The Mediterranean is becoming a graveyard as Europe looks to outsource the management of its borders, dealing out bribes to countries at its southern and eastern gateways. Stripped of their humanity, migrants are reduced to grim statistics. Journalists within the network Independent Media on the Arab World present readers with a series of articles exposing the exorbitant price paid by concerned populations, against their will.
Tunisian diplomacy: A brief history of major changes
« Operation Al-Aqsa Flood » has marked Kais Saied’s divergence from Tunisia’s traditional stance favoring a two-state solution, a position established by Habib Bourguiba in 1965. The present article offers a glimpse into Tunisia’s diplomatic evolution regarding major regional and international conflicts.
EU-Tunisia: Why the Dutch were compelled to strike a deal with an autocrat
On July 16, the European Commission signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Tunisia, granting the country millions of euros to prevent migrants and refugees from crossing the Mediterranean to seek shelter in Europe. But why did the Dutch prime minister play a pioneering role in the conclusion of the Tunisia deal, if only a small proportion of the migrants along this route travel on to the Netherlands? This analysis examines how the Dutch anti-migration policy became self-evident.
Mitigating A Killing: Shireen Abu Aqleh’s Death in Western Media
The name Shireen Abu Aqleh has tragically made international headlines in the past week. A renowned Palestinian journalist, Shireen was executed by the Israeli military while covering one of their numerous assaults on the Jenin refugee camp in the colonized West Bank.
Egyptian authorities must stop harassing Lina Attalah
Lina Attalah, Mada Masr’s editor in chief, was arrested on Sunday May 17, 2020, outside the Tora Prison complex in Cairo. Law enforcement officials informed her colleagues that she will be held overnight and will appear before the prosecutor tomorrow morning. Attalah was arrested while she was interviewing Laila Soueif, the mother of imprisoned activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, who had been on a hunger strike for 35 days. She was released on bail later in the evening.
Egyptian day laborers in Jordan : Anything to make a living
Sometimes settled in Jordan for decades, the 200,000 Egyptian workers struggle every day to find work that will give them enough to survive… until the next day.
Syrian students in the maze of German universities
Seven hundred thousand Syrian refugees live in Germany, more than half of whom are under 25 years of age, according to the German Office for University Exchanges. What do they face when they seek to enter university, those whose studies have been interrupted by the revolution and war?
The Ababda Tribe in Egypt: On the desert that suffocates its residents
Arabian Desert, in eastern Egypt. The Abaddeh have suffered the upheavals of climate change, “modernity” and state policies. In recent decades, they have become foreigners in their own countries.
Interview: Tunisian physicist Nour Raouafi, on NASA’s mission to reach the Sun
Over the past month, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has been breaking space records left and right. On October 29, PSP became the closest and fastest human-made object orbiting the Sun, while October 31 marked its first solar « encounter ». In light of these events, Nawaat speaks with the Project Scientist of the NASA mission to reach our solar system’s star, the Sun. Nour Raouafi, Tunisian solar physicist at John Hopkins University Applied Sciences Lab which built the PSP spacecraft, describes the early phase of this seven-year journey into the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, and also talks about his own trajectory to working on this stellar mission.
American aid: In spite of Trump’s cuts, Congress bets on Tunisia’s “success”
How much will US Congress carve out for Tunisia in 2018? The jury is still out, and even though the fiscal year began October 1, Washington has yet to approve the new budget, including foreign funding amounts. An article* published earlier this month on The Hill urges senators to remember Tunisia while finalizing the budget for the coming year. « Tunisia is an American ‘soft power’ success story—let’s keep it that way », the author writes, arguing that with US foreign assistance « there is reason to believe that the rule of law and democratic institutions will prevail », whereas cuts in funding to the country would represent « a serious mistake ».
Tunisia in German Media
Parliamentary elections, presidential elections, the forming of a new government – Tunisia’s young democracy has covered many milestones within the last months. What picture of Tunisia has been conveyed in German media during this important period in history? The following is an overview of how German journalists portray the political situation in Tunisia at the moment and which aspects catch their interest.
The Times of India highlights «Indian connection» to Tunisia’s progressive constitution
On February 9, 2014, The Times of India published a rather fascinating article. «Kolkata-born Riddhi Dasgupta, the 28-year-old chief draftsperson of British think-tank The Wilberforce Society, was a driving force in advising in the crafting of [Tunisia]’s new constitution.»
The Year 2013 in Review: Year One of a New Era of Epic Mediocrity
Nothing about 2013 is readily decipherable, except that it was a gross rumination and regurgitation of 2012′s morbid futility and chaotic randomness. The year 2013 did not leave for the Arabs, especially in the countries of popular revolts, any margin for lack of understanding. It has explained and elaborated on, and in some cases did provide a full exegesis of, what was announced or implied by 2012.
Open appeal to the Moroccan authorities: Over 50 freedom of expression organisations call for immediate release of Moroccan editor Ali Anouzla
20 September 2013 – We, the undersigned press freedom and freedom of expression organisations call on the authorities in Morocco to immediately release Ali Anouzla, editor of the Arabic edition of the news website Lakome, who was arrested on 17 September 2013, in connection with an article published on his website.
The Imrali Promise and the New Middle East Plan
From all appearances, nothing short of the cornerstone for a regional Middle East civil war was laid on Imrali, a Turkish island in the southern region of the Sea of Marmara. Those who do not understand how to read history always fall behind. And those who are not acquainted with Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish leader and the message he sent out to his people on March 21, are not in a position to comprehend the depth and the enormity of the threat directed toward the Arab world and Middle East in general that this communication represents.
New Momentum For Shark Conservation Balances out Established Commercial Interests
This special Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) update is brought to you by the newly launched Tunisian Environment Reporting Network, who are currently attending the 40th meeting of the Parties as part of the Internews Europe and Earth Journalism Network grant, supported by World Environment Magazine.
Arab Youth Climate Movement launches across more than a dozen countries
An Arab Youth Climate Movement calling for a more sustainable future in the region will launch simultaneously across more than a dozen countries in the Middle East and North Africa on 10 November 2012, ahead of the upcoming 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18)….
Mediterranean: will Demographics demolish the iron-wall?!
The history of the cultures and nations present today on the northern and southern banks of the Mediterranean are interwoven. Through the complex interactions of people living on both sides emerges the rich cultural mosaics of much of the old world.