Western Sahara: The Struggle for Self-Determination
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Category: Human Rights
Trump’s deal on Morocco’s Western Sahara annexation risks more global conflict
Last week, President Trump formally recognized Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara as part of a deal to get Morocco to normalize relations with Israel. But Morocco’s claim on Western Sahara is rejected by the United Nations, the World Court, the African Union and a broad consensus of international legal scholars that consider the region a non-self-governing territory that must be allowed an act of self-determination. This is why no country had formally recognized Morocco’s takeover — until now.
Sudan’s Democratic Revolution is Being Undermined by the United States
Economic recovery from decades of autocratic misrule is critical for Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government to establish legitimacy and survive ongoing threats from reactionary forces. The United States, however, is maintaining its punitive sanctions, effectively punishing the country for the sins of the dictatorship the Sudanese people overthrew last year.
Rescinding a Human Rights Award to Angela Davis Was Cowardly and Unfair
This past October, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute announced that activist, author, and scholar Angela Davis would be presented with the Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award at the group’s annual gala event next month. The announcement described Davis as “one of the most globally recognized champions of human rights, giving voice to those who are powerless to speak.”
Under Trump U.S. Contempt for International Law Intensifies
Truthout, June 5, 2018, by Stephen Zunes: What is Gaza’s hope for the future after the fallout over the US embassy move and the Iran deal exit?
The Robust Opposition: The Modern History of Israel/Palestine
Video interview with Lauren Steiner, May 19, 2018: Overview of the Zionist project, the wars of 1948, 1967, the first and second Intifada, the various peace talks, the change in Israel over the years making it harder and harder to…
Analyst Stephen Zunes Looks At The Middle East
WORT, Madison, Wisconsin, May 17, 2018 (Soundcloud, 29 mins.): This week, mass Palestinian protests at the fences around Gaza have been met with violence from the Israel military. A look beyond the headlines…
Global Journalist: Egypt’s Staged Election
[Zunes’ segment begins at 14 mins.] Global Journalist March 8, 2018: President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, who led a 2013 coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, is expected to be handily re-elected. That’s because el-Sissi’s government has arrested or intimidated all…
In Retrospect: Public Intellectuals and Activists Weigh In on the Tet Offensive 50 Years Later
Truthout January 31, 2018: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive. On January 30, 1968, thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers and their Viet Cong support organized a sweeping attack of multiple cities in South Vietnam. The event…
Erdogan Can Celebrate the Turkish Referendum—For Now
Declaring victory in the recent plebiscite granting him extraordinary powers, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan consolidated his authoritarian rule. A new constitutional amendment abolishes the country’s parliamentary system and gives the once-weak executive almost unlimited authority. It passed in the…
In Trump’s America, who’s protesting and why?
Washington Post April 24, 2017: For March 2017, we tallied 585 protests, demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and rallies with at least one in every state and the District. Our conservative guess is that 80,000 to 90,000 people showed up. Because mainstream…
The Bipartisan Effort against Campaigns for Corporate Responsibility
The Progressive, Huffington Post & Common Dreams The Trump Administration’s efforts to legitimize the Israeli occupation and illegal settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories has received surprising bipartisan support. A series of bills passed or under consideration in Washington and in…
Pro-Palestinian activism faces suppression on Catholic campuses
National Catholic Reporter March 7, 2017
Trump’s Far-Right Israel Stance Creates an Opening for the Left
But congressional Democrats won’t act without a push. In These Times & The Huffington Post February 17, 2017
Possible Iraqi retaliation to Trump immigration restrictions
[This item’s no longer available.] Iraq’s parliament has voted in favor of demanding the government respond in kind to the US visa ban on Iraqi nationals.
Once Again, Democrats Blow It on Middle East Peace
Foreign Policy In Focus January 11, 2017: In the first major foreign policy vote of the new Congress, most Democrats sided with Trump — and against international law — on Israeli settlements.
Obama’s Support for International Law Draws Bipartisan Ire
The Progressive December 29 2016 Here’s one way to look at it: The United States was the only country in the fifteen-member U.N. Security Council that did not support a resolution passed last week criticizing Israel for continuing to…
Fidel Castro left Cuba a green legacy
National Catholic Reporter December 9, 2016 While he no longer held any formal position of power since his resignation as president for health reasons eight years ago, Fidel Castro’s death last month marks the passing of an era. In…
Anti-war movement must listen to voices within Syria’s civil war
National Catholic Reporter October 10, 2016.