In a sense the poll outcome with a 64 per cent turn out is an expression of the silent majority to close ranks in the face of threat to the sovereignty of the country. It is also an expression of willingness to take in the stride the difficulties the US led sanctions are creating for the country.
28 November, 2011 02:00:00
Elections are an important step towards ushering in functional democracy. This truism need not necessarily be true in the case of Egypt where a reality check shows that the downfall of President Mubarak has not resolved any of the socio-economic and political issues staring at the people. Hopes pinned on the military as “protector of the revolution” and “caretaker of a democratic transition” are also being shattered amidst indications that the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood is the likely beneficiary of disillusionment. ...
01 December, 2011 04:10:00
There is no denying that Al-Qaeda has expanded its reach in Yemen, making the local off-shoot, the most dangerous of al-Qaeda’s many franchises. Zinjibar, a port city in the Gulf of Aden is under its influence. Anarchy will give it the cover to carry out deadly attacks and even hamper the freedom of shipping in the Bab El Mandeb Straits, through which more than 3 million barrels of oil pass through every day....
27 November, 2011 05:00:00
The uprising in Syria has created a new challenge for the Jordanian regime. And Inside Jordan, the opposition – both that of the Muslim Brotherhood and that coming from the supposedly loyal southern tribes and towns – is sizzling...The prestige of an international jurist as prime minister is seen by the King as an asset in trying to convince the Jordanians that the government will fight corruption and become more transparent says the author Oded Eran...
27 September, 2011 04:55:00
Notwithstanding all the posturing, there is agreement that Greece must be saved. And that Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain which are on the debt default border land must be saved from a similar fate, even while shielding the better off- euphemism for German banks- from the impact of restructuring of Greece debt....
12 July, 2011 07:05:00
The growing protests underscore the scale of opposition to the Assad regime. Neither brute force nor promises of political reform has brought respite from gunfire. Washington appears to be targeting Iran through Syria as a part of its larger geo-political game. If Damascus can be detached Tehran that will be a big gain since what happens in Syria and with Syria will have a bearing on the entire region. It borders Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan. A regional player of significant influence it has been a supporter of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza....
30 March, 2011 06:50:00
The rebels are poorly trained, equipped and lack a strong command; without coalition's air support, they cannot face Gaddafi’s troops….Regime change is obviously the primary objective of the Allied intervention, but as things stand, the situation is pregnant with the possibility of a de facto partition of the country, with each faction controlling a part of oil resources. In such a scenario, Libya may become a 'North African Somalia'....
04 March, 2011 03:25:00
Frankly the debate on relevance or adoptability of Turkey’s model is not a new one; it has been there but after the Jasmine revolution, the debate has become intense. For the religious conservatives, AKP’s appeal to a wider electorate including secular middle class is an interesting case study amidst indications that Ankara may like to make ‘soft promotion' of democracy’ an underpinning of its foreign policy, says the author, Mehmet Ozkan....
03 March, 2011 04:55:00
If the people claiming the streets of Manama and Tripoli have anything in common, with each other and with the people of Cairo, and elsewhere in the Arab world, it is the determination to broaden the social base of power structure, which has been characteristically very narrow, says the author...
10 February, 2011 07:45:00
Egyptian capitalism is heavily dominated by the single-most important institution in the country, the military, which runs or controls all the major industrial ventures. The choice of Omar Suleiman and Ahmed Shafiq shows that the military's aim is to cut the losses by dropping Mubarak, and ushering in a government that would not challenge the status quo, says the author.
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12 February, 2011 12:05:00
By Guillem Monsonis, Chief Editor, TTU Weekly, Paris “Improvements and modernization make Tunisia a true example for the region”[1] This statement ...
25 January, 2011 11:40:00
Events in Tunisia appear to have a wide domino effect though initial sings in Tunisia itself suggest that a period of uncertainty and violence is more likely than a quick return to normalcy. If Tunisia plunges into chaos now it will hardly inspire other dissatisfied people in the region to follow the lead in throwing out their despotic and corrupt leaders, many of whom on friendly terms with the US and the West....
10 July, 2009 05:32:00
Two years after closing ranks with Osama bin Laden, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), has decided to split from al-Qaeda. It has also renounced ...
10 July, 2009 05:15:00
Two years after closing ranks with Osama bin Laden, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), has decided to split from al-Qaeda. It has also renounced ...
22 June, 2009 08:08:00
Democratic Republic of Congo finds itself in a piquant situation with Chinese aid. In fact, Congo is not alone. Several other African countries, which have ...
28 April, 2009 06:52:00
South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma registered a sweeping victory in the April 22 ballot and is all set to be ...
