For Most Tunisians, Little Has Changed
In the town where the Arab Spring began in Tunisia, the economic condition remains as bad as ever. Reese Erlich [2]April 29, 2012 08:27 A man walks past the statue representing the cart of Mohamed Bouazizi, the fruit seller whose self-immolation sparked the revolution that ousted a dictator and ignited the Arab Spring, in Sidi … Read more
Tunisia government caught between secularists and religious right
By Reese Erlich, Global Post, April 21, 2012 TUNIS, Tunisia — When 10,000 conservative Islamists massed on Tunis’ main street demanding Shariah law be incorporated into the new constitution, secular activists who helped lead the first Arab Spring uprising got worried. These conservatives, known as Salafists, had not openly participated in the uprising but were … Read more
Christian Science Monitor: Why businessmen support Assad in Syria
Published October 28, 2011, Christian Science Monitor Reese Erlich, Damascus, Syria Rana Issa, the owner of an advertising and marketing business in Damascus is struggling. She’s had to lay off five of her 20 employees in the seven months of political and economic upheaval since Syria’s antigovernment uprising began. But unlike the street demonstrators, Ms. … Read more
The Difference between a terrorist and a man who flies into a building
The Difference Between a Terrorist and Someone Who Flies a Plane Into a Building http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_difference_between_a_terrorist_and_someone_who_flies_a_plane_into_a_bui/ Posted on Mar 12, 2010 By Reese Erlich There seems to be some confusion about who are the real terrorists these days. Allow me to shed some light on the issue. John Patrick Bedell was angry at the totalitarian federal government … Read more
Syria’s Minorities Fear Opposition Movement
Appeared originally in Tikkun TARTUS, Syria — J. Toumajian was shocked when he heard about demonstrators chanting in his small town: “Christians to Beirut; Alawites to tabout [the coffin].” The murderous slogan was being chanted last July by some fifty Muslim extremists demonstrating against the Syrian government, according to Toumajian, an Armenian Catholic. A street … Read more
Good Dictators and Bad Dictators
Published on Thursday, September 1, 2011 by CommonDreams.org Perhaps you are confused by U.S. policy towards Middle East dictators. The U.S. supports some, denounces others and launches missiles to overthrow another. Having reported from the region for over 25 years, I can explain what might otherwise seem to be an inconsistent U.S. policy.Qaddafi was bad before … Read more
Syria: “You Can’t Believe The Violence”
Published on Dec 1st, 2011 by The Progressive For security reasons, we met at one of the most crowded squares in Damascus and then drove through traffic-clogged streets to the old city. We walked through the narrow, cobblestone streets where no cars could fit and anyone tailing us would get lost. I was on my way … Read more
Arab Spring in Syria, Egypt and Gaza
Published on May 23, 2011 by Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Few observers thought that the uprising that began in Tunisia would so quickly spread throughout the entire Arab world. Egyptians overthrew the Mubarak regime but now struggle to determine what kind of new government they will create. Palestinians also demonstrated, calling for an end to … Read more
