It is a new day in Egypt. You’ve heard about the tools, you’ve heard about the youth, but what happened and what happens in not only the region but in places like the United States. What do Egypt and the United States have in common and could youth in the US be inspired? And what can be said about Algeria, Iran, and other areas where something big might be happening and what is the nature of that something?
My guest is John G. Mason, professor of Political Science at William Paterson University (the same department and classroom in which I became socially and politically conscious). He does not claim to be an expert with all the answers on Middle East or North African politics. What John does know about is asking the right questions and keeping a critical eye on events even in a time when many have taken the focus off of the process now taking place in Egypt and Tunisia.
Some of John’s recommended sources:
An alarming number of women are dying non-combat deaths in the US military. When families try to find out why, they are prevented from getting that information. The US military doesn’t want to explain the details of how and why many of their female soldiers have died. In some cases they won’t even release the bodies or body parts to grieving loved ones.
Just over two weeks ago much of the attention in the international press was focused on Tunisia, again, understandable considering the powerful and historically breathtaking images from the streets of Tunis. The departure of the president/dictator was a great victory for anyone who favors an open and democratic Tunisia. The event is hailed as the inspiration of Egypt and possibly a growing list of nations where iron fisted rulers are suddenly scared of what fate may await them.
The name of the book is Roadrunner, the story is that of journalist and world citizen Dilip D’Souza. A passionate traveller and a writer who has a talent for finding the soul in everything. From down in the Bayou of Louisiana to out in the desert on Route 66, Dilip watched the changes in the landscape as well as the people around him. When there were people! Throughout the journey he reflects on what these parts of the US have in common with his home country of India, and how two places that might seem so different, aren’t.
In 2011 Venezuela still gets a certain kind of press coverage by many in the mainstream media, as it has ever since President Hugo Chavez was elected. For the past few years, Eva Golinger has been taking a close look at how this reporting is done and who is behind it. Her work has led her beyond the media and into the world of American politics and Latin America Policy.