This Wednesday (15 May 2013) I will have the honour of introducing a documentary film ‘Words of Witness’ as it premieres as part of the Human Right Arts and Film Festival (HRAFF). The documentary was made in during the Egyptian uprising, by filmmaker Mai Iskander and follows Heba Afify, an online journalist reporting from the […] … learn more→

This was no act of heroism to save a country from a despotic dictator, but rather an emotional outbreak by a disgruntled group of military officers that thoughtlessly ended 20 years of democratic rule. … learn more→

The Arab Spring, now entering its second year, was no random event. Rather, it was a synthesis of many interconnected failings within the post-colonial Arab state system ranging from endemic political corruption, to dire economic stagnation and associated social marginalisation of the masses to list just the obvious ones. But revolutions, as idealistic and romantic […] … learn more→

I’m off by a week, but…Happy New Year! I hope everyone resolved to buy a higher fuel economy or electric car or to find alternatives to driving all the time, because it looks like it could be yet another year of oil and gasoline price spikes, thanks yet again to Middle East security issues. Iran/U.S. […] … learn more→

As the \”Arab Spring\” turns to fall and New York\’s \”Occupy Wall Street\” protest continues to draw international headlines, a new model of social and political protest has emerged. Based on informal leadership and a multitude of voices, contemporary protests have the potential to become more widespread than ever before. In her lab, Dr. Tali […] … learn more→

The western media tends to portray the political uprisings in the Middle East as being broadly motivated by similar reasons and led by similar groups of tech-savvy young people, but surveys of people in the region paint a very different picture, a leading Cambridge researcher will tell a debate on the Arab Spring next week. […] … learn more→

The spring 2011 protests and revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East (commonly referred to as “Arab Spring”) were fueled by many factors, including frustrations with existing political regimes, a growing youth population, online social networks, and a shortage of employment opportunities. An additional factor that deserves attention in this circumstance, and more broadly, […] … learn more→

In the euphoria following the downfall of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, Wael Ghonim, the so-called “hero” of the revolution proclaimed: “Technology played a great role here. You know, it helped keeping people informed, it helped making all of us collaborate.” He said the Egyptian government was “stupid” to close down the internet because that […] … learn more→