360 Articles
-
360° Analysis / Bedouin / Israel / Negev / Palestinian / Politics / Middle EastThe two-state solution discourse leads the international community to place an overwhelmingly emphasis on Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but Israel’s policy towards the Negev Bedouin suggests a grim future for its own Arab citizens. On November 12, Israeli police raided the Bedouin village of Bar Hadaj in southern Israel’s Negev region. Clashes between the police and villagers and students quickly broke out, and dozens were injured. Twenty-one Bedouin citizens were arrested and detained after being shot repeatedly with rubber bullets, shocked by tasers, dragged, and handcuffed. Seven were minors. Although Bir Hadaj is recognized by the Israeli government,...
-
By Avi AstorWhile both Greece and Spain experience similar social and fiscal strains, the far right in Spain is failing to gain the momentum currently enjoyed by Greek extremist parties. Over the past two decades, Southern European societies have undergone profound social and cultural transformations due to a deepening of European integration, large-scale immigration, and other processes associated with globalization. While welcomed by some, the new forms of ethnic and religious diversity, and the challenges to traditional institutions and values generated by these developments have elicited unease among others. Yet only in certain contexts have extreme-right parties managed to capitalize on this...
-
Fair Observer's five best Latin America articles of 2012. 1: The Fallacy of Female-Friendly Urban Spaces in Latin America — Alex McAnarney The outlook on sexual violence in Latin America stays grim, despite great efforts in urban planning and law. 2: An Era of Chavez — Trevor Cohen Chavez: love him for his benevolence, hate him for his megalomania, but heed the dangers of his era. 3: Brazil’s New Economy — Jeremy Wellington Brazil has captured a decade of steady export growth within an emergent middle class, strengthening the domestic economy and protecting its people from stagnation in Europe and the US, as well as from the slowdown in China and India. 4: Tango...
-
360° Analysis / Economic decline / Elections / Fiscal debt / Japan / Shinzo Abe / Finance & Economics / AsiaBy Vaclav SmilAfter two decades of relative decline, decision makers in Tokyo need to tackle serious reforms to boost Japan’s economic system. This is the first part of a series perusing the country’s economic challenges. "Adding insult to injury" sounds like a lawyerly phrase compared to its painfully evocative Japanese equivalent nakitsura ni hachi - literally "a bee to a crying face". But even that stinging proverb fails to convey what Japan has been through during the recent past. In March 2011, its economy, slowly recovering from the worst global post-World War II downturn, was hit by a powerful earthquake followed by a massive tsunami. That twin...
-
360° Analysis / Lebanon / Politics / Syria / Tripoli / Middle EastSunni fighters in Lebanon’s Tripoli are becoming increasingly inspired by the organization of Syrian armed groups, and are seeking to build their own incipient combative organizations to defeat their Alawite “near enemies” in the city. Tripoli’s street battles are once again the center of international attention. In the last two weeks, sectarian-inspired fighting between the Alawite community of Jebel Mohsen and the Sunni neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, Ibbe, Abi Samra, al-Mankoubin, and Beddawi, has led to the deaths of 17 people and wounded almost a hundred. These battles, another in a series of street wars between Tripoli’s heavily impoverished northern...
-
360° Analysis / CHINA / ECONOMIC BOOM / FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTEMNT / INDONESIA / PHILIPPINES / Finance & Economics / AsiaThough FDI remains a key factor that drives economic growth in Asia, at the same time decision makers need to prioritize growth of domestic industries and products. Many nations in Asia are considered highly entrepreneurial, with poverty cited as the main reason for this entrepreneurial spirit. In the Philippines, small and medium-sized enterprises comprise the majority of all business establishments and about 60% of the exporting firms in the Philippines. 55% of the Philippine labor force is employed by SMEs, contributing approximately 30% to total domestic volume sales. However, many entrepreneurs face challenges expanding their businesses in developing countries in Asia due to a...
-
Arabic graffiti artist eL Seed shares his thoughts on the role of Tunisian street art, his unique mix of calligraphy and graffiti, and why contradictions are the key to overcoming difference. [View the photo feature, Graffiti, Meet Arabic Calligraphy.] If you haven’t heard of Arabic graffiti, then you may want to re-consider your preferred news source. From the onset of the revolts that swept across North Africa and the Middle East from December 2010 onwards, street art from the region has been privy to much deserved global attention. Within this new wave of interest in unconventional, revolutionary art, one particular artist has been heavily courted by the media. His name is eL Seed...
-
By Hanna WolfFor many decades, street artists have made San Francisco’s Mission District one of the most colourful and fascinating places to see, mirroring the city’s vibrant multiculturalism and diversity. We are walking through some of the stinkiest alleys in San Francisco, yet still tourists from all over the world come here to take pictures and admire the street art gallery surrounding them. Whether huge murals, stickers on the floor or graffiti: art is all around in this area of the city. Our tour guide Russell Howze, who offers street art tours through the Mission District, has been walking through these alleys for 15 years, and still he discovers new pieces. “Once you train your eyes, it’s...
-
By Tamás BereczWhile governments spend more time and funding on countering Islamic extremism, Europe faces an increasing threat from domestic extremist groups – both right- and left-wing – that are active in every country examined by the Athena Institute. After the 9/11 attacks, international terrorism became the bogeyman of the West, something that lurks in the dark and waits for the right time to strike. This fear was not unfounded. The first decade of the 21st century was dominated by Jihadi terrorism: Kuta, New York, Madrid, London. Islamist terror groups became the first priority to secret services and other authorities. The aforementioned attacks shocked the West and started an...