You are in the the 154th diary of the liveblog bearing witness to the 2011 populist uprisings. We stand with our international friends and their courageous struggle for dignity, self-determination and human rights. (see more about the work of our group below)
PLS REC this diary to maximize how many people bear witness. PLS UNREC the previous liveblog diary.
Libya-new
Obviously, there have been major developments in Libya. I will add the updates to this section of the liveblog, and any updates to other countries will be down below as usual.
The full text of UN Resolution 1973 on Libya
Al Jazeera Libyan live blog found here. (h/t jnhobbs)
UK Telegraph Libyan live blog found here. (h/t bee tzu)
BBC Libyan live blog found here. (h/t greenbird)
Operation Odyssey Dawn has begun.
U.S. launches missile strikes against Libya
The United States launched its first missile attack on Libyan air defenses on Saturday, NBC News confirmed, as America and its allies began military action to enforce a no-fly zone.
A senior U.S. military official said the missile strikes were aimed at sites along the Libyan coast. The missiles were launched from U.S. Navy vessels in the Mediterranean.
Airstrikes begin on Libya targets
French warplanes have hit four tanks used by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on the outskirts of the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, on a day when opposition fighters in the city reported coming under constant artillery and mortar fire.
The action marks the first international military move against the Libyan leader, and it comes a day after the UN Security Council authorised a no-fly zone over the North African country.
Libya: Allied fighters hit Gaddafi's forces as West intervenes in conflict
Western planes led strikes against Muammar Gaddafi's military as world leaders ordered the biggest intervention in the Arab world since allied forces invaded Iraq in 2003. The patience of the international community finally ran out as Gaddafi's troops pounded the rebel stronghold of Benghazi hours after the Libyan dictator had promised a full ceasefire and invited foreign officials into his country to monitor it.
(h/t Claudius Bombarnac) -
Timeline of the 2011 Libyan uprising
The 2011 Libyan uprising began on 15 February 2011 as a civil protest and has since become a widespread uprising. On 25 February 2011, most of Libya was reported to be under the control of the Libyan opposition and not the government of Muammar al-Gaddafi Gaddafi remained in control of Tripoli, Sirt and Sabha.
More regional tidbits after the fold....bold section names indicate fresh content...
The liveblog is primarily for witnessing, for other activities see the group stream.
We are in the process of collecting suggested readings for background reference materials in support of the Eyes on Egypt and the Region group. These readings may be either non-fiction or fiction, general to the region or specific to a country or issue. If there are resources which you believe aid our understanding of the events and processes we are witnessing, please either a) post a comment in the Liveblog with the title "Suggested reading:" and a brief description of the reading in the body of the comment, or b) send your suggestions via the dKos internal mailer to angry marmot.
Libyan Doctors for Hospitals in Libya an impressive new aide organization launched by one of our own: StepLeftStepForward.
Please place links and info for intervention ideas (humanitarian and beyond) in comments titled "Intervention". We encourage you to provide information without imploring, disrespecting those who might not pursue the intervention, or engaging long debates about the merits. With uniform content labeling, those interested can readily find them and those who want to produce intervention diaries can gather the data efficiently. Please post the link if you do produce an intervention resource diary. We'll include it in the next updated liveblog. Thank you.
The group is producing a series of diaries that provide background and analysis on the region in general and on individual countries. We hope to provide a context for interpreting current events in the news. The published diaries in the series are:
Eyes on Egypt and the Region Background Resources
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NOTE: We have renamed the liveblog "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. 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.
GENERAL ANALYSIS-new
(h/t lotlizard) Ninety Days of Uproar: Taking Stock of the Arab Revolutions
As the [Libyan National Transitional Council] was able to receive Arab and international recognition, the U.N. Security Council passed several resolutions that imposed a no-fly zone, froze much of the regime’s assets overseas, and imposed a travel ban on Gaddafi, his sons and cronies, while an investigation by the International Criminal Court has opened into allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity.
But the primary challenge for the opposition is in maintaining the real goals of the revolution, namely the establishment and insistence of an independent, free and democratic Libya, despite all foreign interference and regional pressures.
(h/t lotlizard) The new Arab awakening:
‘Neither with the West, nor against it’
These questions also apply to the EU, which has been compromised by its staunch support for Ben Ali and Mubarak. The EU was incapable of maintaining distance from dictators, has made many agreements with an Israeli government that is hostile to peace, and has promoted neoliberal economic policies that have worsened poverty and facilitated massive corruption south of the Mediterranean. Will it now have the courage to listen to the Arab street, which is not in fact a crowd of bearded fundamentalists and women in niqabs? Perhaps, as the Lebanese writer Georges Corm suggests, civil society in the North should follow the Arab example and “raise the level of protest against the dreadful neoliberal oligarchy that impoverishes European economies, creates too few jobs and every year forces more Europeans of all nationalities into insecurity. This backwards evolution benefits a narrow layer of managers whose annual pay eats up more and more of the nations’ wealth”.
ALGERIA
(h/t suejazz ) - Algeria's president promises political reform
Algeria is on the path to political reforms and last month's lifting of a state of emergency is the first step, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was quoted as saying by state media on Saturday.
The lifting of the state of emergency "will be a new page opened on the path to comprehensive reforms ... which cannot be fruitful in the absence of political reforms," the APS news agency quoted Bouteflika as saying.
Bahrain
(h/t suejazz ) - Bahrain eases curfew as fourth protester dies
The unrest had brought Bahrain's economy to a virtual standstill and schools and universities had been closed to prevent sectarian clashes that had begun to erupt daily.
More than 60 percent of Bahrainis are Shi'ites. Most are campaigning for a constitutional monarchy, but calls by hardliners for the overthrow of the monarchy have alarmed Sunnis, who fear the unrest serves Iran, separated from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain by only a short stretch of Gulf waters.
Shi'ite Muslim power Iran, which supports Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Lebanon, complained to the United Nations and asked other neighbors to join it in urging Saudi Arabia to withdraw.
On Saturday, Shi'ites in Iraq protested in solidarity with their Bahraini co-religionists. A protest also took place on Friday in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, home to the country's Shi'ite majority and oil fields.
(h/t suejazz ) - Why is US backing force in Libya but not Bahrain, Yemen?
What's the difference between Libya and Yemen or Bahrain?
All three states have been using violence to crush pro-democracy protests.
But only against Libya are the US and its Western allies planning a military response.
Yemen and Bahrain's crackdowns have so far been met only with words, not action.
On one level the answer is obvious.
Bahrain and Yemen are US allies - especially Bahrain with its large US naval base. Libya is not.
The US response to Bahrain is further complicated by neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Washington's number one Arab ally.
The Saudis were not happy to see Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak go.
But what happened to the "universal values" US President Barack Obama cited when he eventually backed protesters in Egypt?
His decision to abandon an old US ally there - Mr Mubarak - gave some the impression he was preparing to apply those values universally and to break with the past US policy of cosying up to other Middle Eastern regimes.
Critics say it was a dangerous impression, raising protesters' expectations as well as Gulf monarchs' blood pressure.
(h/t suejazz) - Bahrain Tears Down Monument as Protesters Seethe
Bahrain tore down the protest movement’s defining monument on Friday, the pearl at the center of Pearl Square. The destruction of the 300-foot sculpture, a stone pearl held by six sweeping arches, was part of a chain of events that in a matter of days turned the country from a symbol of hopeful pro-democratic protest into one of repression.
The official Bahrain News Agency reported the change as a “face-lift” to “boost the flow of traffic.” But Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, said at a news conference, “We did it to remove a bad memory.” He added of the monthlong antigovernment rallies: “The whole thing caused our society to be polarized. We don’t want a monument to a bad memory.”
Pearl Square had become a tent camp with free food and a carnival atmosphere modeled on Tahrir Square in Cairo. But Bahraini troops forcefully cleared it on Wednesday. In removing the sculpture, the country cost itself a landmark designed to honor the six gulf states whose economic life was based, before oil, on pearls. The six, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, make up the Gulf Cooperation Council — which sent in 2,000 troops in a show of force just before Bahrain’s own security forces moved to crush the protests.
Mr. Khalifa said the troops would stay “as long as they are needed to protect our country.” He said they were being kept away from direct contact with Bahrainis, serving in support roles at installations.
He defended the authorities’ actions over the last week as necessary because of “terrorist activity” and “sabotage” seeking to destroy Bahrain.
disappeared during the war have convened at the same place: the headquarters of the National Advisory Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.
COTE D'IVOIRE
(h/t suejazz ) - Exodus Grows As Violence Escalates In Ivory Coast
The United Nations refugee agency reports a significant rise in the number of people fleeing the Ivory Coast as fighting escalates and more people are being killed and injured. The UNHCR says violence is impeding its ability to assist people trapped by the conflict.
United Nations officials are expressing shock at the escalating violence in Ivory Coast, particularly in the commercial capital Abidjan. They say this week has been the most violent since the post-election crisis began in December.
The United Nations reports at least 25 people were killed on Thursday alone in the Abobo neighborhood. This area is a stronghold of the internationally recognized President, Alassane Ouattara.
Fighting between Ouattara and his rival for the presidency, Laurent Gbagbo, has displaced an estimated 300,000 people in Abidjan alone. U.N. refugee spokeswoman, Melissa Fleming, says the urban warfare in the city is causing even more people to flee their homes.
decembersue has an excellent diary here. Good reading for those interested in this story.
Djibouti
(h/t suejazz) - Election observers quit Djibouti
An international election observation team funded by the US is pulling out of Djibouti after being declared “illegal” less than a month before the country goes to polls boycotted by the opposition.
Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, foreign minister, told the Financial Times the group had failed to maintain neutrality and that the country was seeking to avert scenes of “chaos and upheaval” similar to those across the Middle East and north Africa.
The tiny port state, ruled by the same party since independence in 1977, has faced a series of opposition rallies in past weeks as many have sought to imitate a wave of democratic fervour that has swept north Africa. At least one person was killed during protests in which police lobbed teargas at rock-throwing demonstrators on February 18.
Mr Ali Youssouf said the US group had several times exhibited “very very concerning behaviour”, offering food and water to demonstrators, carrying participants in their cars. On March 2, Djiboutian authorities declared the US group, Democracy International, “illegal”.
EGYPT
(h/t JustJennifer ) - High turnout in Egyptian constitutional poll
Millions of Egyptians have turned out for today's constitutional referendum, the first vote following the overthrow last month of Hosni Mubarak, the country's long-serving president.
Voters are deciding on a package of nine amendments, about half of which deal with the conduct of elections. One would make it easier for independent candidates to run for president; another would re-establish judicial oversight of elections.
(h/t jnhobbs) -
Irregularities in Egyptian vote?
Three hours into Egypt's constitutional referendum, we're hearing reports of high turnout - and potential irregularities.
Voters have reported long lines with some predicting an hours-long wait to cast their votes. That's mostly been viewed as a positive development, a sign of high voter enthusiasm - a major change from last year's fraudulent parliamentary election, which saw turnout as low as 10 per cent in some parts of the country.
But some voters are reporting a more serious problem: unstamped ballot papers.
IRAN
(h/t JustJennifer ) -
Iran calls on Saudi Arabia, UAE to leave Bahrain "immediately"
The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Iranian Parliament (Majlis) issued a statement in support of the Bahraini people and called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to leave Bahrain's soil immediately, the Satellite Press TV reported on Saturday.
"The oppressed people of Bahrain are a part of the Islamic world and the Islamic Republic of Iran feels obligated to support them," the statement was cited as saying on Saturday.
IRAQ
(h/t JustJennifer ) -
Thousands Rally In Iraq Against Bahrain Crackdown
Reports say thousands of people rallied today across Iraq to denounce a crackdown on Shi'ite-led demonstrators in Bahrain.
Protests were reported in Baghdad's Shi'ite neighborhood of Sadr City and in cities and towns in the predominantly Sunni Diyala province.
JORDAN
(h/t suejazz) - Hundreds of Jordanians demonstrate despite Saturday's start of national dialogue on reform
Hundreds of Jordanians calling for reforms demonstrated peacefully Friday, rejecting the beginning of a national dialogue as insufficient.
It was the 11th straight week of Friday protests.
On Saturday, the first meeting of the dialogue committee is set to start work on reforms in Jordan's regime, in which the king has the final say on important issues, though the parliament is an elected body.
The demonstrators say the parliament was chosen through a distorted map of election districts favouring the backers of King Abdullah II, and it must be replaced.
The king has given the 53-member committee three months to draft new laws for parliamentary elections and political parties. While these are key demands for the protesters, some opposition figures have refused to participate, saying the government appointed people without consultating them, and some political groups were not represented.
KUWAIT
(h/t suejazz ) - Kuwait sends medical aid to Bahrain
A convoy of Kuwaiti doctors and medical equipment was en route Saturday to Bahrain as Gulf neighbors pour more troops and aid into the violence-torn island kingdom that has become an arena for regional tensions.
Kuwait's ambassador, Sheik Azzam Mubarak Al Sabah, said the team is expected to arrive Sunday and includes 53 doctors, 21 ambulances and other vehicles, according to Kuwait's state-run KUNA news agency.
Kuwait is not contributing troops to the Saudi-led force that entered Bahrain earlier this week to support the nation's Sunni monarchy, which was reeling after more than a month of protests by majority Shiites seeking to break the dynasty's grip on power.
LEBANON
(h/t suejazz ) - Lebanon Appeals for Libya No-Fly Zone, Vows Arab Participation
Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations said he would appeal today to the Security Council to authorize a no-fly zone over Libya and that Arab nations would play a “significant” role in its enforcement.
“I am sure you heard Saif al-Islam Qaddafi’s statement that in two days they will be in Benghazi,” Ambassador Nawaf Salam told reporters before the council met. “I hope the Security Council will prove him wrong on two counts: that there will be no rivers of blood and that the council will act swiftly and have a no-fly zone and other measures to protect the civilian population.”
Qaddafi, son of Libya’s leader Muammar Qaddafi, said on state-run television that government forces were closing on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. “By God, victory is coming,” he said.
Salam said a “number” of Arab countries are committed to help enforce the no-fly zone and that “significant participation has been confirmed from the highest political authorities.” He declined to be more specific.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today in Cairo that Arab participation was critical. “The Arab League statement, their very courageous stance, suggests that they know that they have to step up and lead and participate in any action,” Clinton said in an interview on CBS News.
MAURITANIA:
(h/t mali muso) - Mauritania protesters want better salaries, lower food prices
Hundreds of people took to the streets after Friday afternoon prayers, demanding more jobs and decent food prices. What was initially meant as a peaceful protest, ended with protesters throwing stones at security forces and setting fire to car tires.
...
Protesters distributed bottles of fresh water to security forces surrounding them, while the authorities continued to deny any access to Blokat square. Demonstrators prevented Mauritania TV from covering the protests, fearing the station would use the footage for political propaganda. Protesters earlier complained about police women pretending to be journalists. The videos were reportedly used by intelligent forces to identify youth leaders and facilitate future arrests.
MOROCCO:
(h/t UnaSpenser) - Dozens of activists injured in Moroccan protests
DOZENS OF people were injured and more than 100 arrested in Morocco after demonstrations by protesters unconvinced by King Mohammed’s concessions on political reform.
Riot police used truncheons to break up a rally in Morocco’s biggest city, Casablanca, on Sunday – the latest in a series of weekly protests in the country over the past month.
Reports suggested dozens were injured when police tried to storm the Unified Socialist Party headquarters, where protesters had sought refuge during clashes.
...
Oussama El-Khifli, one of the organisers of the Moroccan protest movement, told Le Monde yesterday police charged the crowd as they began a sit-in demonstration, arresting 123 people. “We will continue to protest for radical change,” he said, predicting a “surprise” for next weekend when a further march is planned.
OMAN
(h/t suejazz) - Omani protesters block airport
Despite a series of concessions offered by the country's rulers, about 500 security guards employed by private companies staged a protest rally on Wednesday at the Muscat airport road to demand higher wages.
"Our objective of this protest is for our wages to be raised," said one of the protesters.
The protest rally caused many travelers to miss their flights. Oman's police intervened to disperse the crowd but there were no reports of violence.
The protest by the private security guards came a day after several hundred state petroleum workers rallied outside of the agency's headquarters in Muscat, demanding higher wages.
Oman has been the scene of sporadic demonstrations demanding jobs, political openness, and an end to corruption over the past weeks.
On Sunday, Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed issued a decree granting lawmaking powers to councils that previously had only advisory roles. At present, only the sultan and his cabinet can pass laws.
He also ordered an increase in state pension benefits and payments for families receiving social security in an attempt to quell the protests.
(h/t suejazz ) - A bold blueprint for Oman reforms
Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed seldom stops surprising as befits an original revolutionary who ushered in his share of fundamental changes during the past four decades. In less than two weeks, however, the Omani ruler surprised anew as he issued no fewer that 28 royal decrees, which literally shocked a vast majority of his subjects.
Observers unaccustomed to tectonic shifts marvelled at the speed of these changes and, more important, at their substantive features. The most recent, which empowered the sultanate's two advisory councils — the elected Majlis Al Shura and the appointed Majlis Al Dawla — with legislative authority, is historic. What will Oman look like after these latest reforms?
A few days after demonstrations in Sohar surprised everyone, Sultan Qaboos made modest changes, replacing several ministers and undersecretaries, advisers, and Majlis Al Dawla members. Against a wave of protests, and instead of delaying, he dismissed key aides, espoused freedom of speech by tolerating dissent, supported calls for accountability, and agreed to share power.
The sum total of these incredible transformations shook the political establishment even if they reaffirmed the ruler's bold outlook.
PALESTINE
(h/t another American ) - Gaza security forces violently disperse rally
Security forces forcefully dispersed protesters from a square in central Gaza City late Tuesday, witnesses said.
Protesters in Gaza said security forces set up hundreds of barriers around the main square of demonstrations and were patrolling the area.
They beat people with batons and set fire to tents that were set up by the demonstrators, according to activists in Gaza City.
QATAR:
(h/t UnaSpenser ) - Al Jazeera journalist killed in Libyan ambush
Al Jaber is the first journalist to be killed during the Libyan uprising generated a wave of spontaneous revulsion and anger. Outside the courthouse, the epicentre of the anti-Qadhafi revolt. Thousands gathered to mourn the loss of an intrepid journalist, and to reinforce their resolve to unseat the regime of the Libyan leader, Muammar Qadhafi.
“Here and now, Libyan and Qatari blood is mixed for the sake of freedom. Our condolences go to the Qatari people and the Al Jazeera channel” read a prominent banner held aloft by several young protesters. As the sun dipped over the Mediterranean and the lights outside the courthouse came alive, the Qatari national flag was raised from the top of the building.
Wadah Khanfar, Director-General of the Qatar based Al Jazeera channel said the network would not be silenced. The killing of Al Jaber, he said, came after Mr. Qadhafi launched an “unprecedented campaign” against the channel.
(h/t UnaSpenser) -
Monday calender the week ahead
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 16
- An anti-government protest organized on Facebook is scheduled in Doha, Qatar.
SAUDI ARABIA:
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Saudi king to announce reforms
Saudi Arabia's monarch will announce a government reshuffle, an anti-corruption drive and a promise to increase food subsidies to combat rising prices in an address to the nation, diplomats have said.
King Abdullah's speech - his first address since unrest began sweeping the Arab world - is expected after midday Muslim prayers on Friday, the state news agency reported.
The speech by the ailing 86-year-old monarch comes after several small demonstrations in the oil-rich kingdom. The monarchy could be worried about protests escalating into more intense gatherings.
Saudi diplomats, speaking to the Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity, said the king plans to replace the ministers of defence, higher education and religious affairs.
SYRIA
(h/t suejazz) -
Syria funeral hit with teargas, protesters wounded: report
Syrian security forces fired tear gas Saturday on mourners burying two men who were killed in an earlier protest in the southern city of Daraa, wounding several, rights activists said.
The latest violence came as a Facebook page, one of the motors behind an unprecedented string of protests in Syria, called for a Saturday rally in the city of Homs, north of Damascus.
(h/t suejazz ) - In Syria, Crackdown After Protests
Protests broke out in four Syrian cities on Friday, the first large-scale demonstrations here since the pro-democracy uprisings began in the Arab world three months ago. Brutal police crackdowns followed, leaving six people dead and scores injured.
In the largest protests, several thousand people gathered in the center of Dara’a, in southern Syria, chanting “God, Syria and freedom only,” witnesses said. They demanded the resignation of the mayor and the leader of the local branch of the security police. The police later opened fire on the crowd, killing six, the witnesses said.
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Syrian mourners call for revolt
Police in Syria have sealed the southern city of Daraa and fired tear gas at crowds of people gathered to mourn the deaths of two men killed by security forces, according to witnesses.
Thousands of mourners gathered in the centre of the city on Saturday, marching behind the coffins of Wissam Ayyash and Mahmoud al-Jawabra, who were killed when security forces opened fire on protesters a day earlier.
TUNISIA
(h/t suejazz) - Tunisia won't join military intervention in Libya
Tunisia will not take part in any international military intervention in its neighbour Libya, a government spokesman said on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a visit to Tunis on Thursday that talks were underway about Arab countries playing a direct role in a military operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to protect civilians.
"It is out of the question," government spokesman Taieb Bakouch told Reuters when asked if Tunisia would be involved.
"We will not take part in any military intervention against Libya, we will not take part in any way," he said.
(h/t suejazz ) - Clinton encounters frustration with U.S. stance on Arab unrest
At the height of the popular uprising in Tunisia, the Obama administration confronted a difficult choice: embrace a little-understood democracy movement, or side with a staunch ally who stood for three decades as a bulwark against Islamic extremism and al-Qaeda.
Three months later, U.S. officials are looking back on Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution with something akin to nostalgia. In the weeks since dictatorships were toppled in Tunis and Cairo, the changes sweeping the Middle East have brought only worsening violence and, for the White House, an array of bad options.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Tunisia and Egypt this week in a visit that was intended to show support for two countries where pro-democracy movements prevailed. But at each stop, Clinton was dogged by questions about looming crises in other countries where democratic aspirations have been met with brute force.
On Thursday, as she shuttled between meetings with interim government officials in Tunisia’s sun-drenched capital, Clinton conferred with European and Middle Eastern allies on how to stave off violence against anti-government forces in Libya, deal with a refugee crisis and respond to a deadly crackdown on protesters in Bahrain. In the case of Libya, the administration faced the prospect of either participating in military intervention in a third Muslim country or standing back and failing to prevent the possible annihilation of Libya’s fragile pro-democracy movement.
“There is no good choice here,” Clinton acknowledged during a town-hall meeting with Tunisian students and business leaders. “If you don’t try to take [Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi] out — if you don’t support the opposition and he stays in power — there is no telling what he will do.”
In a series of meetings with journalists, government officials and civil-society leaders, Clinton touted U.S. economic aid and business partnerships intended to foster private business development and job growth. Both countries have struggled with high unemployment, especially among youth, as well as a legacy of official corruption.
“We know there is a lot of work to be done but we are very confident about the potential for democracy and economic opportunity,” she said.
At the town-hall meeting, she praised the Tunisian uprising as a contagion that is inspiring people around the world. But she cautioned that building democracy requires sustained commitment.
“It is about building institutions and convincing people to work together even when it’s hard,” she said. “. . . The euphoria in the streets gives way to a grinding system that is needed to produce good results.”
Western Sahara
(h/t suejazz) - Awakening Protests in Morocco And Western Sahara
As the extraordinary events sweeping the Arab world bring down republic government figureheads, a new question is whether these social reset buttons will have the tenacity to tackle Arab monarchies.
For international analysts closely observing Morocco's awakening uprisings, the absolute monarchy's financially draining, vice-like grip on the Western Sahara might prove to be its Achilles heel. Unlike its fellow Gulf monarchs or the respected North African power of Algeria, Morocco has no oil wealth to lavishly soothe grievances.
The former French president Charles de Gaulle once described Morocco as a country whose revolution was still to come. The escalating discord and protests may yet see Morocco's own population giving voice to what the full detrimental magnitude of the monarchy's colossal expenditure in its 35-year war and occupation of the Western Sahara means for their desperate socio-economic woes.
YEMEN
(h/t JustJennifer ) - Yemen opposition activists clash with police
Police have stormed a protest camp in southern Yemen where thousands are calling for the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country's longtime president.
Saturday's raid was the latest attempt by security forces to quell growing unrest.
Protesters say police fired tear gas and live rounds in the southern port city of Aden, wounding three anti-government protesters.
Meanwhile, two prominent members of Yemen's ruling party resigned on Saturday in protest against the killing of the anti-government protesters a day before.
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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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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
People to follow on twitter: - please suggest people for specific countries. Thank you!
@ArabRevolution - Region
@Dima_Khatib - Region
@JNovak_Yemen - Yemen
@WomanfromYemen - Yemen
@Gheblawi - Libya
@ShababLibya - Libya
@feb17voices - Libya
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@JRamyRaoof - Egypt
@Elazul - Egypt
@Ssirgany - Egypt
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@speaktotweet: Egyptian Voice Tweets on Twitter
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Egypt and the Region Liveblog Archive by unaspenser
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