UC Irvine
Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of California Irvine; author of Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam and producer of Flowers in the Desert, a compilation album featuring hard rock, metal, and hiphop bands from around the Muslim world
Truth, Lies and the Fighting in Gaza Today’s 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza lasted about 90 minutes, and the fighting has been resumed. Now, we’ll pull back and look at what it’s like to cover this ongoing story. It’s the ultimate challenge to the very concepts of “fairness” and “balance.” What one part of the audience sees as reporting the truth the other sees as propaganda. That’s a problem — not just for journalists in the field, but also for analysts of the media.
Middle East Democracy versus the 'Club of Kings' Over the weekend, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing on Gaza's southern border, a sign that the current military regime may be more responsive to its people than the Mubarak government was. The US is playing it down, but it's another sign of changing priorities in the Middle East. Last week's G-8 Summit promised $20- to $40 billion to help Egypt and Tunisia turn the so-called "Arab Spring" into peaceful democracy. At the same time, US ally Saudi Arabia is conducting a worldwide campaign to keep kingdoms and other autocracies just as they are. Segment image: A Yemeni soldier who joined sides with anti-regime protesters hold a rifle bearing the slogan "leave" during a demonstration calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa on May 27, 2011. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
Saudi Arabia and the 'Club of Kings' Over the weekend, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing on Gaza's southern border, a sign that the current military regime may be more responsive to its people than the Mubarak government was. The United States is playing it down, but it's another sign of changing priorities in the Middle East. Last week's G8 Summit promised $20- to $40 billion to help Egypt and Tunisia turn the "Arab Spring" into peaceful democracy. At the same time, US ally Saudi Arabia is doing its best to keep autocratic regimes in place in Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, and even Morocco and Jordan. Does the US agree that the "Arab Spring" has reached its limit or are US and Saudi interests diverging after decades of trading oil for protection? Are the Saudis more worried about Iran or an "Arab Spring" in their own country? What about Israel and the world's oil supply?
Are Revolutions Transforming the Middle East? Since dictators were deposed by "people power" in Tunisia and Egypt, there's been talk of an "Arab Spring" that would finally bring an end to authoritarianism in the Middle East and even a flowering of democracy. But in Egypt today, street protests, strikes and sit-ins were criminalized by Hosni Mubarak's military successors. We hear more on the possible consequences of revolution there and elsewhere.
Are Revolutions Transforming the Middle East? Since the so-called "Arab Spring" began in Tunisia, there's been violence in that country. Today, Egypt's new military leaders formally criminalized protests. In Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and Libya, there's no telling what kinds of changes domestic upheaval will bring. Iran and Saudi Arabia may not see changes at all. What can be learned from Georgia, Ukraine and other countries that threw off the yoke of Communism? When is the old order vulnerable to a new generation of freedom-loving democrats? When are high expectations vulnerable to traditional realities?
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?