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LIBERATE

By on • ( 14 )

A poster with the names of countries in white and the letters which spell LIBERATE in red

Liberate - Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt


via Al Jazeera liveblog of the Libyan uprising, originally uploaded by @rutevera to Twitpic

Things are moving so fast around Northern Africa and the Middle East right now. History in the making. I’m in awe of the people power, and if it’s terrifying a few of the kleptocrats and their political puppets in other countries, I’m grateful.

Update: I’m designating this as an open thread on the uprisings and the attempts to suppress them.

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Categories: crisis, history

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14 replies

  1. Beppie
    2011-02-24 • 8:47 PM

    It really is amazing — such amazing people.

  2. tigtog
    2011-02-25 • 7:17 AM

    Very interesting Al-Jazeera article about how neoliberal economic ideology deforms the State, and how framing the problems of Egypt as simple “corruption” paints it as a cluster of individual aberrations instead of as the systemic drain that it is.

  3. blue milk
    2011-02-25 • 2:50 PM

    It is an incredible time in history, isn’t it?

  4. tigtog
    2011-02-26 • 1:42 PM

    Pressure mounts on Security Council to end Libya deaths

    UNITED NATIONS — UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday demanded decisive action by the UN Security Council against Moamer Kadhafi’s bloody crackdown in Libya, warning that any delay would add to the growing death toll.
    Ban’s call and an emotional speech by the Libyan ambassador to the United Nations — in which he mentioned the actions of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot — jolted the council into ordering a special meeting on Saturday to consider a sanctions resolution against Kadhafi.

  5. SunlessNick
    2011-02-26 • 3:43 PM

    It is an incredible time in history, isn’t it?
    That it is.

  7. tigtog
    2011-03-07 • 11:36 AM

    Just revisiting this thread because recent headlines are moving away from describing events in Libya as an “uprising” to describing it as a “civil war” 😦

  8. tigtog
    2011-03-16 • 8:20 AM

    Fuck. Now the Saudis have sent troops into Bahrain to assist the monarchy there against the protestors.

  9. tigtog
    2011-03-16 • 8:31 AM

    P.S. a former British Ambassador to Uzbekhistan reckons that the US has agreed to look the other way while Bahrain suppresses its citizen uprisings:

    The hideous King of Bahrain has called in troops from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait to attack pro-democracy protestors in Bahrain.
    Can you imagine the outrage if Gadaffi now called in the armies of Chad. Mali and Burkina Faso to attack the rebels in Ben Ghazi?
    But do you think that those in power, who rightly condemn Gadaffi’s apparent use of foreign mercenaries, will condemn this use of foreign military power by oil sheiks to crush majority protestors in Bahrain? Of course they won’t. We just had Sky News rationalising it by telling us that the Gulf Cooperation Council have a military alliance that a state can call in help if attacked. But that does not mean attacked by its own, incidentally unarmed, people. NATO is a military alliance. It does not mean Cameron could call in US troops to gun down tuition fees protestors in Parliament Square.
    This dreadful outrage by the Arab sheikhs will be swallowed silently by the West because they are “our” bastards, they host our troops and they buy our weapons.
    I do hope this latest development will open the eyes of those duped into supporting western intervention in Libya, who believe those who control the western armies are motivated by humanitarian concern. Bahrain already had foreign forces in it – notably the US fifth fleet. Do you think that Clinton and Obama will threaten that they will intervene if foreign armies are let loose on pro-democracy demonstrators? No they won’t.

  10. Mary
    2011-03-16 • 8:43 AM

    The morning news out of Libya is also that Gaddafi is using his control of the air to re-secure major routes too.

  11. tigtog
    2011-03-18 • 6:18 PM

    Good news following the UN resolution – looks like Gaddafi and his mates are willing to talk ceasefire, and have already said that they’ve halted the advance of their troops on Benghazi.
    He’s blinked. Thank sweet FSM for that, and long may it last.

  12. tigtog
    2011-03-19 • 12:29 PM

    Shoulda known:

    ”Benghazi’s getting ready for [Gaddafi’s] attack. I know that the [rebels are] arming, they’re trying to defend [themselves] as best as they can.
    “Then they’re waiting for him to come, but he’s moving very, very fast indeed, making use of this lull and to some extent, if I may say, the gullibility of Western society in believing that this man can be trusted to follow through with any of what he says.”

  14. tigtog
    2011-03-20 • 9:04 AM

    US, British, and French military have all launched strikes against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
    US and British forces have fired at least 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Libya , a top US military officer said on Saturday. Admiral William Gortney told reporters that “earlier this afternoon over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from both US and British ships and submarines struck more than 20 integrated air defence systems and other air defence facilities ashore”.

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