Although the ongoing protests in Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria began as a result of internal factors, there are many indications of US, Israeli, French and Saudi Arabian involvement. Non-governmental organizations, media forces and lobbies are being used as tools by external forces to take control of and guide the protests in their own interests. Before explaining the precise actions of ...
Two different viewpoints have been prominent in analyzing the weeks of mass protests in Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria: There are “external forces” behind these protests Citizens are legitimately reacting to economic crisis and government corruption. The government is simply using allegations of foreign interference to weaken the protests There is relevant information regarding both viewpoints that should be kept in ...
Around six years ago, in October 2013, I was invited to deliver a speech at an international conference hosted by ICRC and Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. My speech was on “The Pros and Cons of Social Media”. At that time, I warned about the possibility of governments misusing social media resources to spread their influence, point out ...
By now word has spread about the hotly contested $6 tax on WhatsApp calls in Lebanon, but are the mass protests really about a tax hike a social media app? The Lebanese government has already announced that it will not go through with imposing the tax… yet, the people are in the streets. In other words, it is no ...
Protests in Lebanon Throughout the week a number of protests took place in various countries across the globe. In Lebanon, demonstrations began on the evening of October 17 against the government’s new tax policy. The protesters showcased their rejection of the government’s decision to introduce a $6 dollar a month tax for calls made on the popular social media app ...