revolution news stories on Newser

Facebook, Twitter Hinder Revolutions

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:00:37 CDT

Turns out Facebook and Twitter might actually be hurting revolutions. A political science grad student at Yale argues in a new essay that Egypt's former government quickened its downfall by cutting Internet and cell phone service in January. Instead of scrolling through messages and tweets about Lady Gaga, Egyptians met...

Tunisia Fires Tear Gas at Protestors

Tim Karan — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:08:45 CDT

Cops in Tunisia today fired tear gas and used truncheons to break up an assembly of protestors outside Interior Ministry headquarters in Tunis. The mob called for a shutdown of the caretaker government and vigorous prosecution of supporters of ex-president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced out of...

Tunisia's Revolution, as Told Via Twitter

John Johnson — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:56:43 CST

Historians looking to chronicle Tunisia's revolt should subscribe to Slim Amamou's Twitter feed. He went from dissident blogger, to imprisoned dissident blogger, to freed dissident blogger, to government minister in the space of a few weeks, chronicling every step of the way with tweets. It's no secret that social media...

Kyrgyzstan Unrest Bears Putin's Fingerprints

Harry Kimball — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:22:24 CDT

Vladimir Putin’s “sardonic” acknowledgment of the interim regime in Kyrgyzstan yesterday is just another clue that the Russian government was involved in ousting president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Simon Tisdall writes. It’s obvious: Putin essentially paid off Bakiyev to boot the US from a Kyrgyz air base, which ended up not happening....

'Hateboards' Signal GOP Fear-Monger Strategy

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:05:00 CST

For a likely preview of the GOP's upcoming fear-fueled political campaigns, look no further than the ominous billboards sprouting along the nation's highways, like the one portraying President Obama as "Saddam Hussein" out to kill American babies. The GOP strategy to exploit "visceral fear" to raise campaign funds revealed earlier...

Clashes Mark Iran Revolution Day

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:12:00 CST

Protesters clashed with security forces in Tehran today as hundreds of thousands of people mobbed the streets to mark Iran's Revolution Day, witnesses reported. Police fired bullets and teargas at supporters of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi who were holding a rally in downtown Tehran, according to an activist website run...

Bomb Hits Athens Stock Exchange

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:26:48 CDT

A car bomb blast outside the Athens stock exchange damaged the building and injured a female pedestrian, the BBC reports. A second bomb detonated outside a government building in Thessaloniki, causing minor damage and no injuries. The blasts are suspected of being the work of Greek extremist group Revolutionary Struggle....

This Bitch of a Life Offers Frank View of Fela Kuti

Nick McMaster — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:35:02 CDT

Carlos Moore’s Fela: This Bitch of a Life , a newly re-released 1982 authorized biography, contains the usual makings of sociomusical hagiography: Fela’s stunning music, his uncompromising anticolonial message, and the many beatings and imprisonments he suffered as a result. But most readers likely already know the legend—what will surprise,...

'He-Cession' Is Death Knell for Male Dominance

Caroline Miller — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:45:02 CDT

Macho men caused this recession, and they’re going to pay the price: for the first time in history, they’ll cease to be the dominant force in society, writes Reihan Salam in Foreign Policy . Signs of the turning tide can already be seen in the US, as male-dominated industries like construction...