Rolling Rebellions Topics

The revolution in Tunisia inspired people in Egypt to brave a popular uprising of their own. And now pro-democracy protests are spreading throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Democracy Now! follows the political unrest closely.

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  • Obeidi

    Libya's Eman al-Obeidi Remains Missing Since Risking Life to Tell Story of Rape by Gaddafi's Forces

    A woman who says she was raped by forces loyal to Libyan Col. Muammar Gaddafi remains missing five days after she was arrested for bursting into a hotel full of international reporters in Tripoli and recounting her ordeal. The woman, Eman al-Obeidi, said she had been held against her will for two days and raped by 15 of Gaddafi’s men. Obeidi’s face and legs were bruised, and she had blood on her right thigh. We speak with journalist...
    Mar 31, 2011 | Story
  • Play_libya_obama

    "We Have Intervened to Stop a Massacre”: Obama Defends the U.S.-Led Military Action in Libya

    In his first major television address since ordering the bombing of Libya earlier this month, President Obama defended his decision, citing Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s repeated human rights violations, an international consensus for interventions, the revolutions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, and the threat of a massacre in the Libyan rebel stronghold in Benghazi. [includes rush transcript]
    Mar 29, 2011 | Story
  • Play_libya_debate

    A Debate on U.S. Military Intervention in Libya: Juan Cole v. Vijay Prashad

    As President Obama defends the U.S.-led military attacks on Libya, we host a debate. University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole has just published an article titled “An Open Letter to the Left on Libya." Cole defends the use of military force to prevent a massacre in Benghazi and to aid the Libyan rebel movement in their liberation struggle. In opposition to U.S. intervention in Libya, University of Trinity Professor Vijay Prashad warns...
    Mar 29, 2011 | Story
  • Play__radwan

    Syria Detains Egyptian American Accused of Spying, Refuses to Release Details of Charges Against Mohamed Radwan

    The death toll in Syria since protests erupted 10 days ago has passed 60, and according to some estimates, more than 280 people have been arrested, including an Egyptian American engineer named Mohamed Radwan. On Friday, Syrian state television aired what it called a “confession” by Radwan, in which he says he visited Israel in secret and took money in exchange for providing photographs and video about Syria. Radwan’s family says the...
    Mar 29, 2011 | Story
  • Play__bassam

    Will Syria Lift Decades-Old Emergency Law? Street Protests & Deadly Crackdown Force Assad Regime to Consider Political Changes

    Scores of protesters have been killed in Syria during 10 days of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. In an attempt to appease protesters, Assad’s administration has reportedly vowed to lift the emergency law, which for nearly 50 years has allowed the government to detain people without charge. "For more than 40 years, people have been politically suppressed,” says Bassam Haddad, the director of the Middle East Studies...
    Mar 28, 2011 | Story
  • Syria_play

    Thousands Protest in Syria After Gov't Forces Kill Scores of Demonstrators

    An estimated crowd of more than 20,000 has turned out for the funerals of victims killed in a Syrian government attack on a mosque housing protesters in the city of Daraa, which in recent days has seen some of Syria’s largest demonstrations in decades. Twenty-five people have been confirmed dead, but witnesses say the toll could be far greater. Daraa is under curfew, and the Syrian government has reportedly issued announcements telling residents...
    Mar 24, 2011 | Story
  • Debate-air-strikes

    Debating Intervention: Is U.S.-Led Military Action the Best Solution to Libya Crisis?

    Forces loyal to Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi continue to advance on rebel-held towns amidst ongoing U.S.-led air strikes. Gaddafi’s deadly crackdown on the Libyan uprising has sparked debate on longstanding questions around international intervention. We’re joined by Libyan poet, scholar and University of Michigan professor Khaled Mattawa, who supports U.S.-led intervention, and UCLA law professor Asli Bali, who says the U.S.-led...
    Mar 23, 2011 | Story
  • Muhannad

    Fate of Libyan American Student and Rebel Fighter Muhannad Bensadik Unknown After Shooting in Libya

    Muhannad Bensadik is a 21-year-old Libyan American medical student who has joined the armed struggle against Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. He was reportedly shot during fighting near Brega earlier this month, but it’s unclear if he is dead or missing. We air an interview conducted by Democracy Now!'s Anjali Kamat with Bensadik just two days before he disappeared. We’re also joined by Bensadik's mother, Suzi Elarabi. She recently...
    Mar 23, 2011 | Story
  • Play_jeremy-use_this

    Jeremy Scahill: As Mass Uprising Threatens the Saleh Regime, a Look at the Covert U.S. War in Yemen

    The crisis in Yemen is growing following high-level defections from the regime of U.S.-backed President Ali Abudullah Saleh. On Monday, a dozen top military leaders announced their pledge to protect the protest movement after 45 people were killed and some 350 were wounded when Yemeni forces opened fire on demonstrators in the capital of Sana’a on Friday—after two months of nationwide demonstrations. In recent years, the United States...
    Mar 22, 2011 | Story
  • Libya_airstrike

    “The No-Fly Zone Has Always Been a Recipe for Disaster”: Jeremy Scahill Says Libyan Strategy Has No Endgame

    The U.S. and allied air strikes on Libya have entered their fourth day as part of an international effort to enforce a no-fly zone. While the United States is denying it is attempting to assassinate Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi, allied forces bombed his compound for the second night in a row. “In Iraq, [the no-fly zone] resulted in a strengthening of Saddam Hussein’s regime... I think that it could end up backfiring in a tremendous...
    Mar 22, 2011 | Story