 per cent of Sudan's oil reserves--leaving the north's 32 million people to go it alone" without the economic security that oil can bring.
To learn more about the current situation in the Sudan, come to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst on February 10th, to hear Dr. Andrew Natsios of Georgetown give a talk entitled: "The Future of the Sudan."
To read more:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Self-Immolation, Social Media, and Tunisian Strife
The recent riots throughout Tunisia were provoked by many things, such as the self-indulgent behaviors of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, socio-economic discontent, and old-fashioned corruption. The ultimate trigger, however, was the suicide of a desperate 26 year-old man, Mohammed Bouazizi, who set himself on fire because his fruit stand had been confiscated by the local police. His act of self-immolation unleashed the anger of middle-class, and college-educated Tunisians, who face rampant unemployment, while the now-former President Ben Ali enjoyed a ultra lavish life-style.
For almost a month now, Tunisia has been flooded by rioters in rural areas and in the streets of Tunis, who are calling for political reform and accountability. Riots were organized via various social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tunisian bloggers. In addition, many of the protests are being documented by videos posted online, prompting more action and unrest. At least 78 Tunisians have died, and 100 have been wounded in the protest, often due to police violence. The demonstrations, however, have been effective in toppling the regime: Ben Ali has fled to Saudi Arabia, more than five ministers from makeshift unity government stepped down, and there are calls for Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to resign.
While Tunisia is the current powder keg, there is a single flame uniting these protests in Tunisia with the the rest of the Arab World: the target of political despotism. Indeed, protesters from Jordan to Sudan have been activated by the demonstrations in Tunisia, though often in self-destructive ways. As of January 17th, five more North African men have set themselves ablaze, two in front of their respective parliament buildings. These self-immolations have taken place in Egypt, Algeria, Mauritania,Tunisia, and the common thread is the brief and fleeting relationships these countries have had with democracy. According to an Al-Jazeera article, "Tunisians, many other Arabs are frustrated by soaring prices, poverty, high unemployment and systems of rule that ignore their voices." Indeed, an Egyptian group is organizing a protest via Facebook for January 25th, to fight against "torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment."
For almost a month now, Tunisia has been flooded by rioters in rural areas and in the streets of Tunis, who are calling for political reform and accountability. Riots were organized via various social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tunisian bloggers. In addition, many of the protests are being documented by videos posted online, prompting more action and unrest. At least 78 Tunisians have died, and 100 have been wounded in the protest, often due to police violence. The demonstrations, however, have been effective in toppling the regime: Ben Ali has fled to Saudi Arabia, more than five ministers from makeshift unity government stepped down, and there are calls for Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to resign.
While Tunisia is the current powder keg, there is a single flame uniting these protests in Tunisia with the the rest of the Arab World: the target of political despotism. Indeed, protesters from Jordan to Sudan have been activated by the demonstrations in Tunisia, though often in self-destructive ways. As of January 17th, five more North African men have set themselves ablaze, two in front of their respective parliament buildings. These self-immolations have taken place in Egypt, Algeria, Mauritania,Tunisia, and the common thread is the brief and fleeting relationships these countries have had with democracy. According to an Al-Jazeera article, "Tunisians, many other Arabs are frustrated by soaring prices, poverty, high unemployment and systems of rule that ignore their voices." Indeed, an Egyptian group is organizing a protest via Facebook for January 25th, to fight against "torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment."
Click here for the latest news:
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Future of the Sudan
On Thursday, February 10th, Dr. Andrew Natsios will visit UMASS Amherst to give a talk entitled: "The Future of the Sudan." Dr. Natsios is a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Dr. Natsios is a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. From 1993 to 1998, he was vice president of World Vision U.S., the largest faith-based NGOs in the world. Natsios was a member of the US Army Reserves for 23 years, served in the Gulf War in 1991 on active duty and was a Lt. Colonel when he retired in the 1990’s. He has served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2001 to January 2006. In addition to teaching, he served as President Bush’s Special Envoy to Sudan from October 2006 to December 2007. Dr. Natsios is the author of two books, U.S. Foreign Policy and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1997) and The Great North Korean Famine (2001), collaborated on eight other books, and numerous articles. His book Sudan and Darfur: What Everyone Needs to Know is forthcoming.
Here is a comprehensive article about the Sudan by Dr.Natsios:
Also, heck out this video on the upcoming Sudanese referendum, featuring Dr. Natsios:
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