Iran’s theocracy is ruthless and survives through repression. However, the labor protest may be the political force most feared by the clerical regime.
Middle East articles on Democracy Chronicles
View news about the struggle for democracy in the troubled Middle East where vast cultural change and persistent political violence cry out for democracy. Also see our World Democracy section and our articles on the ongoing Arab Spring.
‘Signposts of Struggle’: Iran’s protest movement endures
While protests will continue in Iran, it is unclear if they will lead to more significant outcomes, such as revolution or regime change, analysts.
Can Lebanon’s ‘tenacious’ movement turn from protests to power?
Although Lebanon’s new cabinet met for the first time on Wednesday, the country’s tenacious protest movement hasn’t seemed to lose momentum.
People, Processes and Politics: Countering violent extremism in fragile states
Democracy Digest examines perspectives on the impact of, and how to counter violent extremism in fragile States, with focus on Burkina Faso and Iraq.
Support for civil society is a better way to advance democracy, not regime change
Using force to achieve the democratic ends behind regime change often makes things worse, argues Benjamin Denison, postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University.
Democracy for Palestinians? Election talk rekindles hope
The European Union is pressuring the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership to hold legislative and presidential elections.
Totalitarianism and weak civil society, recipes for ‘social explosion’ in Iran
An article in Democracy Digest argues that Iran’s totalitarianism when combined with a weak civil society constitutes a recipe for ‘social explosion’.
When A House Is Not a Home
For both the Palestinians and Kurds, violence continues to happen in their houses. These wars being fought because of old grievances.
After a Month of Countrywide Protest, The Iraqi Prime Minister Resigns
Iraqi protesters have now made sacrifices in large numbers to voice their dissent against the government and they still refuse to back down.
Russia Accountable for Any War Crimes in Conflict-Ridden Syria
Russia should be held accountable for war crimes in the conflict-struck Middle-East State of Syria, states Sara Kayyali in an article in Human Rights Watch.