Every Man for Himself: A Personal Account of Academic Repression
UPEACE Professor Victoria Fontan gives a personal and candid account of academic repression in the United States, exposing, as she puts it “how my research, teaching, and writings were repressed by different sources both within and outside my academic institution during the 2003-2004 year, and how this repression led me to expatriate from US academia into an Iraqi university.” This article was first written for an edited volume on academic repression soon to be published by AK Press. Due to legal threats made against AK Press and the book’s editors, the article below had to be re-written in a sanitized format. Still, it was courageously published by Counterpunch on March 16th 2009. To date, no legal action was initiated in reprisal.
The Rise of Ordinary Fascism and Intolerance in Turkey
The Rise of Ordinary Fascism and Intolerance in Turkey Author: Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 07/04/2007 Category: Special Report Proud of its secularity and multi-cultural social structure the Republic of Turkey celebrated its 83rd anniversary on 29 October 2006. Not long after this celebration, the assassination of an Armenian-Turkish journalist, Hirant Dink, […]
Hamas Victory in the World Media
On 27 January 2006 the Middle East woke up to a new reality. The Palestinian Elections Committee announced official results of parliamentary elections, declaring Hamas the clear winner with 76 seats in the 132-seat-strong legislative body. The victory of Hamas, which is labeled as a terrorist group by Europe and the US, caused mixed reactions in the World media.
The State of Iraqi Democracy
Ebenezer Agbeko argues that violent sectarian divisions, internal political deadlock, regional insecurity, and the legacy of foreign occupation all work against the emergence of a robust democratic culture in Iraq.
Unheard Voices from Syria and the Middle East
University for Peace PhD Candidate Harout Akdedian presents grassroots perspectives on the Syrian crisis and an analysis of today’s socio-political reality in the Middle East.
Arabic Awakening: Human Dignity and Democracy in Question
A new order is taking shape from North Africa to the Middle East; but as the dust settles down, will the quest for human dignity and democracy continue? Patrick Mugo Mugo analyzes what kind of governance system will win the hearts and minds of millions of the Arabic people: a Western based concept, or Turkish, Korean, Bangladesh or Indonesian models?
The Wholesaling of Political Islam
“Political Islam” is a term often used to mask over many shades of political and Islamic opinion as well as their interactions. Abukar Arman unmasks the term and discusses its complexity in light of Egypt’s ongoing political crisis.
Kirkuk Conflict: The Underlying Energy Dimension
This paper offers a different perspective on the conflict within Kirkuk Governorate vis-à-vis the commonly held view of it being principally an ethno-national conflict based on territorial claims of Kurdish nationalism. The foundation of this analysis is the recognition that the local politics of the energy rich Kirkuk region are increasingly connected with the national and regional energy geopolitics, which are responsible for many of the defining characteristics of the conflict today. After reviewing the positions and interests of various stakeholders, this paper lays out certain recommendations that can be considered by relevant parties in resolving the conflict.
Voices from Syria
In light of intensifying military actions in Iraq and Syria, Keith Gentry reflects on his recent visit to the Turkish-Syrian border and the many Syrian refugees he met. This article offers to share some of their stories.
The creation of Iraq’s food insecurity 1980-2008
The fertile lands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the wheat planes just south of Basra were, until the 1980s, the base of a robust agricultural sector in modern Iraq. This essay traces the steady and tragic decline of the Iraqi food system over the last 3 decades, emphasizing the political and economic policies of the US, Turkey, the former Baathist regime in Iraq, and the UN.