NOTE: Soon we will rename the liveblog "Witnessing Revolution". There will be a transition name: EoE&R Witnessing Revolution". What started in Egypt has spread rapidly. It's not clear that it will be limited by geography or ethnicity. So, we wanted a name which states what is happening yet allows us to grow with the movement, wherever that will be. EoE&R is an acronym for the previous name, which is also the group name, so it seems redundant. The number sequence will be continuous. The group name will remain the same. Only this particular diary series within the group will have a name change.
You are in the the 135th Child Diary of the Liveblog of the 2011 uprisings throughout North Africa and the Middle East. We stand with our international friends and their courageous struggle for dignity, self-determination and human rights.
PLS REC this diary. PLS UNREC the previous diary.
The liveblog is primarily for witnessing, for other activities see the group stream.
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LIBYA: Libya was removed from the UN Human Rights Council today. US ships are headed through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean. There is international debate about the efficacy of a no-fly zone. Meanwhile, Gaddafi is rambling on again this morning, while his forces attack some of the towns he's lost control of.
Also, the U.S. seems to be generating a "Libya could sink into civil war" meme. Could our government be setting us all up to justify going in militarily? And why are the media supporting this civil war meme by calling the protesters "rebels"? The Libyans standing up to an oppressive regime don't appreciate it:
DinaNegad 5:24am via web
RT @ShababLibya: MEDIA: Stop calling Libyan protesters rebels! We are protesters calling for our freedom that is all. We are not rebels. #libya #feb17
UN kicks Libya off Human Rights Council
THE UN General Assembly on Tuesday suspended Libya from the UN Human Rights Council over leader Muammar Gaddafi's brutal crackdown on opposition protests.
One has to wonder how Libya got on the council in the first place. What's their definition of "human rights" or "council"?
U.S. warships move through Suez, Gaddafi defiant
Two U.S. warships were passing through the Suez Canal on their way to waters off Libya on Wednesday as Western nations exerted diplomatic and military pressure on Muammar Gaddafi to step down.
The United States said Libya could sink into civil war unless the Libyan leader ends his four-decade rule amid fears that the uprising, the bloodiest yet against long-serving rulers in the Middle East, could cause a humanitarian crisis.
On the no-fly zone (which would require hundreds of planes flying 24 hours per day and bombing raids to enforce):
David Cameron defends no-fly zone plan for Libya
Libya: Cameron plan for no-fly zone shunned by world leaders
A No-Fly Zone Over Libya? Ctd
quoting Jim Matthis:
I have been working under the suspicion that most of the good-natured people clamoring for a no-fly zone in Libya have not thought very hard about what, exactly, that might entail. Most of the people insisting the United States DO SOMETHING are either ignorant about the risks and complexities of contemporary military operations or gloss over those risks and complexities. [For more on no-fly zones, read this informative piece by my old colleague Michael Knights.]
I can't bring myself to link to Faux News who seem to be the only ones turning to Mr. Irrelevant #1 (McCain). He is insisting that the US has the money to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya. And should. (I'm sure you all can guess who Mr. Irrelevant #2 is.)
Internal Libyan opinion on a no-fly zone is difficult to get a handle on. It seems that the closer you are to Tripoli, the more you might support it.
More regional tidbits after the fold....bold section names indicate fresh content...
PLS REC THIS DIARY! Will you please do the following to keep our dKos community eyes on our international friends risking their lives for self-determination?
1. Rec this diary. (click that star just under the title)
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3. Get the word out by putting links in FP threads and telling all your friends.
Thank you!
GENERAL ANALYSIS:
(h/t Richard Lyon)BACKGROUND: The changing face of the Arab world
For decades, political stagnation was a common theme in the Arab world. However, since the outbreak of mass protests in Tunisia 10 weeks ago, the region's political landscape has changed beyond recognition.
EGYPT:
(h/t angry marmot) - Political parties in post-Mubarak Egypt
March 1 (Reuters) - Egypt's military leaders are expected to hold a referendum on constitutional change in March and a parliamentary election in June, prior to a presidential poll. Here are some details on some of the political parties which may contest new elections:
(h/t Richard Lyon ) - Egypt delays expected reopening of stock market
Egyptian officials have again delayed the restart of the country's stock exchange, a move that brokers said Tuesday would likely only undercut investor confidence in a market many expect to take a hammering as the country struggles to regain footing after massive protests that ousted its longtime president.
The Egyptian Exchange, shuttered for over a month, was to resume trading on Tuesday. But in an overnight statement, exchange officials said the market would reopen instead on March 6 to "allow investors to profit from the government's support to guarantee stability in the bourse."
(h/t dmac) Is Egypt's Military Turning Against the Revolution?
CAIRO, Egypt -- The bands of thugs that had roamed these streets barely three weeks earlier were only a memory on Friday, replaced by roving face-painters, souvenir salesmen, and food vendors. Tahrir Square had become a patriotic carnival, with parents bringing their children for flag-waving Kodak moments, nationalist chants, and cotton candy. Twenty- and thirty-somethings strolled about in "January 25th" t-shirts while the older folks stood in circles debating the country's future. These public political parleys are still novelties, and the people of Tahrir Square were reveling in them.
IRAQ:
UN worried over 'rights violations' at Iraq demos
The United Nations voiced concern on Wednesday over allegations of human rights violations at recent demonstrations in Iraq, and called for those behind the abuses to be held accountable.
The statement from the UN mission in Iraq came after protests across the country on Friday left 16 people dead, as well as multiple allegations from journalists of assault and detention.
Iraq's oil exports hit highest level in February
Iraq's oil exports hit the highest level in February since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, an Oil Ministry official said on Tuesday.
The average of the crude oil exports was 2.202 million barrel per day (bpd) last month with an average selling price of 97 U.S. dollars per barrel, bringing in revenues of more than 6 billion dollars, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The increase in the exports was due to the resumption of oil exports from Iraq's northern region of Kurdistan last month, following a halt in 2009 due to a dispute with the central government in Baghdad over the legality of contracts signed earlier by the regional Kurdish government with foreign oil companies, the official said.
OMAN:
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Looting reported amid Oman protests
Residents in the northeastern Omani city of Sohar have reportedly looted a supermarket damaged in protests, as demonstrations over economic woes carried on into a third day.
Security forces sealed off main roads to the city on Monday and hundreds of protesters reportedly stormed a police station, while protests spread throughout the city.
Sohar, a city about 200km northwest of the capital of Muscat, was the scene of protests over the weekend, as demonstrators demanded higher salaries, jobs for the unemployed and the removal of some government ministers.
SYRIA:
Lack of protests in Syria blamed on internet crackdown
Beirut - While much of the Arab world continues to see thousands of people taking to the streets with calls for political change, a 'Day of Rage' planned in Syria this month drew only a few dozen protesters.
Hundreds of Syrians did later demonstrate, but to demand an investigation into the alleged police beating of a young man in the capital Damascus - not to seek the toppling of the government, as protesters have successfully done in Tunisia and Egypt.
Government officials attribute the lack of upheaval to President Bashar al-Assad's popularity.
'Such protests are useless in Syria because the president is not hated as much as Hosny Mubarak in Egypt. Our president has started to make reforms a few years ago,' a Syrian source loyal to the president told the German Press Agency dpa.
But rights groups and activists blame the low turnout on an internet crackdown initiated by the government.
One Syrian activist, who spoke to dpa on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said that a number of bloggers have been detained recently in an attempt to stop people from using the internet to share information and organize protests.
BAHRAIN:
(h/t Richard Lyon ) -
Thousands march to Bahrain's Pearl Square
Thousands of Bahrainis took to the street Tuesday in an anti-regime protest heading to Pearl Square, the focal point of demonstrations for over two weeks.
"We are brothers, Sunnis and Shiites," chanted the demonstrators who were predominantly Shiite as they marched from the Salmaniah district of the capital, a few kilometres from the square.
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Protests at Bahrain's parliment
Bahrainis campaigning for democratic reforms in the Gulf Arab state staged a protest outside parliament, demanding that all its members resign over recent protester deaths.
"We came to this parliament to say that you represent the people and you represent us - take an honourable position over the killings by the army," said Mirza al-Shihabi, one of around 500 protesters outside the building in central Manama on Monday.
YEMEN:
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Yemen opposition rejects unity deal
Yemen's opposition coalition has rejected an offer from the president to form a government of national unity provided that protests against him stop.
Mohammed Saleh al-Qubati, an opposition leader, rejected Ali Abdullah Saleh's offer on Monday, saying that the president should step down instead of offering outdated "tranquilisers".
(h/t FORUS50) - Decoding Yemen
excerpts:
Over the past 2 weeks, tens of thousands have taken to the streets in the biggest wave of protests the country has ever seen. The demonstrators have tended to be youthful – the average age in Yemen is 17 - but the demographics involved have become increasingly diverse over the past week, suggesting a broadening of support for the movement. Although Western reporting has focused on the capital, Sana’a, mostly due to a lack of reporters in other locations, the uprising has reverberated across the country.
snip
As with Egypt and Tunisia, the protests have been notable for a lack of organised activity on the part of formal political organisations. Since democratic structures are weak and repression levels high, parties have struggled to establish a of foothold over the past decade, negating any claim they might have to being representatives of the popular revolt. As a result, tribal leaders still represent the most effective players in a country where 70% of the population live in rural areas. Although Saleh has retained the tenuous support of most tribal leaders, this tacit alliance seems to be crumbling. Eyewitnesses have reported armed tribesmen loyal to the leader of the Hashid tribal bloc protecting anti-government protesters against their regime-sponsored opponents. This is a certainly a dynamic to monitor closely over the coming days. The actions of Hamid al Ahmar, leader of the Hashid, could yet prove particularly important.
snip
Nevertheless, the outcome of this uprising could well hinge on the smallest of events. Yesterday, it is reported that a single panicking soldier almost changed the course of events by firing into a peaceful crowd before his superiors were able to wrestle the gun from him. The evidence of Tunisia suggests that the turning point can just as easily come from the actions of an individual. After all, it took the burning of just one desperate man to ignite the spark of revolution that has spread across North Africa and the Middle East. The turning point is drawing ever closer; do watch Yemen in the coming days.
IRAN:
(h/t Richard Lyon ) - Why Iran Is Different
On first glance, it looks like an archetypal no-brainer; a large Middle Eastern country with a repressive regime and a simmering, angry protest movement.
Twice in the past fortnight, that movement -- encouraged by events in Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere -- has come out of hibernation to stage its first demonstrations in a year, albeit only to be met by crushing crackdowns.
Yet surely it's only a matter of time before Iran is afflicted by the wave of revolt that has shaken the Arab world.
Closer inspection, however, suggests the assumption may be wishful thinking on the part of the Islamic republic's adversaries.
ALGERIA:
First Algeria protests since lifting of emergency law
Algiers/Paris, Feb 26 (DPA) Hundreds of protesters Saturday took part in the first demonstrations held in Algeria since the lifting of the 19-year-old state of emergency earlier this week, witnesses said.
The protesters gathered in the centre of the capital Algiers, despite the protest ban which is still in place.
Security officers maintained a large presence. In the past they have used violence to break up such demonstrations.
Supporters of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika had also gathered on the city's central square and chanted pro-government slogans.
The country's state of emergency, in place since Feb 9, 1992, was officially ended Thursday. It had allowed the state wide-reaching powers to interfere in political activity.
Its lifting was one of the key demands of opposition protesters, who took to the streets over the past weeks inspired by the anti-government protests in Tunisia and Egypt, which led to the respective toppling of presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak.
SAUDI ARABIA:
Could the next Mideast uprising happen in Saudi Arabia?
Tunisia. Egypt. Yemen. Bahrain. And now the uprising and brutality in Libya. Could Saudi Arabia be next?
The notion of a revolution in the Saudi kingdom seems unthinkable. Yet, a Facebook page is calling for a "day of rage" protest on March 11. Prominent Saudis are urging political and social reforms. And the aging monarch, King Abdullah, has announced new economic assistance to the population, possibly to preempt any unrest.
MOROCCO:
(h/t Richard Lyon ) - Morocco protests fail to take hold
Efforts to kindle a protest movement in Morocco have met with only limited success, evidence of support for King Mohammed VI and of the effectiveness of tight security around the country.
The gatherings organized in recent weeks by Moroccan youths through Facebook and Twitter have been episodic and small in comparison with the large, sustained outpourings that toppled the governments of Tunisia and Egypt. The largest gathering, on Feb. 20, drew an estimated 15,000 nationwide and produced a list of demands for economic and political reform.
JORDAN:
Activists demand change in peaceful Jordan protest
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Anti-government protesters want faster political reform
Pro and anti-government groups clashed last week
This week, police kept the two groups separated
The protest comes as demonstrations spread across the Middle East and Africa
MAURITANIA:
(h/t mali muso ) - Top Mauritanian MP urges politicians to draw lessons from Tunisia, Egypt
Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, the President of the National Assembly in Mauritania and leader of the Opposition People’s Progressive Alliance (APP), has called on Mauritanian leaders to learn from the lessons of the youth revolutions which toppled the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents as well as from the current situation in Libya....Political dialogue in Mauritania, recommended in an agreement signed in June 2009, has still not taken firm root following endless media “warfare” between the ruling party and the opposition although President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, in late 2010, formally invited opposition parties, under the umbrella Democratic Opposition Coordination (COD), for dialogue....Political observers are waiting to see how fairly and openly the Mauritanian leaders will organize legislative elections in November.
TUNISIA:
(h/t JustJennifer) - Three killed in Tunisian anti-government protests
The BBC's Paul Moss in Tunis says the situation there is "very serious indeed"
Three people have been killed in clashes between hundreds of demonstrators and security forces in the Tunisian capital, authorities say.
Police used tear gas, batons and live ammunition to disperse demonstrators outside the interior ministry in Tunis.
Police and masked men in civilian clothes, armed with sticks, moved through streets looking for protesters.
The protest comes a day after police cleared huge crowds from the streets demanding the prime minister resign.
Tunisia to hold elections by mid-July
TUNISIA'S government has declared it will hold elections in mid-July as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding the resignation of its prime minister, an ally of ousted leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
One young protester was injured when warning shots were fired at protesters, a witness said.
The government "has decided that consultations with different political parties should not exceed mid-March.... Elections will be organised at the latest in mid-July 2011," the official TAP news agency said, quoting a cabinet statement.
LEBANON:
(h/t ) - Secular activists plan protest in bid to topple sectarian regime
“It will be a special, peaceful march that will include unique activities. It won’t be another ordinary march,” said Nehmat Badreddine, a spokesperson for one the groups taking part.
....
The aim of the campaign, organizers say, is to topple the sectarian system and liberate the Lebanese people from the dangerous policies of sectarian leaders, and years of government performance that have failed to alleviate pressing socio-economic problems.
PALESTINE:
Toward Palestine's 'Mubarak moment'
The slow collapse of Palestinian collective leadership institutions in recent years has reached a crisis amid the ongoing Arab revolutions, the revelations in the Palestine Papers, and the absence of any credible peace process.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled by Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction has attempted to respond to this crisis by calling elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and the PA presidency.
Abbas hopes that elections could restore legitimacy to his leadership. Hamas has rejected such elections in the absence of a reconciliation agreement ending the division that resulted from Fatah's refusal (along with Israel and the PA's western sponsors, especially the United States) to accept the result of the last election in 2006, which Hamas decisively won.
But even if such an election were held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it does not resolve the crisis of collective leadership faced by the entire Palestinian people, some ten million distributed between those living in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank, inside Israel, and the worldwide diaspora. read on...
(h/t NYBritExpat) Is the West Bank next? (Al Jazeera op-ed)
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Our Egyptian brethren articulated what people around the region are fighting for, though variations to the theme may exist from country to country. banner held by protesters and translated to English:
1 The departure of Mubarak
2 An end to the current Parliament
3 An end of the state of emergency
4 The creation of a national united government
5 A parliament elected by the people to modify the constitution and run the presidential elections
6 Put those responsible for the killings on trial
7 Put those responsible for stealing the country's money and other acts of corruption on trial
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1. post a comment with "I CAN HOST A CHILD" in the subject.
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Resources:
Note: The Mothership Diary is the place to go for a complete list of resources.
Al Jazeera English - Watch Live (the Youtube link below should work for Mac users unable to load this.)
Al Jazeera live also available on
Dish Network channel 9410
DirecTV: Channel 375 Link
Al Jazeera on Facebook:
http: //www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Al Jazeera Live on YouTube
English Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
Arabic Stream http://www.youtube.com/...
BBC Reports
BBC Middle East is doing specific Egypt coverage
WorldWideTahrir{NEW} : Worldwide protests being organized to coincide with the upcoming ones in Egypt.
bicycle Hussein paladin - Why Iran 1979 Went to the Islamists and This One Won't
weasel - Updates on the Egyptian Protests
People to follow on twitter: - please suggest people for specific countries. Thank you!
@Gheblawi - Libya
@sharifkouddous
@monasosh
@ioerror
@ElBaradei
@SultanAlQassemi
@evanchill
@glcarlstrom
@nolanjazeera
@3arabawy
@shadihamid
@bencnn
@arabist
@speaktotweet: Egyptian Voice Tweets on Twitter
Previous Child Diaries:
Egypt and the Region Liveblog Archive by unaspenser
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