CULF 3331: "Middle Eastern Revolutions"

An explosion just happened in Ankara, Turkey. The explosion has left at least 28 dead and almost 50 injured according to reports. The PKK is currently the chief suspected organization responsible for this but it will be interesting to see what reports show over the next few days.

Iran now has a Supreme Council of Cyberspace and is quickly developing it to become a powerful tool. Even though they aren't quite in the same league as the U.S. or China, they impose a threat big enough to worry about other than China.

Iran's cyber potential has reached levels to match the US. Not only does Iran run a strong defense, monitoring its people's access to the internet but it also has a strong offense, as evidenced by an attack on Saudi Arabia. Iran is not afraid to boast and toss threats at the US either, this has US intelligence officials prudent and wary.

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.

A video from YouTube showing Syrian rebels using a German 10.5 cm LeFH 18 which is a 105 mm howitzer from the 1930s. The info section of the video claims that the Syrian army supposedly operated a few of these so the rebels most likely captured it from a base. I tagged this because it ties into my question from last week of where did Syria get all of these formerly Nazi made weapons.

What the Brotherhood represents globally is discussed in depth. The many ideologies of the group seem to be a sort of foundation for terrorist group in general.

Egyptian feminists are prepared to fight against conservative groups such as Salafists, and the Muslim Brotherhood for women's rights. The party in power should not silence the female voice. 

Great detail is provided on the major failures of the group, with specific instances as examples. The three primary faults mentioned are; misreading the political situation, shallow and opportunistic regarding ideologies, and incapable of adapting.

The article from June of 2013 addresses the issues women face in Egypt and the causes of those issues. The article reflects on the need for women to identify the roots of their injustices and seek opportunities to prevent further restrictions on their rights. The article concludes by recognizing the means that will work best for encouraging women to pursue their rights, such as sing audiovisual media campaigning as well as well as developing "their sense of empowerment to make choices."

This article mentions setbacks in the progress to women rights. These include setbacks by the government and societal norms within the culture.

Re-examining a revolution that is needed in order to create a better environment for women. The Muslim Brotherhood coming into power damaged women's rights.

A Russia Today article on the current counterattack that the Syrian Armed Forces are attempting in both the northern and southern fronts of the conflict. With their goal being of pushing Al-Nusra out of Daraa, all of this with the support of local militia groups.

Muftah is an organization that is concerned with human rights and has launched a movement called, Women's Rights in Egypt: the Anti-Sexual Harassment Movement. Egypt is labeled as the #1 worst country to be a woman in.

This article talks about the details of the women's rights movement since 1952. After the revolution in 2011, women's rights has yet to become a topic of importance. 

The limitations and punishments are a couple of the concepts discussed in this article. With the declaration of the Muslim Brotherhood being a terrorist group, some detail is shared regarding the problems that will now arise in other Arab countries concerning the group.

This is an article from Russia today that talks about supposed gains that the Syrian government has made with the support of Russian air power. It has an accompanying video of the Syrian Armed Forces fighting against rebels. Overall a piece of propaganda, but interesting footage nonetheless of Syrian Armed Forces using a variety of US and Russian-made weapons.

This article gives insight on how the Muslim Brotherhood misjudged the support they had in Egypt, which assisted in the downfall of the Brotherhood. Another concept brought up was their actual lack of understanding and experience of governing a large population.

This article discusses testimonials of females involved in the Egyptain revolution. It emphasizes the role of women in the revolution and how social media takes a big part on it.

During Egypt's 2011 revolution, activist Dalia Ziada assumed all of the male protesters around her were fighting for her rights, too. But the following years told a different story. NPR's Host Jacki Lyden talks with Ziada about the evolution of women's rights in Egypt from the 2011 uprising to the current upheaval.

In the revolution of January 2011, many young Egyptians turned to participatory and social media in conjunction with real-world organizing and demonstrating. That is, participatory media were used as platforms for political activism, a use that activists had increasingly employed to compliment real-world actions. The revolution did not introduce this phenomenon.

Cyberactivism refers to the use of digital media technologies and social media platforms for sociopolitical contestation. Yet cyberactivism, with its emphasis on the virtual public sphere, is not exclusive of traditional activism.

Turkey is now providing a safe haven for Syrian refugees in addition to Jordan's efforts. Turkish officials are trying to build a coalition to back a secure strip of territory for safe passage of refugees. There seems to be some significant disagreement between Turkey and the Kurdish militia.

According the Independent, a middle east news center, reported today an explosion in Ankara with at least 18 killed and 45 injured; a car bomb hit Turkey's capital. Turkish officials assume that the Kurdish Worker's Party is responsible; possibly due to an unsuccessful peace negotiations between Turkey and the PKK.