In The News

The Arab Rising – Part I

Susan Froetschel February 2, 2011
With the Egyptian president conceding not to seek re-election and his supporters clashing with pro-democracy demonstrators, the country is on edge. Demonstrations have also led to dismissal of the Jordanian government and the Yemeni president agreeing to step down at the end of his current term. The Middle East stands at a crossroads, and this YaleGlobal series explores the challenges faced by...

US Wary of What's Next for Egypt

Ben Smith, Laura Rozen January 31, 2011
Observing the mounting opposition to Egypt’s government, under Hosni Mubarak since 1981, allies including the US and Israel ponder what democratic changes might mean for them. Fair elections could deliver a moderate democratic system or an Islamist one, speculates a team of writers from Politico. US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have gradually relayed the...

Fresh Protests Erupt in Egypt

January 28, 2011
Protests rage in Cairo and other Egypt’s cities, despite the government’s unprecedented attempt to cut internet, social media and cell-phone links for citizens. At least 80 percent of the population is said to be affected, but the protests only swell. Riot police enter buildings, trying to prevent broadcast of astounding footage and photographs released from Al Jazeera and other broadcasters....

The 21st Century Arab Awakening?

Jean-Pierre Lehmann January 28, 2011
Tunisia has triggered what was long assumed impossible – contesting the grip of entrenched dictatorships in North Africa and the Middle East. Already hundreds of thousands of protesters battle the police in streets in Egypt, and challenge the regimes in Yemen and Jordan, furious about the authoritarian governments’ dismal economic performance and corruption. Arab governments have resisted full...

Uganda: Surely, We Are Not As Simplistic as the Tunisians, Are We?

Fredrick M. Masiga January 25, 2011
After economic troubles, high unemployment rates and protests over one man’s cruel death led to quick revolt in Tunisia, other nations engage in self-reflection. College graduate Mohamed Bouazizi was frustrated after authorities beat him and confiscated his vending cart. Left without livelihood or legal recourse, the 26-year-old set himself on fire and ignited his nation’s fury. Public anger...

Tunisia Protests Serve Warning to Autocratic Regimes

Kristen Chick January 14, 2011
Following days of protest in Tunisia that turned violent after security forces shot scores of people, the country’s long-time president Ben Ali has gone in to exile. Facing the fury of the protesters demanding his resignation, President Ben Ali, in power since 1987, promised not to seek re-election in 2014. Instead of pacifying the protesters, his response has further strengthened the...

Sudan Vote May Shift Control of Oil Pumped by China’s CNPC

Matt Richmond, Maram Mazen January 10, 2011
Sudanese head to the polls, casting ballots in a referendum that will decide if the nation divides into two. “The vote is the centerpiece of a 2005 peace agreement ending a civil war that lasted almost 50 years, except for a ceasefire from 1972 to 1983, between the Muslim north and the south, where Christianity and traditional religions dominate,” notes this Bloomberg article. Sudan, under...