Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week, an update after Libya's three-day anniversary celebrations: 'Good news' doesn't sell
There was much hype about Libya's deteriorating security situation. However anyone who experienced the celebrations in Libya this year would have been hard placed to match these descriptions to the reality. Martyrs' Square itself was incredible.
It was only a matter of time before Hezbollah would also join in the fight out of loyalty to a regime dubbed by David Hirst its “midwife”, as well as in an effort to protect its supply routes.
Every day, thousands of people, especially youngsters, leave their house to sit on Nile Street, by the beautiful Nile river and drink tea, coffee and enjoy ready snacks at the open-air cafes catered for and run by tea ladies.
Many commentators, notably in Algeria, have drily noted the familiar dissonance between the west's florid paeans to Arab freedoms and emancipation and its continuing indifference to the plight of Sahrawis next door.
Does our deep desire to attain the goals of the revolution, blind us to reality and to the process that is unfolding?
Only recently, we were the world’s worst failed state. Look at us today.
Critically, international election observers (including around 70 observers from the EU) must maintain a strong local presence throughout the election period. The international community must not be caught unprepared again.
While the group uses reason and dialogue to act as mediator in domestic disagreements, in some cases however, the women have resorted to use of the lathis when the offenders refuse to listen.
The increasing presence of homeschoolers on the US election campaign trail testifies to the growing strength of this highly organized constituency. Could they rival the influence of labor unions?
