Arab Spring Topics

Democracy Now! is following the popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.

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  • Mahmood4

    Mahmood Mamdani on Libya, an African Union in "Crisis" & the Outlook for South Sudan

    As the African Union meets today, Columbia University professor and Africa scholar Mahmood Mamdani joins us to give his take on the regional and global implications of NATO’s intervention in Libya, which he says threatens to increase the militarization of the African continent. Mamdani is the author of several books, including "Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror" and "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America,...
    Sep 14, 2011 | Story
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    Amnesty International Decries Assad Regime's "Brutal" Crackdown on Syrian Protesters

    The top legal official in the embattled Syrian city of Hama has defected to the opposition in protest of what he called crimes against humanity committed by security forces. Many of the incidents he has referred to are documented in a report released Wednesday by Amnesty International on the killing and torture of anti-government activists in Syria since the uprising began there in mid-March. Researchers documented that at least 88 people have...
    Sep 01, 2011 | Story
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    The One Billion Dollar Question: Who Are the Libyan Rebels?

    Libyan rebels have consolidated their grip on the capital of Tripoli by capturing Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s main compound, but the whereabouts of the Libyan leader remain unknown, and he has vowed his forces would resist "the aggression with all strength" until either victory or death. Reporters in Tripoli say heavy gunfire could still be heard nearby the area of the Rixos Hotel, where dozens of international journalists guarded by...
    Aug 24, 2011 | Story
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    As Fighting Continues in Tripoli, A Look at Role of the U.S., NATO and Oil Firms in Libya Uprising

    Fighting continues in parts of Tripoli, the capital of Libya, where rebels are reportedly battling with Muammar Gaddafi’s forces outside his heavily fortified compound. Reports by the Libyan Rebel Council that Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, had been captured were contradicted late Monday when he emerged amongst supporters in front of foreign journalists in Tripoli. The International Criminal Court had claimed he had been in the custody...
    Aug 23, 2011 | Story
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    "Libya Has Reignited the Flame of Liberty in the Arab World": Juan Cole, Khaled Mattawa on Uprising

    As rebels fight for control of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, President Obama and other world leaders have called on Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi to step down. On Sunday, the United States officially recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Gaddafi remain unknown, but three of his sons are in rebel custody. Libya’s rebel chief, Mahmoud Jibril, issued...
    Aug 22, 2011 | Story

  • "San Francisco Bay Area’s BART Pulls a Mubarak." By Amy Goodman

    What does the police killing of a homeless man in San Francisco have to do with the Arab Spring uprisings from Tunisia to Syria? The attempt to suppress the protests that followed. In our digitally networked world, the ability to communicate is increasingly viewed as a basic right. Open communication fuels revolutions — it can take down dictators. When governments fear the power of their people, they repress, intimidate and try to silence them,...
    Aug 17, 2011 | Columns & Articles
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    Disguised Member of Hacktivist Group "Anonymous" Defends Retaliatory Action Against BART

    On Monday, officials with the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) were forced to close four train stations during the evening rush hour as free speech advocates attempted to disrupt the evening commute. The protest was called by the activist hacker group Anonymous in retaliation for BART’s decision to shut down cell phone and mobile-internet service at four stations last week in an effort to disrupt a protest over the shooting of a homeless man....
    Aug 16, 2011 | Story
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    Hacktivism's Global Reach, From Targeting Scientology to Backing WikiLeaks and the Arab Spring

    In recent years, online hackers who identified as being part of Anonymous and other groups have carried out dozens of high-profile online operations. When MasterCard and Visa suspended payments to WikiLeaks last December, hackers with Anonymous briefly took down the websites of both credit card giants. Other targets have included Sony, PayPal, Amazon, Bank of America, the Church of Scientology, and the governments of Egypt, Tunisia and Syria....
    Aug 16, 2011 | Story
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    Syria Attacks Protesters with Tanks, Naval Bombardment: "The Regime Has Made War Against the People"

    Syria has intensified its crackdown on opposition protesters despite growing international pressure. This morning, Syrian tanks and gunboats reportedly shelled the main Mediterranean port city of Latakia, killing one person and bringing the total dead to at least 28 since government forces moved into the city on Saturday. The violence follows massive demonstrations on Friday in which tens of thousands of people turned out to protest the Assad...
    Aug 15, 2011 | Story
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    The Battle for Egypt's Media: Video Report on Press Freedom After the Revolution

    The Egyptian revolution can count a number of huge successes, most notably, ousting former president Hosni Mubarak from power and putting him on public trial. But the revolution is far from over. The struggle for governmental reform, civil liberties and economic and social justice is being waged every day. And there is one issue that affects all others: the media. Whether it is newspapers, television, radio or the internet, the media is a central...
    Aug 08, 2011 | Story