Despite intensified NATO bombings and important gains made by the rebels who are fighting loyalists of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Tuesday, it seems increasingly clear that the clock is ticking on the international community’s involvement in Libya’s civil war — and that doubts about the outcomes of other Arab Spring uprisings …
Dictatorships
Writing on the Wall: Hong Kong Artists Campaign for Ai Weiwei
My neighborhood has changed. The street’s sole piece of graffiti — a spray-painted picture of Hello Kitty defecating — has vanished. In its place: a portrait of missing Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei.
It’s been more than a month since Ai was seen in mainland China. But, suddenly, he’s everywhere in Hong Kong. I’ve seen his face …
Tightening the Leash on China’s Internet—And a Bubbly Chinese Tech IPO
May 4 is known in Chinese history as the day in 1919 when university students in Beijing began nationalist protests that eventually led to an intellectual movement championing, among other things, democratic reform. So it was rather ironic that Chinese officials chose that day in 2011 to announce the creation of a new agency called the …
In Libya’s West, Battles Rage Along the Tunisian Border
The battle for Libya spilled across the border on Friday as forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi clashed with Tunisian troops after chasing rebel fighters through the mountainous border areas. They also fired shells into the Tunisian town of Dahiba, wounding one resident. The fighting erupted nearly a week after the rebel forces had …
Wael Ghonim at the TIME 100 Gala
Wael Ghonim, the Egyptian Google exec turned revolutionary, spoke at last night’s TIME 100 Gala, beginning with a moment of silence to mark those killed in protests around the Arab world. Watch his full speech here:
Syria: There Will Be (Lots More) Blood
Unable to assuage their grievances with empty promises of reform, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad this week adopted the “Tiananmen Model” of dealing with a popular protest movement. Like the Chinese authorities in 1989, Assad on Monday sent in the tanks and thousands of troops to reclaim the streets of Deraa, where the rebellion began …
In Syria, Chaos, Confusion and Death
A bloody crackdown on protests in Syria has taken place under an intense media blackout, with foreign journalists barred from the country and struggling to piece together unsubstantiated reports of mass arrests and shootings. The global think tank STRATFOR offers this “Raw Intelligence Report,” a dispatch presumably from a foreigner …
Is Gaddafi Trying to Start a Tribal War?
After being pounded for weeks by mortar and rocket fire, the city of Misratah experienced a brief lull earlier this weekend as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi allegedly withdrew from the war-ravaged port. The government’s deputy foreign minister, Khalid Kaim, claimed operations had been suspended so that tribal leaders could negotiate a …
The Slap that Triggered the Arab Spring “Was Impossible”
It was an injustice that led a 26-year-old Tunisian street trader called Mohammed Bouazizi to douse himself in petrol and strike a match. The resulting conflagration killed Bouazizi, crackled through Tunisia, chasing out its despised President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, and sparked uprisings across the region that are still burning …
Bernard-Henri Lévy: France’s Libya Warmonger-in-Chief
French media celebrity (and one time philosopher) Bernard-Henri Lévy has been called many things over the years by his equally large and outspoken armies of detractors and supporters. “Curveball”, however, was never among them. It might be time to consider adding that name to the list. Because Lévy was essential to French President …
McCain Visits Rebels In Libya And Calls For Increased Support
Is Sen. John McCain’s visit Friday morning to the Benghazi strong-hold of Libya’s rebel forces a sign of creeping escalation in the conflict with strongman Muammar Gaddafi that may lead to eventual troop deployment by Western nations? Impossible to know at this point, of course, but events coinciding with McCain’s visit to …
In Libya’s Forgotten West, Rebels Gain Ground
According to reports, rebel forces fighting the regime of Muammar Gaddafi seized a strategic Libyan border crossing with Tunisia in the country’s remote, rugged west. Tunisia’s state news agency reported that at least 13 officers formerly serving the Gaddafi regime fled across the Tunisian border to the town of Dehiba, as rebels took …
Introducing the TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People
TIME unveiled the 2011 edition of the 100 Most Influential People in the World today and there are more than a few on the list who appear in stories on this blog. Before you get too riled up about the presence of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of a murderous dictator, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, or even Ahmed Shuja Pasha, chief of …