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  • Mubarak, Army, U.S., Israel vs Egyptian People

    [As government forces have attacked peaceful protesters in Tahrir Square, Emad Mekay from Cairo reports] Mubarak is clearly backed by the Americans. He took some moves after speaking with Obama and a visit by a former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner. Mubarak, the army, the Americans and the Israelis are clearly on one side.…

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  • Unrest Spreads to Sinai

    A Bedouin youth casually spreads out a piece of cloth before a police headquarters in Sheikh Zwayyed town in Sinai, the vast desert area to the east of Cairo across the Suez. “I will leave when Mubarak leaves,” he says. [Full piece from Inter Press Service]

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  • Chomsky: Strategic and Economic Objectives, Not Anti-Islamization, Drives U.S. Policy

    [While many are claiming that a central goal of U.S. policy is to minimize influence of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Noam Chomsky contributed this to our blog] It is well-established, including the major scholarly literature, that the U.S. supports democracy if and only if that accords with strategic and economic objectives.  Following…

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  • An Open Letter to President Barack Obama

    ————————————————————————————————————————— [To sign; for recent news releases on Egypt from the Institute for Public Accuracy] Dear President Obama: As political scientists, historians, and researchers in related fields who have studied the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping…

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  • Report from Cairo

    From Alex Ortiz in Cairo: “The army is beginning to come into Cairo … tens of thousands converged in midan al-gala’ coming from three different protest marches. Total communication blackout. Reports of senior police officers ordering their men to stand down and not beat or fire tear gas at protesters in Midan al-gala an hour…

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  • Report on Latest from Cairo

    CAIRO, Egypt [11 p.m. local time] — 1-Some government media figures appear to be joining ranks with the protesters. Mahmoud Saad, a talk show host in the Egyptian state-run TV, has announced that he will no longer appear on TV starting tonight after he came under pressure from top government officials to report “untruths” about…

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  • Police in Cairo Beating up Jounalists

    [From 9:28 a.m. ET]: Police started beating up journalists protesting outside the Press Syndicate in downtown Cairo. They beat up women journalists too who were screaming and crying for help. “Do not club women. Do not club women,” some of the men rushed to the police asking them not to target women. “You’ll make things…

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  • From Alex Ortiz in Cairo

    [The Egyptian government has apparently block Twitter, Facebook (as of Wed. morn U.S. ET) and other internet tools, though apparently some people are able to get around such restrictions. Email from 8:45 a.m. ET:] Downtown Cairo today remains in a state of high alert. There are many security forces and plainsclothed policemen visible on every…

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  • Video from Cairo

    Phone lines are intermittent and Twitter has reportedly been blocked in Egypt. Here is a live video feed: ustream.tv/channel/cairodowntown [update: ustream has been blocked, streaming now intermittently at livestream.com/cairowitness — further update, now at: www.justin.tv/cairowitness] Here is a YouTube video from earlier today:

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  • Ukraine’s Assault on a Free Press

    In Ukraine, where media diversity is often defined by which powerful oligarch controls which TV station, one network, TVi — known for its independent investigative style — is under intense legal pressure, with its owner not part of Ukraine’s power circles. TVi faces a court hearing on Tuesday over a legal claim that the station’s…

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  • Netanyahu Does Ceasefire with Hezbollah, Bombs School in Gaza

    “There will undoubtedly be a great deal of grief and trauma. Many will have no homes to return to, no schools for their children, and livelihoods destroyed. The wellbeing of children and their families must be prioritised in what will be a long journey to recovery.

  • * Omnicide Joe? * Pakistani Movement for Democracy

    “While it should be obvious to all that no one is going to survive a nuclear confrontation, the U.S., UK and some NATO countries continue playing with fire and irresponsibly escalating the Ukraine war, instead of looking for ways to end the conflict by diplomacy and negotiation. This is yet another reason why the Global…

  • Israel’s Dahiya Doctrine in Action: “This Is My Home Burning”

    “The Dahiya Doctrine is an Israeli military doctrine that calls for the use of massive, disproportionate force and the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

  • Will Rep. Massie Move to Impeach Biden on Ukraine?

    “Biden is risking provoking Russia to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war by green-lighting unrestricted use of our long range ballistic missiles by Zelensky. Nukes would threaten species existence worse than Hitler. Impeach Biden instantly.”

  • Should Rahm Emanuel Be the New DNC Chair?

    In recent days, Democratic Party strategist David Axelrod has urged that Rahm Emanuel become the chair of the Democratic National Committee, which will elect its new leader early next year. Today, The Hill published a piece headlined “Rahm Emanuel Is a Terrible Choice for DNC Chair,” warning that “if the Democratic National Committee is trying to find…

  • “At Long Last” ICC Arrest Warrant Issued for Netanyahu

    “At long last, ICC arrest warrants have been issued for Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes against humanity. All states must now cooperate in their arrest. The western-built wall of impunity constructed around this genocidal apartheid regime is crumbling. We must all now work together to ensure that justice is done.”

  • Legal Moves on Israel at UN and Congress

    The Intercept reports that “The House is set to vote … on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.” The legislation is reportedly being put to a vote this week. Udry is executive director of Defending Rights & Dissent.

  • What Trump Can’t Do to Immigrants

    In the wake of Trump’s first election to the presidency in January 2017, activist David Bacon wrote about the economic context of immigration policy and what Trump could and could not do to shape immigration for Dollars and Sense. The piece was republished after Trump’s reelection.

  • “Kamala Harris Lost Because of the Ukraine War…”

      Kamala Harris lost because of the Ukraine War — but not for the reason you think. … Foremost, Biden’s decision to impose a broad array of sanctions on Russia in 2022″ did “not hamper Russia’s illegal invasion. Instead, they led to a Wall Street-fueled commodity bubble that sent inflation soaring. That turned the national…

  • With Further Israeli Atrocities, Is Congress Finally Acting?

    At the same time, the Biden administration has approved over $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, fueling this conflict and further destabilizing the region. … But Congress has not authorized this weapons transfer.

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