Skip to main content

Home/ CULF 3331: "Middle Eastern Revolutions"/ Group items tagged opposition

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
fcastro2

Syrian Opposition Groups Wary Of Russia's Invitation To Moscow : NPR - 0 views

www.npr.org/...f-russias-invitation-to-moscow

russia opposition groups syria politics peace talks war

shared by fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • U.N. envoy is pressing ahead on that front, while Russia tries to play peacemaker
    • fcastro2
      fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
       
      U.N. continues to try to collaborate with both groups while Russia wants to be a "peacemaker."
  • Russia is inviting the parties to Moscow this month, but some opposition groups won't go to a country that has been backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
    • fcastro2
      fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
       
      Rebel groups in Syria do not trust the Russian government since they have been supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • Syrian opposition figures have good reason to be skeptical of Moscow's diplomatic moves
  • they provide weapons and advice to the Assad regime and they have taken an approach of cherry-picking who they talk to and who the regime talks to
  • The U.S. is not pressuring the opposition groups it supports to go to Moscow. Instead it's suggesting they should think about it so that Russia can't blame the opposition for the diplomatic stalemate
    • fcastro2
      fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
       
      U.S. is not pushing for the opposition groups to go to Moscow to talk peace but they feel they have nothing to lose if they do.
  • "If there are no guarantees as to the end state, that is, a movement towards a transitional government with full executive powers without Assad, then there is really no reason to go
  • meant to revive the peace process that started in Geneva in 2012
  • Russians aren't in a position to decide who will take part in future negotiations. And this has been the whole problem with their approach.
    • fcastro2
      fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
       
      Russian strategy
  • He says the Russian job has always been to deliver the regime to the negotiating table, but the Syrian government only wants to talk about fighting terrorism, not discuss a political transition.
  • We are hoping, more than expecting, that it will be a success," he says.De Mistura describes Syria as the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II
  • They all agree that we need to do something to avoid that the Syrian conflict goes into a back burner and that movement towards some type of political solution should take place this year,"
  • He says that's because Assad thinks he's winning — and U.S. plans to train and equip 5,000 moderate rebels a year won't help level the playing field.
  • The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State and the U.S.-led airstrikes against that group in both Syria and Iraq now top the U.S. agenda.
  • war in Syria has been raging for nearly four years and it's been challenging for diplomats to get warring sides to agree on even temporary truces.
    • fcastro2
      fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
       
      No guarantees as to what the alleged "peace talks" will provide from the opposition groups. 
  • fcastro2 on 13 Feb 15
     
    Russia is attempting to bring opposition groups and the Syrian government to Moscow in order to "talk peace." In the past, Russia has supported the Syrian President and because of this, opposition groups are wearing of these alleged "peace talks." 
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.
allieggg

Can Libya Rebuild Itself After 40 Years of Gaddafi? - 0 views

www.newsweek.com/f-after-40-years-gaddafi-68601

Gaddafi libya Arab Nationalism recontruction political tabula rasa Revolution politics middle east

shared by allieggg on 12 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • the man has hollowed out the Libyan state, eviscerated all opposition in Libyan society, and, in effect, created a political tabula rasa on which a newly free people will now have to scratch out a future.
  • Jamahiriya, a political system that is run directly by tribesmen without the intermediation of state institutions
  • the problem is, of course, that much like in the former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe, virtually everyone at one point or another had to deal with the regime to survive.
  • ...25 more annotations...
  • Libya is truly a case apart.
  • the disastrous Italian legacy in Libya, has been a constant element in Gaddafi’s speeches since he took power
  • inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser, neighboring Egypt’s president, whose ideas of Arab nationalism and of the possibility of restoring glory to the Arab world, would fuel the first decade of Gaddafi’s revolution.
  • he was unimpressed with the niceties of international diplomacy,
  • In a brilliant move that co-opted tribal elders, many of whom were also military commanders, he created the Social Leadership People’s Committee, through which he could simultaneously control the tribes and segments of the country’s military.
  • When it turned out that Libya, which was still a decentralized society in 1969, had little appetite for his centralizing political vision and remained largely indifferent to his proposals, the young idealist quickly turned activist.
  • Green Book, a set of slim volumes published in the mid-1970s that contain Gaddafi’s political philosophy, a blueprint is offered for a dramatic restructuring of Libya’s economy, politics, and society. In principle, Libya would become an experiment in democracy. In reality, it became a police state where every move of its citizens was carefully watched by a growing number of security apparatuses and revolutionary committees that owed loyalty directly to Gaddafi.
  • Having crushed all opposition by the mid-1970s, the regime systematically snuffed out any group that could potentially oppose it—any activity that could be construed as political opposition was punishable by death, which is one reason why a post-Gaddafi Libya, unlike a post-Mubarak Egypt, can have no ready-made opposition in a position to fill the vacuum.
  • The tribes—the Warfalla, the Awlad Busayf, the Magharha, the Zuwaya, the Barasa, and the smallest of them all, the Gadafa, to which he belonged—offered a natural form of political affiliation, a tribal ethos that could be tapped into for support. And perhaps, in the aftermath of Gaddafi, they could serve as a nucleus around which to build a new political system.
  • Gaddafi feared they might coalesce into groups opposing his rule. So, during the first two decades after the 1969 coup, he tried to erase their influence, arguing that they were an archaic element in a modern society.
  • comprehensive reconstruction of everything civic, political, legal, and moral that makes up a society and its government.
  • After systematically destroying local society, after using the tribes to cancel each other out, after aborting methodically the emergence of a younger generation that could take over Libya’s political life—all compounded by the general incoherence of the country’s administrative and bureaucratic institutions—Gaddafi will have left a new Libya with severe and longstanding challenges.
  • the growing isolation of Libya as international sanctions were imposed.
  • Lockerbie was the logical endpoint for a regime that had lost all international legitimacy.
  • while the regime still had the coercive power to put down any uprisings that took place in the 1990s, it became clear to Gaddafi’s closest advisers that the potential for unrest had reached unprecedented levels.
  • way out was to come to an agreement with the West that would end the sanctions, allow Libya to refurbish an aging oil infrastructure, and provide a safety valve by permitting Libyans to travel abroad once more.
  • intent to renounce weapons of mass destruction in December 2003—after a long process of behind-the-scenes diplomacy initially spearheaded by Britain
  • “The Revolution Everlasting” was one of the enduring slogans of his Libya, inscribed everywhere from bridges to water bottles.
  • regime that had, for four decades, mismanaged the country’s economy and humiliated its citizens
  • country was split in half, with eastern Cyrenaica and its main city Benghazi effectively independent—a demonstration of the kind of people’s power Gaddafi had always advocated. Reality, in effect, outgrew the caricature.
  • used a set of divide-and-rule policies that not only kept his opponents sundered from each other, but had also completely enfeebled any social or political institution in the country.
  • Beyond Gaddafi, there exists only a great political emptiness, a void that Libya somehow will need to fill.
  • the creation of a modern state where Libyans become true citizens, with all the rights and duties this entails.
  • the terrorist incidents
  • Regimes can use oil revenues strategically to provide patronage that effectively keeps them in power.
  • allieggg on 12 Nov 14
     
    This article from News Week basically paints a picture of Libyan history and how Gaddafi's reign devastated the state economically, socially, and politically. Author Dirk Vandewalle uses the phrase "a political tabula rasa" which in Latin means a blank slate, to describe the fate of Libya after Gaddafi's rule and convey the extent to which the country has to literally reconstruct every component that makes up a society and its government. He highlights major events that led to the downfall of both the Gaddafi regime and the Libyan state as a whole such as Arab nationalism, Jamahiriya, the Green Book, security apparatuses snuffing all opposition, terrorist incidents, isolation and international sanctions, the Lockerbie bombing, weapons of mass destruction, human right violations, divide and rule policies, and his use of oil revenue to fuel his insurgency. Vandewalle concludes the article with uncertain ideas thoughts towards Libya's future and the way the state is going to literally rebuild themselves from this "blank slate" that Gaddafi left behind. 
cguybar

A Familiar Role for Muslim Brotherhood: Opposition - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...od-back-on-painful-ground.html

muslim Egypt brotherhood role opposition

shared by cguybar on 02 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • cguybar on 02 Mar 16
     
    This article gives some detail as to who exactly the opposition of the Muslim Brotherhood is. It also provides information concerning how the opposition has gone about the attack the Brotherhood.
hkerby2

Syria opposition group claims 1,300 killed in chemical attack in Damascus suburbs - CBS... - 0 views

www.cbsnews.com/...cal-attack-in-damascus-suburbs

syria opposition attack chemical weapon Damascus

shared by hkerby2 on 02 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • hkerby2 on 02 Feb 15
     
    A Syrian Opposition group killed 1300 civilians in a chemical weapon attack in Damascus. Many of the victims were women and children. The victims presented with classic signs of chemical poisoning, including foaming mouth and dilated pupils. The attach occurred on August 21, 2013
fcastro2

Syria opposition praises France's anti-Assad stance | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR - 0 views

www.dailystar.com.lb/...frances-anti-assad-stance.ashx

syria france middle east ISIS politics

shared by fcastro2 on 06 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Syria's exiled opposition praised France Sunday for maintaining its "exemplary" opposition to President Bashar Assad after a group of French lawmakers made a controversial visit to Damascus this week.
  • The position of France has always been exemplary, and your country has consistently held to the side of the Syrian people against any attempt to rehabilitate the regime in Damascus under false protenses
  • The trip reignited debate in Europe over whether it was time to rebuild diplomatic ties with the Syrian regime in order to counter the greater threat from jihadi groups such as ISIS.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Those who argue they should cooperate with the Syrian regime to fight terrorism will only find the phenomenon worsenin
  • The National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces warmly welcomes the firm position expressed by France regarding the cause of the Syrian people and its aspiration to form a civil democratic state
  • According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group, the conflict in Syria, which started as a pro-democracy uprising seeking Assad's ouster in March 2011 and morphed into a full-blown war, has left more than 200,000 people dead
  • fcastro2 on 06 Mar 15
     
    France is continuing to oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad stating that his government will not be the best group to combat terrorism. They continue to side with the Syrian people and their aspiration to forma civil democratic state. 
fcastro2

Syria talks in Moscow to focus on humanitarian issues | Reuters - 0 views

www.reuters.com/...ia-talks-idUSKBN0MW08W20150405

syria talks moscow humanitarian ISIS

shared by fcastro2 on 06 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • (Reuters) - The Syrian government and some opposition figures will start a second round of talks in Moscow on Monday focusing on humanitarian issues, although a broader agreement is unlikely as Syria's main opposition group continues to boycott the talks.
  • do not expect any big breakthrough towards ending a conflict
  • January's unproductive first round of consultations in Moscow was shunned by the main political opposition group, the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • take part only if the talks were to lead to the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Russia
  • Russia says fighting terrorism in Syria should be the top priority now and has called on the opposition to work with Assad to that end
  • Randa Kassis, a former SNC member who now favors talking to Damascus because of the rise of radical Islamists in Syri
  • focus on confidence-building measures including ensuring access for humanitarian aid
  • Moscow has not said which opposition figures will attend. But the line-up is likely to be similar to January, when more than 30 representatives of various groups attended, most from groups tolerated by Assad or who agree that working with Damascus is necessary to combat the rise of Islamic Stat
  • released 650 prisoners from at least three prisons in Damascus on March 25-27, including women, children, political prisoners and fighter
  • release of these people to the talks would be "just an ac
  • fcastro2 on 06 Apr 15
     
    A second round of talks will be held in Moscow. These talks are said to focus on humanitarian issues in Syria. 
fcastro2

UN, Russia take lead in Syria diplomacy - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...n-russia-syrian-diplomacy.html

shared by fcastro2 on 28 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Egypt on Feb. 9-10 signals a “new phase” in Russian diplomacy in the Middle East.
  • Despite deteriorating ties with the United States and NATO countries over Ukraine, Maxim Suchkov writes, "Russia is anything but isolated, while Europe is no longer the promised land for the state that seeks recognition of its global influence."
  • Egypt and Russia have “shared positions on a number of regional issues; closely aligned interests (particularly on fighting international terrorism); a successful track record of bilateral cooperation on various fronts; and a strong personal bond of trust between respective leaders.”
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Egypt’s leadership has grown frustrated with US admonitions and criticisms of its governance record, and from Cairo’s perspective, bewildering discussions of conditions on US military aid
  • Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is hardly ready to ditch his country’s long-standing ties to the United States, the prospect of Russian arms and assistance could prove a useful complement to what some in Cairo consider more uncertain US support, especially as Egypt faces an ongoing terrorist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.
  • Naumkin adds th
  • Russia also considers Egypt an ally in its efforts to broker a political settlement in Syria
  • as a result of the Russian president’s visit to Cairo, the parties might agree to pool their forces in the context of a Syrian settlement.
  • It might be understandable for some analysts to dismiss the Moscow conference, given the diplomatic false starts over four years in a conflict that has left more than 150,000 dead, 7.6 million displaced, 3.2 million refugees, 12.2 million in need of humanitarian assistance and at least 680,000 injured, according to the United Nations.
  • Syrian opposition figures were not allowed to participate in the Jan. 26-29 Moscow conference as representatives of opposition parties, such as the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces (SOC), the leading umbrella group based in Turkey
  • The absence of the SOC and other representatives of the external opposition no doubt limited the potential impact of the conference,
  • Participants agreed to an 11-point list of “Moscow Principles” and a four-point “Appeal to the International Community” affirming the need to fight terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (IS), rejecting outside interference and calling for increased humanitarian aid, while agreeing to meet again in a month’s time.
  • acknowledged the possibility for other organizations to play a role in future talks
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vigorously supported the law, claiming its passage is essential in defending democracy
  •  “Success tempted the AKP, prompting it to revert back to its Islamism and initiate a much more ambitious narrative of building a new regional order, and even a new global order. Meanwhile, Erdogan turned into an unquestionable leader who is not limited by facts and creates his own facts, as envisioned by his Islamist ideology and extraordinary intuition. In the eyes of his hard-core supporters, he is not a mere political leader who formulates pragmatic policies. He is a total leader who redefines everything.”
mpatel5

Britain vows 'significant' support for Syrian opposition - 0 views

english.alarabiya.net/...rt-for-Syrian-opposition-.html

Britain Syria Revolution President Bashar al-Assad

shared by mpatel5 on 11 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • mpatel5 on 11 Nov 14
     
    Britain will make "a significant contribution" to equip and train the moderate Syrian opposition to defeat both Islamic State extremists and the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad, its foreign secretary said on Monday. Secretary of Foreign Affairs made a statement,"The UK is helping the opposition establish security and governance, and to deliver essential services. This includes life-saving search and rescue training, helping Syrians whose homes have been reduced to rubble by the regime's bombs."
joepouttu

Syria opposition holds 'positive' talks with UN envoy - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-35459323

Syria Opposition Politics UN negotiation

shared by joepouttu on 01 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • joepouttu on 01 Feb 16
     
    The main opposition group in Syria, the HNC, recently held what  they view as positive talks with the UN. It was in regards to humanitarian issues in Syria, and the group now awaits the Syrian government's response. 
fcastro2

Russia to host Syria talks in April | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR - 0 views

www.dailystar.com.lb/...host-syria-talks-in-april.ashx

russia syria talks middle east ISIS politics war

shared by fcastro2 on 06 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • MOSCOW: Moscow said Thursday it would host talks between representatives of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and opposition figures in April, three months after a meeting between the parties which ended without any concrete results.
  • Moscow - one of Assad's few remaining allies - is trying to kickstart dialogue between the warring parties in a bid to end nearly four years of civil war that has claimed more than 200,000 lives since 2011
  • Two rounds of talks in Geneva ended without success, the last of which took place in February 2014.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • The document stipulates that a solution to the conflict should be found "politically and peacefully," rejects foreign interference and calls for sanctions to be lifted.
  • fcastro2 on 06 Mar 15
     
    Moscow continues to push for peace talks between all the oppositions groups and the Syrian government. Russia believes that the best way to have peace is to avoid foreign interference and they call for sanctions to be lifted. 
natphan

Russia, US truce initiative in Syria 'may be last chance to stop violence' - opposition - 0 views

www.rt.com/...952-russia-us-syria-opposition

Syria Russia USA violence

shared by natphan on 09 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • natphan on 09 Mar 16
     
    Last chance to stop bloodshed in Syria? This article explains that the truce in Syria sponsored by Washington and Moscow, according to opposition groups, could be the last chance at peace.
joepouttu

Syrian war: Russia and opposition allege truce breaches - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-35681256

Syria US Russia Truce

shared by joepouttu on 29 Feb 16 - No Cached
  • joepouttu on 29 Feb 16
     
    There have been at least 15 reported breaches of the Syrian cease fire by Syrian and Russian government. Rebels say overall it is nice to see people safe and receiving aid, but the loophole of still being able to attack ISIS and al-Qaeda continues to concern the rebels. The 15 breaches in question are viewed as attacks against terrorists by some, and attacks against government opposition by others.
joepouttu

Syria leader Bashar Assad rejects "transitional body" demand by opposition in Geneva pe... - 0 views

www.cbsnews.com/...-opposition-geneva-peace-talks

Syria Opposition Assad

shared by joepouttu on 30 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • joepouttu on 30 Mar 16
     
    Assad has rejected a main component of the opposition's demands. He does not want to elect a transitional body for the transitional period, and instead wants the current government to see out the transition. 
ysenia

Iran Is Enjoying Increasing Freedom and Secrecy Under Nuclear Deal With US - US News - 0 views

www.usnews.com/...ecy-under-nuclear-deal-with-us

iran reports IAEA deal politics

shared by ysenia on 23 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • ysenia on 23 Mar 16
     
    Iran has recently been going against the nuclear deal and freed itself of previous restrictions. It has created more hostility between the United States and Iran which is the opposite of what the plan was supposed to do.
irede123

L. TODD WOOD: Iran-supported Hezbollah threatens to attack American forces in Iraq - Wa... - 0 views

www.washingtontimes.com/...ported-hezbollah-threatens-att

ISIS hezbollah

shared by irede123 on 25 Mar 16 - No Cached
  • irede123 on 25 Mar 16
     
    "Israel has long been worried that Hezbollah will be emboldened by access to sophisticated weapons in Syria provided by the Russian military, concerned that once the Syrian opposition has been vanquished, Hezbollah would turn its focus to the Jewish state. "
ralph0

Syrian opposition asks U.N. to halt peace talks - SWI swissinfo.ch - 0 views

www.swissinfo.ch/...42096516

Syria al assad rebels fsa peace talks UN

shared by ralph0 on 18 Apr 16 - No Cached
  • ralph0 on 18 Apr 16
     
    This article references the current situation in seeking peace talks. The situation isn't going well, as only 3 of 15 groups were available to meet with the UN envoy. Moreover, the rebel groups want a cessation to the ceasefire so that they can retaliate against government forces. Their plan on doing so involves attacks in Hama and Latakia.
katelynklug

We Were Born From the Womb of the Revolution - 0 views

www.tahrirdocuments.org/...rom-the-womb-of-the-revolution

shared by katelynklug on 14 Sep 14 - No Cached
  • 25 January 2011
  • energy of a struggle
  • thanks to the youths
  • ...47 more annotations...
  • feelings of social injustice
  • biased toward the rich
  • millions of Egyptians live in slums
  • mansions and resorts
  • collapse of educational and public health services
  • stealing of pension
  • reduction of all social safety nets
  • unemployment
  • risk death
  • fleeing an inhuman life
  • culture and art were turned into commodities
  • transferring power to a temporary, civil government
  • ignite sectarian strife
  • isolate Christians from political action
  • Tahrir Square
  • inspiring example
  • face of Fighting Egypt
  • forces of the Egyptian Left
  • equal
  • socialism
  • will to change
  • met with the powers of the Egyptian Left
  • distortion of consciousness and existence
  • We insist upon the realization of all the demands related to democracy and political reform
  • “Popular Alliance” party is born from the womb of the revolution
  • revoking Emergency Law
  • releasing all prisoners
  • new constitution
  • separation of powers
  • social change
  • human rights
  • plan for growth
  • rights to food, shelter, education, work, fair wages, and health care must be guaranteed
  • Minimum and maximum wage
  • Progressive taxes
  • subordination to Zionism
  • must be opposed
  • resistance to normalization with Israel
  • supporting instead the Arab people
  • Palestinian people’s struggle to achieve their freedom and establish a state
  • civil state
  • oppose all forms of discrimination
  • separation of religion from politics
  • opposed to capitalist exploitation
  • supports the interest of the poor
  • open, democratic party
  • diversity of platforms
  • katelynklug on 14 Sep 14
     
    This article describes the position and demands of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party of Egypt. The relationship of the youth protesters with the Egyptian Left was solidified when the Left provided the youth with the political power to make their revolution successful. The Socialist Popular Alliance demands a new constitution and a new government structure that is based on democracy, human rights, and freedoms. Their political position and ideal social structure are very similar to typical American ideals, especially those of the American left political parties. However, the Public Alliance seems very angered over Mubarak's previous friendly relations with Israel. This population feels as though they were forced to abandon the Arab people and support Israel instead of Palestine. This is interesting because Egypt's relations with Israel has garnered tremendous political and economic support from the United States. Having an Arab ally has been an advantageous point of negotiation for Israel and the US. With the Popular Alliance in severe opposition to this position of Israeli sympathy, it is a surprise that they seem to embrace "Americanized" ideas. In addition, it is worth noting that the youth finds a great identity with the Arab culture, although not so much with a specific religion.
1 - 20 of 83 Next › Last »
Showing 20▼ items per page