The nature of immigration policy and visa procedures for Tunisians who wish to travel to the United States to take advantage of academic and professional exchange opportunities reflects the degree of authenticity of US rhetoric for cooperation, partnership, and collaboration at the civil society level.
Tunisia in the Media : International Prestige, National Farce
This week’s highlights in Tunisian news and media: on the serious side, defining international relations and prospects for alliance-building; on a lighter note, Marzouki’s unwitting knack for comedic relief.
U.S. Discourse on Tunisia’s Transition : Economy, Security, and Prospects for “Assistance”
The show of US interest in Tunisia since the beginning of the revolution is significant, both in mainstream media and discourse as well as in US official investigations and reports. Whether docked at the capital port, or congratulating the prime minister, or releasing large sums of loan money into the economy, or advocating for a successful democratic transition, the United States has made it clear that it has a vision for Tunisia.
Open letter to Gordon Gray, The Ambassador of the United States of America in Tunisia
The Honorable Gordon Gray, The Ambassador of the United States of America in Tunisia, Sir, As fellow alumni of Columbia […]
Tunisia: Nessma TV misleading Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
It is when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says about Nessma TV “they were not Ben Ali’s favorite TV station” that one realizes it does not take much to manipulate the US diplomacy
Les cyber-activistes arabes face à la liberté sur Internet made in USA
Cet article se concentre sur le cyber-activisme de base dans le monde arabe et les risques encourus d’une collision inévitable avec la politique étrangère et les intérêts US. Il résume l’essentiel des discussions que j’ai eues, ces deux dernières années, avec de multiples acteurs engagés dans la défense de la liberté d’expression sur Internet et dans l’utilisation de la technologie pour le changement social et politique. Bien que le sujet principal demeure l’activisme numérique arabe, j’y ai inclus les problématiques et inquiétudes similaires soulevées par des activistes et défenseurs de la liberté d’expression sur Internet issus d’autres parties du monde comme la Chine, la Thaïlande et l’Iran.
WikiLeaks cables: Tunisia blocks site reporting ‘hatred’ of first lady
Tunisia has blocked the website of a Lebanese newspaper that published US cables released by WikiLeaks describing high-level corruption, a […]
Tunisia Blocks Wikileaks & Everyone Referencing it
Just as the stories are starting to get interesting, the Tunisian authorities block Wikileaks and every other form of leaks […]
The False Poles of Digital and Traditional Activism
Digital activism has been construed as its own movement, a new wave of organizing unique to the 21st century digital […]
Gatecrashing ‘netroots’ activism
Will US government led initiatives compromise net activists who seek greater freedoms within authoritarian societies? Whether its co-option or jumping […]
Global Bloggers Tell Washington (And Google): Hands Off Our Internet Freedom Fight
The U.S.’s Internet freedom movement has been engaged in plenty of soul-searching since Haystack, a much-hyped anti-censorship tool built by […]
The Internet Freedom Fallacy and the Arab Digital activism
This article focuses on grassroots digital activism in the Arab world and the risks of what seems to be an inevitable collusion with U.S foreign policy and interests. It sums up the most important elements of the conversation I have been having for the last 2 years with many actors involved in defending online free speech and the use of technology for social and political change.
Digital Activism, the U.S. Government, and the Arab World
A few weeks ago, the New York Times published an op-ed by respected journalist Rami Khoury, entitled “When Arabs Tweet.” […]
Web Journalism
Peut-on qualifier aujourd’hui la Cyberdissidence et le journalisme indépendant sur internet comme le 5me pouvoir? Face au journalisme à la […]
US Torture: Voices from the Black Sites
1- We think time and elections will cleanse our fallen world but they will not. Since November, George W. Bush […]
Tunisia: Video message to Barack Obama
We all remember what the French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared, in his victory speech, shortly after winning the French presidential election in 2007: “I want to issue a call to everyone in the world who believes in the values of tolerance, freedom, democracy, humanism, to all those who are persecuted by tyranny, by dictatorships […] I want to tell them that it will be France’s pride and its duty to be at their side.
Robert Fisk: Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignored
We’ve got so used to the carnage of the Middle East that we don’t care any more – providing we […]
Tunisia: Yes, they can. No, we can’t!
The week of the US election coincided with the 21st anniversary of ‘change’ in Tunisia. But while Americans went to the polls to elect their 44th president, in its 50 years of independence, Tunisia has had just two presidents. Tunisian bloggers mark Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s 21st year as president with a call for change.