First Independent Mena Newspaper
The events of the Arab Spring have brought many changes to North Africa and the Middle East. However, it is yet to be seen whether the struggles of North Africans will bring about meaningful positive democratic change in the region. On the one hand, North African terrorist groups were mostly left on the sidelines during […]
On the surface, she’s a potent weapon in Mitt Romney’s attack to unseat Barack Obama as US president. Loyal wife, doting mother and proud grandmother. But when Ann Romney speaks, there is a hint of the attitude that the heavy lifting, the dirty, dangerous jobs in America are not for her family. During her appearance […]
After its crucial role in the uprisings in the Arab world, internet and facebook occupy a growing ground in MENA region. Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution, which forced President Ben Ali to step down, proved that internet and facebook were the fastest way to communicate and spread news (videos, photos, tweetts articles and even political comments.) A […]
October 23rd marks the first anniversary of the election of Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly; the first election since the popular insurrection that brought down the government of President Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali in January 2011and set off the powerful series of events elsewhere in the region that became known as the Arab Spring. The anniversary […]
Despite the fact that the Maghreb countries constitute one region that is culturally, geographically and historically integrated, they have largely failed to achieve ‘functional integration’ particularly at the political and economic cooperation level. The “non-Maghreb” is a term coined by some experts referring to the enduring phenomenon of the Maghreb countries’ failure to boost their […]
Ali Zeidan, a human rights lawyer and activist, was elected by the 200-strong Libyan General Congress as Interim Prime Minister for a transitional period of about 18 months. Ali Zeidan, who was supported by the Liberal block within the Libyan Congress led by the National Forces Alliance of Mahmoud Jibril, won 93 votes while his […]
The creation of a new post of EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Region in July 2011 symbolizes the importance the region has gained in European eyes. Focusing specifically on the Maghreb, there are a number of reasons why it is vital for the Union to engage closely with this region located on its […]
Ismail Serageldin, the director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, is being sued for squandering public funds after library staff accused him of abuse of power claiming he unfairly appointed advisors and gave them huge salaries. He was also accused of embezzling donations destined to the library and illegally transferring them to a bank account controlled by […]
When, in 1949, Mao Zedong forced Chiang Kai-Shek’s army to retreat from mainland China, thus consolidating the Communist Party’s grip over the People’s Republic, the reverberations could be felt across the world. In the United States, Republicans put forward a poignant, yet rhetoric question: Who Lost China? In the eyes of the Republicans, the answer […]
On Sunday October 7th, The Philippine government has announced a preliminary peace agreement with the country’s largest Muslim group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). This deal aims at ending a 40-year conflict that has killed an estimated 120,000 people. But it could also open the way to boost domestic and foreign investments in the […]