What Do We do about Libya NOW. With the U.S. and NATO's thumb firmly on the scale, the balance of power in Libya seems to be shifting steadily toward the rebel forces. That's bad news for the Qaddafi family, though their lack of attractive alternatives to fighting on makes it unlikely that they will simply surrender. This outcome is also not that surprising, as the Libyan military was never a first-class fighting force and it was not going to have real trouble standing up to the rebel forces once they started getting lots of outside help. The danger, however, is that the rebel forces will not be able to consolidate control over the entire country without a lot more fighting, including the sort of nasty urban warfare that can get lots of civilians killed.
As with the invasion of Iraq, in short, the issue wasn't whether the West could eventually accomplish "regime change" if it tried. In the Libyan case, same basic question. AFP/Getty Images. France Admits Arming Libyan Rebels.
Maroc. Une manifestation d'étudiants à Alger tourne à l'affrontement. Arabs Will Be Free. La "Gay Girl" de Damas ou les pièges de la blogosphère militante - A la Une. Le blog d'une "lesbienne syrienne", qui s'est révélé être un canular, met en exergue les risques de manipulation dans les réseaux sociaux mais ne devrait pas saper leur rôle moteur dans le "printemps arabe", estiment des experts.
Très populaire notamment auprès du public occidental, la blogueuse qui se faisait appeler "Amina Abdallah Arraf" et qui relatait son "combat" contre la répression du régime syrien n'était en réalité que Tom MacMaster, un barbu américain de 40 ans résidant en Ecosse. "Les médias sociaux sont une arme à double tranchant", affirme Robert Naouss, expert en communication au centre Carnegie pour le Moyen-Orient. "Ils peuvent être un instrument très efficace pour encourager les changements sociaux et politiques, mais aussi impliquer des acteurs non pertinents qui peuvent leurrer" le public, dit-il. "Plusieurs opposants syriens, notamment parmi les jeunes, craignent que leur blog, leur prochain 'tweet' ou affichage sur Facebook ne soient pas pris au sérieux", indique M.
Mohammed VI propose sa mini-révolution aux Marocains. Parviendra-t-il à calmer la colère née depuis le Mouvement du 20 février ? Le roi Mohammed VI appelle les Marocains à se prononcer le 1er juillet sur un projet de Constitution qui comporte la promesse de plus de séparation des pouvoirs. Dans le même décor solennel que son discours du mois de mars – qui avait déçu –, le souverain a détaillé vendredi 17 juin les points sur lesquels devra voter le peuple.
(Voir la vidéo du discours sous-titré, et la version écrite intégrale en français). Un chef du gouvernement avec des pouvoirs Les principaux changements Avant la réforme Le Premier ministre est nommé par le roi et il est placé sous sa tutelle. La politique générale du pays est décidée par le Conseil des ministres, présidé par le roi. Seul le roi peut dissoudre le Parlement. Après la réforme Toujours nommé par le roi, le Premier ministre est issu du parti vainqueur des élections législatives. Ses pouvoirs sont renforcés. Le Premier ministre peut dissoudre le Parlement. L'armée syrienne sème la terreur dans un village à la frontière turque. Tunisie : la police frappe des journalistes internationaux. Religion and Politics in Bahrain: Crime and Punishment in Bahrain. The following is an op-ed piece I've spent some days trying to have published.
But when you're competing with such hard-hitters as Roger Cohen's article "Arabs Will Be Free"--which sounds like the title of a Garth Brooks song--you know you're in for an uphill climb. The first paragraph, for example: "Three Middle Eastern countries have been conspicuous for their stability in the storm. They are Turkey, Lebanon and Israel. An odd mix, you might say, but they have in common that they are places where people vote. " Wow, really? That's funny because I thought people also voted regularly in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Jordan, Bahrain, and Syria. I even remember being IN Yemen and Bahrain DURING elections, but perhaps I misinterpreted what was going on. Anyway, below is the op-ed. Crime and Punishment in Bahrain While the United States is busy providing air cover for government opponents in Libya, its friends in the Arab Gulf have nearly finished mopping the floor with theirs.
Targeting Corruption, Egypt Goes After Mubarak's Wife. Targeting Corruption, Egypt Goes After Mubarak's Wife Suzanne Mubarak suffers what may be a heart attack as Egyptian prosecutors prepare to level corruption charges against her By Vivienne Walt / Cairo Egypt's former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak — who just three months ago was feted internationally for her charity work — suffered what may have been a heart attack on Friday after being detained in an investigation into possible corruption during the 30 years when her husband Hosni was president.
By Friday evening, she had been transferred to the intensive-care unit of a military hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, and a source told al-Jazeera that she could be transferred soon to a women's prison in Cairo. The arrest brought roars of approval among the tens of thousands of people gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as the news spread through text messages and Twitter feeds. The sums of money, however, could be significant.
Lybie.