Boris Johnson proposed that all the British fighters in Syria should be presumed guilty unless proven innocent
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in title, tags, annotations or urlCollective Punishment in Gaza - The New Yorker - 0 views
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Shooting the Messenger: Egyptian Journalist Shot Dead by Sniper While Covering Cairo Pr... - 0 views
www.democracynow.org/...enger_egyptian_journalist_shot
#journalism #media #middleeast #censorship #cairo #TahrirSquare
shared by hwilson3 on 23 Feb 16
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This article discusses a journalist that was killed while trying to document the riots at Tahrir Square in Cairo. He was one of many that was trying to spread the message of the square, and was harmed along the way. The article discusses the police telling them to stop recording before he was shot. The fact that documenting these types of events was so highly punishable really puts the idea of censorship in this country in perspective.
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This article discusses a journalist that was killed while trying to document the riots at Tahrir Square in Cairo. He was one of many that was trying to spread the message of the square, and was harmed along the way. The article discusses the police telling them to stop recording before he was shot. The fact that documenting these types of events was so highly punishable really puts the idea of censorship in this country in perspective.
Soda Stream in the occupied West Bank fired 60 Palestinian employees in an act of colle... - 0 views
eng.wac-maan.org.il/?p=1034#more-1034
soda stream west bank fired palestinian employees act collective punishment
shared by micklethwait on 20 Jul 14
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ICSR Insight - Offering Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq a Way Out / ICSR - 0 views
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When he first travelled out there, he said “it was all focused on Assad,” he said. “But now it’s just Muslims fighting Muslims. We didn’t come here for this.”
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The blanket approach taken by the government — to threaten all returnees with draconian prison sentences — Abu Mohammed says, makes him feel trapped. “We’re forced to stay and fight, what choice do we have? It’s sad,” he told us.
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Following the defeat of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, Arab-Afghan fighters could not return to their home countries. They were stripped of their citizenship
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In prison, by contrast, they are likely to be further radicalised while potentially exposing others to a hardened ideology and worldview.
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This was an article (originally published by the Independent, however, I found it on their website via my first article from the BBC) by the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence of London. The article suggests, allowing fighters to return home safely and enroll in a De-radicalization program would be more beneficial than current policies of severe punishment (prison, stripping of citizenship, etc.). The authors contend current repercussions for fighters returning to their home countries leave them trapped and isolated and prison sentences often lead to further radicalization. Overall this article really captured my attention in its non-conventional proposal for governments to handle these situations.
Why has Egyptian Youth Activist, Punished by last 4 Presidents, gone on Hunger Strike? ... - 0 views
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Tunisia blogger gets 6 months for defaming army - Yahoo News - 0 views
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Tunisian military appeals court jailed blogger Yassine Ayari for 6 months for defaming the army. He was prosecuted over blogs he had written alleging financial abuses by army officers and defence ministry officials in a case. Ayari has alleged that he is being punished for blogs he wrote while out of the country. His family and supporters charge that his prosecution is a violation of newfound freedom of expression, which was one of the main gains of the revolution.
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Kurdish Men for Gender Equality - The Kurdistan Tribune - 2 views
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New York Times Women's Rights Article - 0 views
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This is hands down the most helpful article I have read when it comes to trying to get a grasp on the issues Saudi women face. It covers many bases including that of a woman who does not want women's rights to be changed and even goes so far as to wish great punishment on activists. The article includes some information on activists of varying degrees including a teacher, a blogger, a YouTube video maker, and more.
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Domestic violence growing in Saudi Arabia - 0 views
www.violenceisnotourculture.org/...-violence-growing-saudi-arabia
domestic violence growing saudi arabia culture
shared by kkerby223 on 03 Apr 15
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Domestic violence is high in Saudi Arabia. Many cases go unreported for many reasons such as fear of the attacker and lack of punishment. If not much will be done to stop the attack then why report it. Abuse by guardians has become part of a societal norm as well making it difficult for the abused to come forward.
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Refworld | 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report - Algeria - 0 views
www.refworld.org/...55b73c1d15.html
Algeria human-trafficking Recommendation Illegal Immigrant Prosecution
shared by ccfuentez on 26 Jan 16
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Recommendation for Algeria to handle the human trafficking issue include punishing those convicted with imprisonment and help those who fall victim to forced labor or prostitution instead of imprisoning the forced laborers. Many NGOs do not report trafficking crimes to the police for fear of arrest and deportation.
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Education Has Never Been Deadlier for Syria's Children - Save the Children - 0 views
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Education is now one of the deadliest pursuits for children and teachers inside Syria, as the country's schools are increasingly being damaged and destroyed in the conflict.
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Syria has now descended to the second worst rate of school attendance in the world with 2.8 million children out of schoo
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t is absolutely shameful that the obligation to protect schools is not being respected in this conflict
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Syrian refugee children in neighbouring countries are facing disturbing rates of abuse, bullying, corporal punishment and marginalization
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p to half of children surveyed by the agency in Syria reported they were 'rarely' or 'never' able to concentrate in class
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Syrian children are dropping out of school by the day, and the international community has to step up its response to ensure that we do not lose an entire generation of children."
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Four years into the Syria crisis, overall enrolment in Syrian schools has halved from near 100% pre-crisis levels, while enrolment in the hardest hit areas such as Aleppo has plummeted to just 6%
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And those children who have managed to escape the conflict in Syria are also missing out on education with devastating consequences. One in 10 Syrian refugee children across the region are estimated to be working, and the figure is likely to be much higher. In Jordan, 47% of refugee families reported relying partly or entirely on their children's income in a recent assessment.
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We have heard from children being cursed and ridiculed by teachers in host countries, being told that they have ruined their country or to go back to Syria," Hearn said. "Others face corporal punishment at school. In Egypt alone, 30% of children we interviewed told us they were being hit by teachers and 70% are being verbally abused
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Refugee children are also faced with learning an unfamiliar curriculum or even a teacher speaking a language they cannot understand.
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Egypt declares Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle... - 0 views
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Former Egyptian diplomat cites progress on women's rights - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of th... - 0 views
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made some gestures toward women, though his overall human rights record remains controversial.
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Former ambassador to South Africa and the Czech and Slovak republics is defending Egyptian government saying that it is making progress. Examples of women receiving lighter punishments feels like a win for equality.
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http://mgt.guc.edu.eg/wpapers/005mohamed_hamdy2008.pdf - 2 views
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Cunnigham and Sarayrah (1994) suggest that the modern oil boom in the Arab world may have perpetuated wasta by reducing the need for hard work.
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human resource departments in the Arab world depend heavily on subjective assessment tools such as unstructured interviews.
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most Arab economies suffer from very high levels of unemployment. Good jobs are scarce. This motivates applicants to use every mean possible to improve their chances of being hired.
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For example, sons of police and military officers are given preference in admission to the Egyptian police academy or military college, respectively.
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study conducted by Whiteoak, Crawford and Mapstone (2006) showed the young UAE citizens believed that wasta is more useful than do their older citizens. This finding may imply that wasta is strengthening rather than diminishing in Arab societies. Commenting on the spread of wasta in Egypt, a senior bank official told one of the authors that up to 25% of his staff were hired only because of their wasta.
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many top governmental positions are reserved for members of the ruling families or members of their supporting tribes
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First, to maintain their grip on authority, Arab political regimes tend to place close confidants in key positions even if they are not the most qualified for such positions.
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In Syria, the key argument made in favor of selecting Basher Al Asad as the country’s president was that he was the son of the late president Hafez Al Asad.
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study conducted by Kilani and Sakija in Jordan showed that 90% of the respondents believed that they would use wasta in the future.
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In the Quran, Muslims are instructed that “the best that you can hire employee is one who is competent and trustworthy” (Quran, 28, 26). Prophet Mohamed is also reported to have said “He who is in a leadership position and appoints knowingly a person who is not qualified to manage, than he violates the command of God and His messenger”. He also stated “when a person assumes an authority over people and promotes one of them because of personal preferences, God will curse him for ever”.
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Rising to high levels requires important connections. Receiving important privileges or benefits is contingent upon using the right connections.
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Intercessory wasta on the other hand, involves someone intervening on behalf of a client to obtain an advantage or 2overcome a barrier from an authority figure. It is this type of wasta that affects hiring decisions.
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Those who are supported by strong others will not be put down or rejected. Only the unconnected or unsupported are punished.
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people who are related to important others (especially in government) are fortunate as they will have their demands or needs fulfilled. People serve those that are related to important people.
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People tend to serve those that they know. Without knowing anybody, you will have difficulty getting the service you want.
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The turban symbolizes a senior respected person. If you know a senior person, your demands will be meet. Similar to the second proverb
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Intermediary wasta is utilized to facilitate the resolution of intergroup or interpersonal conflicts. In this system, wasta improves human relations and reinforces social norms.
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Intermediary wasta is utilized to facilitate the resolution of intergroup or interpersonal conflicts. In this system, wasta improves human relations and reinforces social norms. Intercessory wasta on the other hand, involves someone intervening on behalf of a client to obtain an advantage or 2overcome a barrier from an authority figure. It is this type of wasta that affects hiring decisions.
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feed feelings of injustice and frustration among those who are qualified for the job but do not have a wasta. Wasta is also different from the more popular nepotism and cronyism. While nepotism involves hiring of relatives and friends, wasta is not restricted to such groups and may involve strangers
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Indeed, wasta is blamed for Arab world’s poor economic performance and brain drain (Al Maeena, 2003; Cunnigham & Sarayrah, 1994). Kilani and Sakijha (2002) stress that wasta is becoming a burden on its seeker, its granter and the government.
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Arab wasta has been compared to the Chinese concept of guanxi. Both wasta and guanxi use social networks to influence the distribution of advantages and resources. However, while guanxi is based on Confucian ethics which focus on strengthening collective ties (Hutchings & Weir, 2006a; Hutchings & Weir, 2006b); wasta violates Muslim ethics which prescribe hiring the most qualified.
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Wasta plays a critical role in hiring and promotion decisions in Arab organizations. Before applying to a position, applicants may seek out a wasta to improve their chances of being hired. A person with poor qualifications but a strong wasta will be favored over a person who is more qualified but does not have a wasta. Because many people may apply with wasta, the applicant with the most important wasta often gets the position.
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Compiled by faculty members at the German University in Cairo, this working paper series addresses the effect that watsa has on competence and morality in Middle Eastern economics and society. The authors define watsa as, "the intervention of a patron in favor of a client to obtain benefits and/or resources from a third party." In simpler terms it is a system of social networking in Arab culture in which family and social ties play a significant role in the attainment of economic advantages and resources, largely in the hiring process in businesses and organizations. A person applying for a job seeks out watsa to increase their chances of getting hired. Comparable to nepotism and cronyism, but is not restricted to friends and associates, watsa can also involve strangers linked through some social web of people. Watsa runs somewhat parallel to a Chinese concept of guanxi, based on Confucian ethics and focusing on strong collective ties. While guanxi is a part of Chinese ethics it actually defies Muslim ethical values, which advocates hiring the person most capable. In a Jordanian survey, 87% of respondents want watsa eradicated. While we know that unemployment in the Arab region is widespread, we can assume that this motivates people to do anything they can to improve their chances of obtaining a job. However, the practice of watsa as a whole is actually degrading the economic systems in the Arab sates even further. The article explains the linkage between watsa and poor job performance, economic decline, and the festering of injustice and frustration among the masses in Arab countries.
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This looks super interesting, but I can't get the link to open. Thanks for writing a thorough summary of it!
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Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls - 0 views
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harmful physical, psychological and human rights consequences has led to the use of the term “female genital mutilation
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women who have undergone FGC do not consider themselves to be mutilated and have become offended by the term “FGM”
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practised in ancient Egypt as a sign of distinction, while others hypothesize its origin in ancient Greece, Rome, Pre-Islamic Arabia and the Tsarist Russian Federation.
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94.6% of married women had been exposed to FGC and 69.1% of those women agreed to carry out FGC on their daughters
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females interviewed was 38 816. The prevalence of FGC among schoolgirls was 50.3%. The prevalence of FGC was 46.2% in government urban schools, 9.2% in private urban schools and 61.7% in rural schools.
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Egypt are type I (commonly referred to as clitoridectomy) and type II (commonly referred to as excision).5 In Africa, the most common type of FGC is type II (excision of the clitoris and the labia minor) which accounts for up to 80% of all cases.6 I
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The difference in the prevalence rates of FGC is mainly due to educational status in both rural and urban areas
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There is an obvious negative correlation between the female’s parents’ education and the practice of FGC
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Parents with low or no education are the most likely to have circumcised their daughters with prevalence rates ranging between 59.5% and 65.1%
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higher degrees of education are the least likely to have their daughters circumcised and the prevalence rate ranged between 19.5% and 22.2%.
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. In Egypt, in the past, the majority of FGC procedures were performed by traditional midwives, called dayas. However, according to the Demographic and Health Survey (1995),16 the number of
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include infection because of unsanitary operating conditions, and significant psychological and psychosexual consequences of FGC
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complications (early and late) such as severe pain, bleeding, incontinence, infections, mental health problems, sexual problems, primary infertility and difficult labour with high episiotomy rate. In addition, the repetitive use of the same instruments on several girls without sterilization can cause the spread of HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
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In these surveys, 72% of ever-married women reported that circumcision is an important part of religious tradition and about two-thirds of the women had the impression that the husband prefers his wife to be circumcised
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one-third of ever-married women cited cleanliness as a reason while a small number saw it as a way to prevent promiscuity before marriage.
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. It is an issue that demands a collaborative approach involving health professionals, religious leaders, educationalists and nongovernmental organizations.
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Past issues Information for contributors Editorial members How to order About the Bulletin Disclaimer Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls
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This is such a controversial topic. I saw a reference to it recently (was it possibly something that was brought up in the Bill Maher/Ben Affleck dust-up?) that pointed out that the practice is almost unheard of outside of central and northeastern Africa, with a few small pockets in Iraq and the Gulf.
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Muslim Brotherhood: The coup has betrayed Egypt and implemented the Zionist agenda in S... - 0 views
www.middleeastmonitor.com/...ed-the-zionist-agenda-in-sinai
#Zionist #Sinai #Coup #Muslimbrotherhood
shared by kristaf on 23 Nov 14
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The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt announced its full support of the families residing in Sinai and said
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the group condemned the regime's use of murder, kidnapping and forced displacements of families in Rafah.
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assured the people that the perpetrators of these crimes will not evade punishment. The Muslim Brotherhood accused the Egyptian regime of implementing an Israeli-American agenda in Sinai.
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The statement also pointed out that the country's legitimate president Dr Mohamed Morsi was working to reconstruct Sinai and abort the implementation of a Zionist agenda within the peninsula.
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The group condemned the regime's forced displacement of Sinai's citizens and its criminality towards the people of Rafah who have been subject to torture, kidnapping and looting
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Rights group condemns proposed graffiti law - Daily News Egypt - 3 views
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The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) expressed its concern over a proposed law that would criminalise graffiti. ANHRI said on Wednesday that the law, announced by interim Minister of Local Development Adel Labib, would seek to punish those "writing abusive language on the walls of government and private buildings."
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Egypt receives 300 recommendations in UN human rights review - Daily News Egypt - 0 views
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recommendations relating to the controversial Protest and NGO Laws, media freedoms, freedom of association, the use of the death penalty, and women’s rights.
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20 recommendations that dealt with the status of civil society organisations in Egypt and called for a revision of the current law
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Seven Egyptian NGOs refused to participate in the UN UPR, citing a fear of reprisals by the Egyptian government.
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13 times among the 300 recommendations, with calls to amend the law and “bring it in line with international standards
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Iceland read “Ensure thorough, independent and impartial investigations into the mass killings in [Rabaa Al-Adaweya] Square in 2013 and hold the perpetrators accountable
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The US also recommended that Egypt “release those detained solely for exercising rights to freedom of expression or for membership in a political group, and ensure remaining detainees full fair trial guarantees on an individual level”.
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included recommendations to tackle corruption, human trafficking, the promotion of human rights, and investment in education for young people.
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“reconsider its policies and orientation before Egypt slides into an abyss of unremitting terrorism and political violence”.
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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
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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.
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Jamahiriya, a political system that is run directly by tribesmen without the intermediation of state institutions
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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.
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the disastrous Italian legacy in Libya, has been a constant element in Gaddafi’s speeches since he took power
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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comprehensive reconstruction of everything civic, political, legal, and moral that makes up a society and its government.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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intent to renounce weapons of mass destruction in December 2003—after a long process of behind-the-scenes diplomacy initially spearheaded by Britain
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“The Revolution Everlasting” was one of the enduring slogans of his Libya, inscribed everywhere from bridges to water bottles.
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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.
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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.
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Beyond Gaddafi, there exists only a great political emptiness, a void that Libya somehow will need to fill.
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the creation of a modern state where Libyans become true citizens, with all the rights and duties this entails.
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Regimes can use oil revenues strategically to provide patronage that effectively keeps them in power.
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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.