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ccfuentez

68% of human trafficking victims in Middle East, Africa: UNODC | Cairo Post - 0 views

thecairopost.youm7.com/...ms-in-middle-east-africa-unodc

human-trafficking criminal networks Middle East victims forced labor

shared by ccfuentez on 17 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • The Middle East and Africa region hosted the highest percentage of victims of human trafficking with 68 percent
  • Human trafficking is the act of trading humans, within one country or trans-nationally, by means of kidnapping, use of force, deception or other forms of coercion for different purposes including; sexual slavery, forced labor, extraction of human organs and forced marriage.
  • ccfuentez on 17 Feb 16
     
    The amount of human trafficking victims in the Middle East is 68%. Of the amount of people who are victims, one in four of them is a child. A reason for people falling victim to human trafficking is extreme poverty, entrenched inequality, and a lack of education and opportunity.
petergrossmanseu

Syria | Reports from the front lines | [English Subtitles] - YouTube - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

syria reports lines front english subtitles youtube tunnels

shared by petergrossmanseu on 17 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • petergrossmanseu on 17 Feb 16
     
    A Russian news report from Zvezda (Star) channel, including interviews with pro-Syrian army militia commanders. The video is all in Russian but includes English subtitles and takes an interesting look at the system of tunnels various groups are using in this conflict. I chose this because it was a another look at the current conflict from a Russian channel but without the extreme propaganda one finds in the Russia Today articles.
hwilson3

Turkey social media ban raises censorship fears - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-europe-32204177

#Turkey #socialmedia #ElectionsinTurkey #censorship #banonsocialmedia

shared by hwilson3 on 15 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • hwilson3 on 15 Feb 16
     
    This article by the BBC news talks about the recent banning of social media in Turkey. The interesting thing that this article points out is that social media was banned when it was near an election. The fact that they control the flow of information to the citizens around election time is extremely significant, because not being able to communicate about the elections can greatly impact the results.
cguybar

The Muslim Brotherhood: From Opposition to Power - The Washington Institute for Near Ea... - 0 views

www.washingtoninstitute.org/...rhood-from-opposition-to-power

muslim brotherhood opposition power

shared by cguybar on 02 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • cguybar on 02 Mar 16
     
    This article discusses how the Muslim Brotherhood is interpreted as the opposition due to them embracing extreme demonstrations at times. The Brotherhood's opposition to power is also mentioned with regards to how they have dealt with it since the groups establishment.
mkulach

Is the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization or a firewall against violent extrem... - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...wall-against-violent-extremism

Muslim Brotherhood terrorism international politics

shared by mkulach on 09 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • mkulach on 09 Mar 16
     
    The House Judiciary Committee recently passed a resolution calling on the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. This resolution resonates with the feverish anti-Islamic politics of the Republican primary, fueled across the spectrum by candidates from Donald Trump to Marco Rubio. Other countries even in the Middle East have officially stated the Brotherhood as a terrorist group. There is much debate on their stance and beliefs and what this should mean to the international community especially in a time of instability in the Middle East.
aacosta8

Terrorism is a global problem, not a Muslim one - 0 views

www.middleeasteye.net/...oblem-not-muslim-one-152527580

Muslim Terrorism global problem

shared by aacosta8 on 31 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • aacosta8 on 31 Mar 16
     
    Today, countries across the world are being terrorised and ravaged by extremism; both territory and minds conquered by a militant and ideological crusade. Right or wrong, the mere mention of the word "terrorism" conjures up images of bearded Muslim men - kalashnikovs in hand - intent on eradicating any thought, person or object which runs contrary to their narrow fundamentalist ideology.
jreyesc

This Brave Woman Secretly Filmed Life In ISIS's Capital In Syria - 1 views

www.buzzfeed.com/...ed-life-in-isiss-capital-in-sy

ISIS Women Militants Extremism Foreign ISIL Syria

shared by jreyesc on 28 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • jreyesc on 28 Sep 14
     
    This article/video is about how a woman in Raqqa risked her own life to video tape what happens in the everyday life of the Islamic State. This woman gave us an insight to what is happening in cities that ISIL has taken over. We see how women in general are forced to wear the niqab and how they are told by men what to do. Another aspect that we see in the video is how many foreign women have actually go to these places to join the fight. The video states that around 150 french women have joined the Islamic State.
allieggg

The U.S. Is Giving Up on Middle East Democracy-and That's a Mistake - The Atlantic - 0 views

www.theatlantic.com/...282890

middle east democracy institutions Bush Obama Congress

shared by allieggg on 29 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • democracy assistance to the region, which will drop from $459.2 million to $298.3 million
  • Today’s Middle East is a product, at least in part, of failed democratization, and one of the reasons it failed was the timid, half-hearted support of the Obama administration.
  • the significant impact Western leverage and “linkage” can have on democratic transitions.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • “it was an externally driven shift in the cost of suppression, not changes in domestic conditions, that contributed most centrally to the demise of authoritarianism in the 1980s and 1990s.” They find that “states’ vulnerability to Western democratization pressure… was often decisive.”
  • it is also worth noting that President Bush acknowledged the existence of a “tyranny-terror” link—the notion that the root causes of extremism and terrorism can be found in the region’s enduring lack of democracy.
  • the administration’s approach to the region is characterized almost entirely by ad-hoc crisis management and traditional counterterrorism approaches. Its one larger-scale reform initiative—a half-hearted proposal for a
  • We argue that the U.S. and its partners now need to consider a very different approach to Middle East democracy assistance.
  • Conventional democracy promotion activities tend to focus on the process and “retail” aspects of democratic politics—things like elections, political party training, get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns, and civil society enhancement. While these are undoubtedly important, they are insufficient to deliver lasting reforms. Authoritarianism in the Arab world has proven time and time again—even in supposedly post-revolutionary settings such as Egypt today—that it can weather the annoyances of elections and civil society.
  • What is needed are more systematic reforms focused on fundamental institutions. These include things like constraining the military’s role in civilian domains of governance, deep reform in the security and justice sectors including law enforcement and policing, and comprehensive “renovation” of the civil service sector. These are large-scale, long-term, and expensive undertakings that far transcend the modest parameters of most U.S. democracy promotion programs.
  • we make the case for a new Multilateral Endowment for Reform (MER) that would tie significant levels of financial assistance—in the billions of dollars—to reform commitments and benchmarked implementation performance by partner nations.
  • provide a real incentive for countries to embark down a path to deeper and more enduring political reforms while retaining the ability to pull back funding if they do not deliver.
  • allieggg on 29 Sep 14
     
    This article begins by illuminating the regional democracy assistance cuts that are dropping from $459.2 million to $298.3 million It explains that the Bush Administration began the quest for democracy in the Middle East, and the Obama administration has only continued in his footsteps. The author presents the viewpoint that the U.S. approach to Arab democratization has been in the form of "ad-hoc crisis management" rather than "large scale reform initiatives." Promoting democracy in the form of democratic politics are insufficient, elections and political parties have consistently proved to weather away and fester further civil strife. Consequently, the article proposes a new approach to the region conflict. This approach calls for "systematic reforms" focusing on basic institutions such as the civil service sector, justice and law enforcement, and the military's role in governance. The idea is that addressing these lacking departments in the arab world will eventually pave the way to a smoother democratic transition. 
katelynklug

Globally, Youth + ICT = Protest | CONNECTED in CAIRO - 1 views

connectedincairo.com/...globally-youth-ict-protest

shared by katelynklug on 11 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • ethnography
    • katelynklug
      katelynklug on 11 Sep 14
       
      defined as describing of the customs of individual peoples and cultures
  • see themselves
  • affect their actions
  • ...21 more annotations...
  • connected and disconnected
  • protests were a result of a large disaffected population of young people (a “youth bulge”)
  • who took advantage
  • large youth cohort
  • more likely
  •  anti-government protest
  • high levels of ICT penetration and with a large youth cohort
  • anti-government protest
  • more likely
  • th bulge by itself shows no real correlation
  • of ICT to fomen
  • First, a you
  • being connected doesn’t by itself produce revolution
  • high ICT penetration in combination with a youth bulge
  • strongly correlated
  • explained by more contextual factors
  • proliferation of technology that is more important than demographic factors
  • amplify
  • smaller in size
  • cohorts
    • katelynklug
      katelynklug on 11 Sep 14
       
      This qualitative research provides a very interesting conclusion that can be applied in historical terms to all societal revolutions. Although the research suggested that the outbreak of protest was specifically rated to contextual factors, it previously suggested that any society with a large youth population who is proficient in technology has the potential for revolutionary action. This is interesting because it confirms that the youth, who generally possess progressive ideas are also more likely to be involved in activism. As technology becomes increasingly important for movement mobilization, governments may become even more heavily involved in its citizens' access to it. I think the increasing popularity of technology and social media could backfire on the younger generations who have embedded this into their culture. Government systems are already extremely aware of the power of technology, and oppressive systems are very likely to restrict access or banish it. However, at this point, even a highly skilled government will never be able to eliminate technology or its influence.
cbrock5654

Danger closer, extreme measures taken: Erdoğan - 0 views

www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-president-erdogan-.aspx

Erdogan PKK ISIS ISIL

shared by cbrock5654 on 06 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • cbrock5654 on 06 Oct 14
     
    This is an article for Hurriyet Daily News, an online newspaper based in Istanbul.On October 5, many neighborhoods on Turkey's border with Syria were evacuated. I thought this news article was interesting because it quotes a speech by Turkey's president in which he addresses his viewpoint on the PKK. The organization has been banned in Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization. He says that ISIS/ISIL and the PKK are equivalent groups, and that the PKK is using the current conflict with ISIS to manipulate public opinion.
  • cbrock5654 on 06 Oct 14
     
    This is an article for Hurriyet Daily News, an online newspaper based in Istanbul.On October 5, many neighborhoods on Turkey's border with Syria were evacuated. I thought this news article was interesting because it quotes a speech by Turkey's president in which he addresses his viewpoint on the PKK. The organization has been banned in Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization. He says that ISIS/ISIL and the PKK are equivalent groups, and that the PKK is using the current conflict with ISIS to manipulate public opinion.
  • micklethwait on 07 Oct 14
     
    The news today says that ISIS has all but taken a Syrian Kurdish border city with Turkey, called Kobane. Not surprised that Erdogan would conflate the two groups, while the US is trying to activate Kurdish militants to resist ISIS. I was chatting with another student in my office today and we were wondering if the duty and suffering that have devolved onto the Kurds in this crisis might reinvigorate their push for a nation-state of their own.
allieggg

Islamists Aren't the Obstacle | Foreign Affairs - 0 views

www.foreignaffairs.com/...islamists-arent-the-obstacle

middle east democracy Islamists institutions egypt politics tunisia

shared by allieggg on 28 Sep 14 - No Cached
micklethwait liked it
  • A minority of the population -- 26 percent of Tunisians and 28 percent of Egyptians -- believes that Islam should play a large role in government.
  • Both secularists and Islamists associate democracy with economic prosperity
  • Islamist parties received considerable support in both countries' recent elections -- not only because there is a broad ideological affinity for Islamism among the population but also because of Islamist parties' effective campaigning.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • When asked about the most important feature of a democracy, 69 percent of Egyptians and 32 percent of Tunisians put providing people with basic necessities or narrowing the gap between rich and poor at the top of their lists.
  • On a related note, Islamist parties have shown a remarkable ability to maintain their base.
  • Tunisia has fared better than Egypt so far in the post-Arab Spring transition, with less violence, fewer demonstrations, and greater political stability. This is in part because challenges are easier to confront in a country of only 11 million, 98 percent of whom are Sunni Muslim, compared to the more diverse and populous Egypt. But Tunisia's success is primarily a result of its stronger institutions, which provide a conduit for political debate.
  • Many onlookers claim that Egypt's more tumultuous post-revolution trajectory is because of the country's legacy of religiosity and Islamism.
  • Egyptians, in fact, are no more religious than Tunisians.
  • Egypt's institutions are weak and have been routinely undermined by entrenched interests. The countries' different geopolitical situations play a role here. Tunisia's minimal strategic importance means that foreign countries have less reason to intervene. But Egypt's proximity to Israel and the Palestinian territories, its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and its role as an intermediary between Israel and Hamas make its political developments important to Israel and the United States. Consequently, Egypt is vulnerable to foreign interference, particularly to attempts to prop up its military. Furthermore, beyond serving as a pillar to Egypt's authoritarian regimes, the Egyptian military has significant business interests and accounts for ten to 30 percent of Egypt's gross domestic product.
  • Egypt's judicial branch, which is also more powerful than Tunisia's, has at times undermined democratic processes.
  • Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the Islamist-dominated parliament and the Constituent Assembly it elected were unconstitutional, because Islamist parties contested seats intended for independent candidates. The move polarized the country and pushed the executive branch to take extreme measures.
  • Egyptian democracy is undermined by the inability of institutions to address citizens' demands and the impulse of powerful actors to interfere, not by the divide between Islamists and secularists. Institutions in Egypt fail to provide a meaningful forum for debate. As a result, violent street protesters and extremist sheiks are gaining power.
  • U.S. policy must support institutions rather than actors, and processes rather than outcomes, in order to help Egypt and Tunisia achieve their democratic potential.
  • allieggg on 28 Sep 14
     
    The Council on Foreign Relations published an article about democratization in the middle east and the major obstacles that are present in the process. While most assume Islamists and Islamic embedded institutions are the root of the delayed democratic transition, the problems are much bigger than that. While Islamist regimes do indeed stunt the growth of democratic progress in terms of creating a stable government, Arab countries struggle with economic and social factors as well. The Arab Spring Revolutions have caused economic and social degradation across the region, resulting in a road block of political leadership. Without a reliable and capable government structure, the states are unable to progress economically. However, in order to have a stable government, social and economic institutions must be in place to create this capitalist economy that they strive for. Because most wealth resides in oil, the revenue that the states bring in isn't distributed properly throughout society and is concentrated within few business elites. The article stresses that instead of foreign aid going into the hands of an unstable leader or regime, it should be invested in institutions in order to spur economic growth and eliminate corruption. Rather than focusing on the Islamist-secularist divide, the world should be working towards the strengthening of institutions to create a stable foundation for governance. 
allieggg

UK forces plan three new bases in Middle East to fight Isis - Telegraph - 1 views

www.telegraph.co.uk/...Middle-East-to-fight-Isis.html

bases middle east forces ISIS Iraq

shared by allieggg on 10 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • Briana S on 10 Sep 14
     
    Plans to set up new military bases in the Middle East are being considered as part of a strategy to tackle extremism, it emerged last night. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Bahrain are all being looked at as part of the Government's attempts to contain the terror threat from the wider region, according to The Times. The United Kingdom is severely interested in stopping ISIS.
fcastro2

ANNE R. PIERCE: Beware ISIS strategy that fortifies Russia, Iran, and Syria - Washingto... - 0 views

www.washingtontimes.com/...-isis-strategy-fortifies-russi

strategy russia syria

shared by fcastro2 on 16 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • President Obama stressed the importance of showing the world “we are united in our resolv
  • Demonstration of united resolve against blood-thirsty terrorists whose ranks, ambitions and territory have grown exponentially is important
  • forging strategy to battle ISIS without also forging strategy to thwart Syria, Russia and Iran is a terrible mistake
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • brutality and aggression of the Islamic State, he still whitewashes the brutality and aggression of established states Syria, Russia and Iran, and still ignores the need for grand strategy to deal with them
  • We must, therefore, take Iran, Russia and Syria, and the collusion between them, seriously.
  • potentially, an even greater threat to the “free world” than ISIS. Because they are terror sponsors and supporters, WMD in their control means WMD out of control, susceptible to being sold or given to fanatics who are willing to work for their cause
  • working with the Iranian, Russian and Syrian regimes to address Middle Eastern problems and fight ISIS is a sure way to alienate Middle Eastern moderates and traditional partner
  • Russia’s staunch support of Syria and Iran; its ruthless aggression in Ukraine; and its expansionist designs in Eastern Europe, should make containing Russia an American foreign policy priority
  • Instead, much of the White House plan for combating ISIS plays right into Syrian, Iranian and Russian hands, for it revolves around their plans –which include allowing Assad to stay in power, legitimizing Russian-sponsored “peace conferences” that buy Assad time and raise Putin’s stature, accommodating the Iranian nuclear program, and giving Iran the lead in the battle against ISIS and in the Levant.
  • the United States has been mostly passive, while Russia, Iran and its proxies, and al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists, have seized the day.
  • opened the door to extremist groups eager to hijack the Syrian revolt and/or defend the Syrian regime
  • Iran and Russia have worked stolidly to protect Assad and capitalize on the chao
  • While the Obama administration justified its unwillingness to give meaningful aid to Syrian rebels with fear of helping extremists within rebel ranks, that stance allowed extremism within Syria to metastasize
  • development so serious that it now requires a military respons
  • Russia provided cover for Syria in the UN, and supplied many of the very weapons Assad uses to massacre civilian
  • the administration has endorsed yet more Russia-sponsored “peace talks”
  • President Obama and Secretary Kerry have backed even further away from demands that Assad leave, while even the goal of a transitional government which characterized the previous talks has been dropped
  • fcastro2 on 16 Mar 15
     
    Working with the Iranian, Russian and Syrian regimes to address Middle Eastern problems and fight ISIS is a sure way to alienate Middle Eastern moderates.
nicolet1189

No LOL Matter: FBI Trolls Social Media for Would-Be Jihadis - NBC News.com - 1 views

www.nbcnews.com/...media-would-be-jihadis-n226841

FBI surveillance internet recruit jihad

shared by nicolet1189 on 19 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • conversation via Skype, a “trusted brother” who was actually an undercover FBI employee, “told Basit that he could help get him inside Al-Nusra. …
  • updating techniques it has used since the early days of the Internet to engage the enemy on services such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
  • arrested and charged the next day with supporting a foreign terrorist organization.
  • ...24 more annotations...
  • Sheikh’s case and several other recent terrorism prosecutions shed light on the growing importance of social media in the battles unfolding in Syria and Iraq -- both as a recruiting tool for Islamic terrorist groups like ISIS and the Al-Nusra Front, and as a means for the FBI to pre-emptively nab the would-be jihadis.
  • raises questions about the FBI’s conduct in attempting to head off terrorist recruits and whether they incited them to actions they wouldn’t have otherwise taken.
  • using fake social media identities to engage them
  • catfishing” by luring him into a personal relationship with a phony online persona.
  • During the investigation, the FBI published a webpage that purported to recruit individuals to travel to Syria and join Jabhat al-Nusra (
  • posed as a Syrian nurse and "used a Facebook page which promoted the ideology of Islamic extremism" to contact the suspect,
  • been able to expand their reach far beyond the traditional jihadi recruitment pool to a much wider audience -- including English-speaking Western nationals."
  • FBI at times goes too far to reel in American Muslims, most of them young, who are sympathetic to the Islamic extremist cause.
  • her client is “a lonely, mentally ill young man with a tremendous desire to be liked,” which made him susceptible to a paid FBI informant’s online encouragement.
  • Suspects began posting on Facebook or other social media expressing support for or seeking contact with one of the Islamic groups fighting in Iraq and Syria and were then engaged by informants or undercover FBI agents.
  • social media counterterrorism operations,
  • 'Don't go there in any way, don't go there in thought or expression, don't even toy with the idea of becoming foreign fighters.'"
  • eventually agreed to join Al-Nusra, purchased a plane ticket to Beirut and prepared for his journey to jihad
  • informant, however, suggested that Sheikh instead join the Al-Nusra Front, an al Qaeda affiliate t
  • provided Sheikh with contact information for a supposed Al-Nusra agent.
  • could help get him inside
  • face up to 15 years in prison and fines of $250,000 if they are convicted
  • sending a message to potential terrorist recruits is indeed important.
  • defense attorneys in all four cases may argue that the FBI actions amounted to entrapment -- the act of tricking someone into committing a crime so that they can be arrested
  • making examples of individuals
  • sought to make contact with al Qaeda officials on Facebook and other social media, but instead drew the attention of an undercover FBI agent who presented himself as a recruiter for the terrorist group.
  • "ISIS recruits are more likely to reach out in the online universe seeking advice on how to reach the land of jihad than to consult the guidance of a traditional cleric or local community leader
  • that universe and creating honeypots to draw in and capture potential ISIS recruits, they can help sow doubts in the minds of would-be jihadists in the overall reliability of the Internet as a medium for recruit
  • Justice Department plans to review federal law enforcement practices on creating fake Facebook pages in light of an incident,
  • nicolet1189 on 19 Nov 14
     
    This article discusses the strategies of the FBI in trying to arrest potential jihad recruits. The article discusses several cases of individuals arrested for attempting to join ISIS and the implications involving each case.
klweber2

An Interview with Omar Khouri | Qifa Nabki - 0 views

qifanabki.com/...an-interview-with-omar-khouri

arab art satire cartoon interview

shared by klweber2 on 09 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • politics
  • equated with war.
  • my refusal to engage in any political act or discussion was in itself a political statement.
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • censorship and the separation of religion from the state,
  • political figures in this context, juxtaposed with the other subjects in this series,
  • depoliticize their image and highlight the human aspect of their nature
  • personalities that one can connect with on a more basic level regardless of their political views.
  • French comics master Moebius,
  • comics were not only children’s entertainment,
  • shatter the boundaries of my imagination to this day.
  • freedoms of painting.
  • ivision between Media Arts and the Higher Arts.
  • English comics author Alan Moore, whose masterpiece Watchmen blew my mind wide open to the idea that comics could be as powerful and insightful as any other art form when dealing with the depths of the human soul;
  • Another very difficult obstacle is censorship.
  • extreme conservatism of the surrounding countries
  • Arab art
  • very positive side effect of a horrible situation,
  • klweber2 on 09 Nov 14
     
    An interview with Omar Khouri, a political artist/cartoonist. The interview goes in depth of what Khouri mainly draws/paints and where his inspirations come from. 
sgriffi2

Women's Rights Ranking - 0 views

The BBC News reports that out of 22 countries, women's rights in Egypt is ranked as the worst. The rankings were extremely low because of the issues sexual harassment, high rates of female genital ...

#egypt #womensrights #civilrights #equality #rank

started by sgriffi2 on 14 Feb 15 no follow-up yet
alarsso

SNC chief reassures minorities on post-Assad Syria - Your Middle East - 0 views

www.yourmiddleeast.com/...rities-on-postassad-syria_8251

syria post-assad minorities 2012

shared by alarsso on 09 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • "A future Syria will be pluralist, middle-class and democratic," Abdel Basset Sayda told German radio and television network Deutsche Welle.
  • We want to reassure all people,"
  • We see this as a national necessity."
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, a key opponent of Assad's
  • regime
  • "There will be no room for ideological, nationalist or religious extremism."
  • vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria
  • Western nations calling for sanctions against Assad,
  • The Syrian National Council
  • "We have a concrete plan and keep contact with all opposition groups inside and outside Syria.
  • Syrian forces launched an all-out assault on opposition strongholds in Damascus Friday, a day after rebels seized crossings on the Iraqi and Turkish borders on the 16-month conflict's deadliest day so far.
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