Voices of the Middle East and North Africa

VOMENA Feb 13, 2020: The role of internal and external actors in Libya's crisis by VOMENA Team at KPFA

The tension between the countries entered a dangerous phase when on January 3rd the US assasinated Maj. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport- the assassination had been ordered by Donald Trump. The killing of Qasem Soleimani put in mention a series of events that many people feared may lead to another devastating war in the middle east- but for now there seems to be a world-wide sigh of relief as the U.S. and Iran both appear to signal a desire to avoid further conflict- So how did it all begin? Why did the US decide to assassinate Soleimani, and what are the ramifications of the this move on Iranian domestic and regional policies as well as the future of any possible negotiations between the US and Iran? To explore these issues, shahram Aghamir spoke with Mohammad Ali Kadivar – an Assistant Professor of Sociology and International Studies at Boston College, whose work contributes to political and comparative-historical sociology by exploring the interaction between protest movements and democratization. and Mansour Farhang, professor emeritus of international relations at Bennington College, who served as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s first ambassador to the U.N. from 1979 to 1980, stepping down in protest during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979, in which 52 Americans were detained at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran.

On Friday Nov 15, protests broke out in 30 cities across Iran after a surprise announcement by the government it would ration gasoline and raise prices by 50 percent to 300%. The protests swiftly turned into anti-government demonstrations targeting the theocratic regime as a whole. And, as in previous protests, demonstrators utilized twitter and other social media platforms to organize, to communicate with the outside world and document the typically heavy-handed response by the regime. In the first twenty four hours, hundreds of images and video clips showed security forces brutally attacking protesters - Amnesty International Verified video footage as well as eyewitness testimony from people on the ground and information gathered by human rights activists outside Iran reveal a harrowing pattern of unlawful killings by Iranian security forces: At least 106 protesters in 21 cities had been killed as of Wednesday, and tAmnesty International believes that the real death toll may be much higher, some reports suggesting as many as 200 fatalities. State media have reported only a handful of protester deaths, plus those of four members of the security forces. Adding to lethal attacks on the protests, within twenty-four hours, the government has used other tool in their arsenal - The Iranian authorities shutdown the internet for 5 days to stop the flow of information to the outside world and to cut off communication among the Iranian people themselves. NetBlocks, a non-governmental organization that monitors Internet accessibility around the world, has reported that “The ongoing disruption is the most severe recorded in Iran since President Rouhani came to power, and the most severe disconnection tracked by NetBlocks in any country in terms of its technical complexity and breadth." Shahram aghamir spoke with Peyman Jafari, a historian at princeton University about the latest wave of anti-government protests in Iran

Protesters took to the streets of Baghdad once again on October 25 calling for radical changes to the existing political and economic system Ever since a new waves of protests erupted in Baghdad on October 1 and quickly spread several southern cities, Iraq has been rocked by demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience rooted in long-standing grievances over unemployment, inadequate services, economic mismanagement and corruption. The security forces have responded harshly; killing more than 260 protestors and injuring thousands more. Nevertheless, the unrest continues, and the protestors have expanded their demands to include an overhaul of Iraq’s political structure, which was established after the U.S. led invasion in 2003. To get a better picture of what is happening in Iraq and the role of the US and regional players in that country, shahram Aghamir spoke with NY Professor Sinan Antoon Guest: Sinan Antoon is a celebrated poet, novelist, translator, and scholar of modern Arabic literature and contemporary Arab culture and politics at the Gallatin school at NYU. His latest novel is titled 'The Book Of Collateral Damage,

On October 9, Turkey launched an offensive into northeastern Syria dubbed Operation Spring Peace in which Turkey provided air and artillery support to thousands of Syrian rebels in an assault on an area governed by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). At the onset of the operation, Turkish president Erdogan stated “The main aim of the operation is to take out “PKK/YPG terror organizations from the area and to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees,". Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, but the Turkish government claims that the YPG is an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been in conflict with the Turkish State since 1984. Ankara launched its assault two days after a green light was given by Donald Trump in which he announced that the U.S. would withdraw its forces from the area. Scores were killed in this Turkish offensive, and more than 300,000 people were displaced before a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect, and a Russian-Turkish agreement was subsequently reached. This week, we bring you an in-depth conversation about the worsening situation in North Eastern Syria, the future of The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (also known as Rojava), and the role of regional and international players Guest: Dr Cengiz Gunes, faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at the Open University, and the author of three books including his forthcoming The Political Representation of Kurds in Turkey: New Actors and Modes of Participation in a Changing Society

Vomena Sept 27th, 2019: Presidential elections in Tunisia; Democracy movement in Algeria by VOMENA Team at KPFA

In the past two months, the Turkish Authorities have escalated their crackdown on Syrian refugees living in Istanbul arresting thousands and giving them an ultimatum until August 20th to move to the cities they obtained residency in when they first arrived into Turkey OR face deportations back to Syria. The deadline is now extended to the end of October. But the crackdown left thousands of Syrian refugees fearful for their future and the possibility of uprooting their families for the second time. Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, an estimated 3.6 million people. Human Rights organizations are also reporting that Turkey is deporting Syrians back into Syria, a charge the Turkish government denies… International law prohibits the forcible return of anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution,or a threat to life. To understand the background of these crackdowns and the status of Syrians in Turkey we speak with Professor Ayşen Üstübici. She is an Assistant Professor at Koç University Department of Sociology and the Department of Political Science. She is the author of The Governance of International Migration: Irregular Migrants' Access to Right to Stay in Turkey and Morocco (University of Amsterdam Press). Next, we air the first episode of ‘Mal Amal’ a podcast about migrant labor in Jordan. The podcast is produced by the Arab podcast platform Sowt (or voice), with support from the Heinrich Böll Foundation. But first, to learn more about the idea behind the podcast ‘Mal Amal’ and which focuses on the struggles of migrant workers in Jordan, I Reached Sowt’s Executive Director Ramsey Tesdell in Amman Jordan. For more 'Mal Amal' episodes: https://soundcloud.com/sowtpodcasts/sets/malamal-english

Last May, Donald Trump unilaterally violated the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran, the United States and 5 other world powers, and followed this up by reimposing harsh economic, trade and financial sanctions against Iran- Back in July of 2015 Iran, the US, along with Russia, China, and the European Union had agreed to a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA.) Under this agreement, Iran would be protected from economic sanctions in exchange for accepting to subject its nuclear research program to international inspections. This agreement was widely seen as a crowning achievement of former president Barack Obama’s foreign policy but was vociferously opposed by Israel, Saudi Arabia and Zionist forces and their allies in the US. Once in power, the Trump administration decided to violate and terminate this hard-won accord, calling it a “bad deal” and it has since ramped up a new “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, a maneuver aiming to strangulate Iran’s economy which now extends as far as bribing Iranian tanker captains to surrender control of their ships to the US. With so much attention given to the war of nerves between Iran and the US, how are the US’s back-breaking sanctions impacting the Iranian population and the Iranian economy in general? To get some clarity on these issues, I spoke with Iran expert and journalist at the NY Times, Farnaz Fassihi.

Last May, Donald Trump unilaterally violated the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran, the United States and 5 other world powers, and followed this up by reimposing harsh economic, trade and financial sanctions against Iran. Back in July of 2015 Iran, the US, along with Russia, China, and the European Union had agreed to a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA.) Under this agreement, Iran would be protected from economic sanctions in exchange for accepting to subject its nuclear research program to international inspections. This agreement was widely seen as a crowning achievement of former president Barack Obama’s foreign policy but was vociferously opposed by Israel, Saudi Arabia and Zionist forces and their allies in the US. Once in power, the Trump administration decided to violate and terminate this hard-won accord, calling it a “bad deal” and it has since ramped up a new “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, a maneuver aiming to strangulate Iran’s economy which now extends as far as bribing Iranian tanker captains to surrender control of their ships to the US. With so much attention given to the war of nerves between Iran and the US, how are the US’s back-breaking sanctions impacting the Iranian population and the Iranian economy in general? To get some clarity on these issues, we spoke with Iran expert and journalist at the New York Times, Farnaz Fassihi. Later in the show, we speak to Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi about his film “Telaviv on Fire”.

Almost nine years after its Jasmine revolution, which precipitated a chain reaction of revolts in the Arab world, Tunisia is seen as the only one among the ten countries directly impacted by the Arab Spring to have succeeded in establishing a formal democracy and, as such, has been accepted into the world’s club of democratic countries. It is now poised for its third round of presidential elections since the 2010-2011 revolution. However, with a weak economy and an increasingly restive population struggling with poverty, and being surrounded by countries that are politically unstable and with the very notion of liberal democracy in serious jeopardy worldwide, how long can Tunisia maintain the trappings of a formal democracy if it does not at the same time alleviate the serious socio-economic problems that afflict its society? We pose these questions to US-based Tunisian scholar Mohammed Hammami, who spoke to us from his home in Tunis.

Sixty years ago, Algeria was known as a poster child for anti-colonial revolution and became a magnet for liberation struggles worldwide after reaching independence in 1962. Half-a-century later, the Algerian people are back in the streets, this time for a revolution against autocracy and corruption, national independence having failed to deliver the full emancipation that Algerian citizens feel they deserve. For the past six months, millions of Algerians of all ages and from all walks of life have been demonstrating in every major city in Algeria every Friday in massive numbers without fail, rain or shine, through the worst heatwave the country has known for years, through Ramadan and through the summer hiatus. Nothing has managed to break the movement’s momentum so far. Today we speak with Algerian scholar and activist Hamza Hamouchene about the movement, its endurance and its promise for the future of the country.

Yemen’s southern secessionist forces appear to have taken effective control of the port city of Aden, seat of the internationally recognized government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. In this latest conflict, fighters loyal to Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks an independent south Yemen, began an offensive against the government forces on August 7. Both sides have been part of a military coalition, dominated by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE), which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 against the Houthis and their allies after they removed Mr. Hadi from power earlier that year. The separatist fighters involved in the recent showdown are UAE trained while the government forces appear to be backed by the Saudis. What is the significance of this recent confrontation? How will it impact the ongoing war in Yemen? What do we need to know about South Yemen and its history? Who are the secessionist in Yemen today? Does the showdown in Eden signal a schism in the Saudi-UAE coalition? To answer these questions, we turn to Sheila Carapico, a Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Richmond in Virginia. Professor Carapico is the author of Civil Society in Yemen: The Political Economy of Activism in Modern Arabia. More recently, she edited a volume entitled Arabia Incognita: Dispatches from Yemen and the Gulf.

Since the overthrow of long-time dictator Muammar Al Qadafi in 2011, with the support of NATO, Libya was thrown into chaos with no foreseen end. For the past few years a power struggle has emerged between the internationally recognized government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar who receives military support from regional powers, and the US and Russia The latest episode in this power struggle started in April with the advancement of General Haftar towards the Capital, Tripoli. The confrontations have so far claimed hundreds of lives. Also earlier this month an air strike by the Haftar forces on the Tajoura immigration detention centre in eastern Tripoli claimed the lives of at least 40 refugees and migrants, and injured more than 80. Amnesty International said that around 600 people were trapped in the detention center with no way to escape, AND called for the attack to be independently investigated as a war crime. Khalil Bendib speaks with Ali Ahmida, Professor of Political Science at the University of New England in Maine. He asks him about the regional and international players who are fueling the conflict as well as latest on the battle for Tripoli . Next we speak with attorney Zoha Khalil from Palestine Legal about the resolution proposed by congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota which aims to protect the use of boycott as a constitutionally protected free speech and as a tool for social change. It comes around the same time, the congressional Democrats are advancing an non-binding resolution to condemn the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions or the BDS movement against Israel. Although the resolution does not reference Israel or BDS specifically it is understood to be in response to national and state legislations attempting to criminalize those engaging in boycott activities against Israel.

In this Interview Khalil Bendib talks with the Israeli scholar Ilan Pappé about his book "On Palestine" which he co-authored with Noam Chomsky. Published in the aftermath of Israel's offensive on Gaza known as "Operation Protective Edge" which left thousands of Palestinians dead and cleared the way for another Israeli land grab. Khalil asks Pappe about where he agrees and disagrees with Chomsky, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and the comparisons with apartheid in South Africa.

An exclusive interview with Samer N. Abboud (@samer_abboud ‏), Associate Professor of historical and political studies at Arcadia University about his latest book "Syria: Hot Spots In Global Politics" With more than 500,000 people killed and at least half of the population displaced, Syria’s conflict is considered the most deadly of the twenty-first century. In his new book, Professor Samer Abboud provides an in-depth analysis of Syria’s descent into civil war, then the Involvement of regional and international players. In this interview, VOMENA's Shahram Aghamir discusses with Abboud the consequences of Russian military involvement after 2015, the economic interests of Iran and other actors, the US role, and plans of reconstruction in Syria. The interview starts with the latest offensive on Idlib province one of the last strongholds of the armed groups fighting Al Assad regime.

In recent months, the Trump administration’s plan to add a citizenship question on the 2020 US census, has garnered significant controversy and media attention. For now the supreme court decide to bloc the question but the decision is not yet final. The census is supposed to count all people living in the United States regardless of citizenship status, and is crucial for determining how federal funds are distributed and how congressional districts are drawn. The legal challenge to the citizenship question sites concern of an undercount, especially in immigrant communities. But there are other critical questions left out of this conversation, like, why is the Trump administration refusing to add a box for the Middle Eastern and North African-identifying peoples on the upcoming 2020 census form? Today, the exact number of people of Southwest Asian or Middle Eastern and North African background in the United States isn't exactly known. Arabs alone are estimated to be more than 3 million in the US, and according to a report in the LA Times, in the last census, about 80% of people from the MENA region were forced to self-identify as white because the census has no special box they can check. The other option for these communities has been to choose "other", which many have resisted doing! For years, the Arab and Middle Eastern community organizations have advocated for a special box, and they were close to getting one until the Trump administration came into power. So, why is the census important? and why is it so important to Arab and Middle Easterners in the US? To get some answers to these questions, and to learn more about the history of racialization of this community, I spoke with Loubna Qutami. She is a post-doctoral fellow in Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and the former executive director of the Arab Cultural and community center in San Francisco.

This week, we’ll cover the crackdown on Sudanese protesters and the ongoing fight for democracy in Sudan. We speak with McGill University political scientist Khalid Medani Later in the program, we mark the 10th anniversary of Iran’s 2009 mass protests. We speak with Iranian-German documentary filmmaker Ali Samadi Ahadi about his searing film “The Green Movement” which integrates animation and live-footage, testimonials and blog posts to tell the story of the courageous people who took part in the protests.

For hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a month for fasting, praying and family get-togethers. In the Arab World, Ramadan also happens to be the time when people feast on their favorite TV series and soap opera. This week, we speak with CUNY anthropologist Professor Christa Salamandra about Syrian dramas and how the ongoing war in Syria has impacted the drama scene in the country. Also, Vomena’s Khalil Bendib speaks with Tunisian journalist and researcher Asma Ghribi about the struggle for gender equality in Tunisia and the recent changes in family law. *The Netflix show referenced in the interview with Prof. Salamandra "Al Hayba": https://www.netflix.com/title/81003648

This week, we bring you an exclusive interview With Samer N. Abboud (@samer_abboud ‏), associate professor of historical and political studies at Arcadia University about his new book "Syria: Hot Spots In Global Politics" With more than 500,000 people killed and at least half of the population displaced, Syria’s conflict is considered the most deadly of the twenty-first century. In his new book, Professor Samer Abboud provides an in-depth analysis of Syria’s descent into civil war, then the Involvement of regional and international players. And the consequences of Russian military involvement after 2015.

What does justices mean to those who have been tortured by state actors? How should we hold governments accountable for killing and torturing their citizens? This week, we speak with Robert Bahar about a new exceptional documentary, "The Silence of Others", which chronicles how the victims of Franco’s 40-year dictatorship in Spain, have been seeking justice, decades after the crimes were committed and why for them and many others forgetting is NOT an option. https://youtu.be/beqRVfwBydg

This week, we bring you a conversation on the latest dramatic political developments in Sudan with Elsadig Elsheikh, the Director of the Global Justice program at the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley Later in the program, award-winning multidisciplinary artist, and author Niloufar Talebi joins us to talk about her new opera Abraham in Flames, inspired by the stunning imagery of the late iconic Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou's life and poetry.

Elsadig Elsheikh is the Director of the Global Justice program at the Haas Institute, where he oversees the program’s projects on food system, global equity, and human rights.

It was February 11th, 1979, after a few moments of silence on Radio Tehran's broadcast, the voice of Jamshid Adili goes "In sedaaye enghelaab-e mardom-e Iran ast" -- "This is the voice of the Revolution of the Iranian people." He went on to repeat the announcement as if he was trying to reassure the audience that the revolution had brought an end to monarchy in Iran. The streets became flooded with euphoric people celebrating the triumph of the revolution and the end of Mohammad Reza Shah’s rule and the Pahlavi Dynasty. The victory was the culmination of 18 months of demonstrations, bloody clashes, massive industrial actions, a general strike and three days of armed confrontation between the revolutionaries and the most loyal forces of the Shah. But why did Iran of the 1970s, with its well-off middle class, massive military might and powerful international allies, experience a revolution? And what were the origins of the revolution? The 1979 revolution has come to be known as the “Islamic Revolution” because it ushered in a regime with an Islamist project, but How Islamic was the revolution? Can a phenomenon as complex as a revolution be described by the simple adjective of Islamic? As the first part of our series on the 1979 Iranian revolution and its aftermath, we posed these questions to Professor Ervand Abrahamian, a prominent Iranian historian and emeritus distinguished professor of history at Baruch College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. He is the author of Iran Between Two Revolutions, among many other titles. He spoke with Shahram Aghamir

This week, we speak with New York-based visual artist Mariam Ghani about her new documentary "What We Left Unfinished", which is part of a long-term research, film, exhibition and book project centered around five unfinished Afghan feature films shot, but never edited, between 1978 and 1992. Later in the program, we talk about the new play "Scenes from 71 Years" currently on stage at Potrero Stage in San Francisco. The play offers a snapshot of the life under the grip of the Israeli occupation from 1948 until the present.

On Tuesday, April 9th, over 6 Million Israeli voters headed to polling stations to choose their next government in a race that displayed all shades of right-wing blocs in Israel. Results as of Thursday evening indicate that the incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading. His main rival the Blue and White alliance led by former Chief of the Israeli army Benny Gantz, scored the same number of seats. But with most right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties vowing to ally with Netanyahu, Gantz conceded the race even before the end of vote counting. Pundits have mourned the Israeli left, predicting perhaps what could really be the final nail in the coffin of the two states solution. With a total of 65 seats out of the 120 in the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset) Netanyahu is now expected to form what is considered “the most right-wing and ultra-Orthodox government Israel has ever seen”. In the lead up to the election, Palestinian citizens of Israel were engaged in a heated debate over whether they should participate in the election- Although eligible to vote, many decided not to. Others voted in an attempt to block the rise of the Zionist far right. To get a better understanding of what was going in the Palestinian community inside Israel, Mira spoke with Budour Hassan. She is a Palestinian writer and legal researcher at the Jerusalem Legal Aid Center in Jerusalem.

After months of street protests, people in Sudan finally got rid of the country’s long time dictator Omar Al- Bashir, but the celebration soon turned into anger when they realized one military rule is replaced by another- As one protester put it- we did not protest to replace one thief with another So what is next for Sudan? And what in store for the movement for democracy and social justice there? We will get the answers from Khalid Medani who is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Islamic Studies at McGill University in Canada And with Israeli elections topping the headlines in the past few days, we’ll get a palestinian view on the elections from the Jerusalem based writer Budour Hassan.

This week, we get an update on the political developments in Algeria after the official resignation of the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. We speak again with Dr Thomas Serres of UC Santa Cruz. Later in the program We hear from the Syrian illustrator Dima Nachawi. We talk about the art scene, especially in exile, and the importance of creative work in preserving a nation’s collective memory.

Algeria has been in happy turmoil for the past seven weeks, with millions of people in the streets reclaiming their rights to genuine representation from a tired and corrupt old regime. President for 20 years, Abdelaziz Bouteflika has not only accepted to peacefully resign, but he has even apologized to the Algerian people. To get a better sense of the dramatic political changes that are taking place in Algeria Khalil spoke with UC Santa Cruz Professor, Dr. Thomas Serres. They talk about the ongoing street protests and the possible political formations in the near future-

It’s been 8 years since the Syrian people revolted against Bashar Al Assad regime. During these years Syrian art has flourished inside and in the diaspora, documenting loss, exile, resistance and resilience. We speak with Syrian artist Dima Nachawi, she is an illustrator and the founder of the Memory Initiative for Syrian Culture. Last year, Dima was featured as part of BBC’s “100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.” We talk about Syria, the art scene especially in exile, and the importance of creative work in preserving a nation’s collective memory. She spoke to us from her home in Beirut, Lebanon. To see Dima’s work, visit her portfolio on: https://www.behance.net/dimanashawaaf8 And on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Dima4480 Al Jumhuriyha article referenced in the interview https://www.aljumhuriya.net/en/content/i-%E2%80%9Cabnormal%E2%80%9D

This week, we speak with Eli Clifton, contributor editor of lobelia, about the recent controversies surrounding Representative Ilhan Omar, who has been questioning the US’s unconditional support for Israel as well as the influence of AIPAC, the powerful lobby that is instrumental in shaping US foreign policy in the Middle East. Later in the program, we’ll hear from 5 Yemeni women activists who speak about the impact that the war has had on their lives and how their view their role as Yemeni women, politically and socially.

On March 29th The Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State will bring together academics, researchers, artists, and filmmakers from seven countries, for a 2-day conference titled "Forty Years & More: International Conference on Iranian Diaspora Studies" The conference will mark the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution by understanding the ways that Iranians as exiles, immigrants, and as second and third generation hyphenated citizens of their respective nations, have met with both challenges and opportunities of diaspora experience. Malihe Razazan spoke with Dr. Persis Karim, director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State about the upcoming conference and the significance of recognizing and understanding the Iranian diaspora

This week, we speak with Ahmad Abu Ertema, a Gaza based journalist and author, and one of the organizers of the Gaza’s Great March of Return, as well as historian Jehad Abu Salim who is also staff member of the American Friends Service Committee about the Great Mach, The impacts of Israel's decade-long blockade of the Gaza strip. Later in the program, Dr. Persis Karim, the director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University joins us to talk about the center’s upcoming conference marking the 40th anniversary of the Iranian revolution.

From poster child for colonial struggles in the nineteen fifties and sixties, Algeria has transitioned to a country that is still struggling to perfect its own democratic system fifty years later, trying to attain the long-promised emancipation that so many had died for. Today, the streets of Algiers and other major cities are filled with passionate and enthusiastic crowds, men and women, made up of mostly people under thirty, demanding their rights to choose their own government and control their own destinies. After three weeks of huge popular demonstrations by the Algerian people, ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika agreed Monday to not run for a fifth straight term, which was the most prominent and urgent demand by the protestors. Today we speak with Professor Thomas Serres of UC Santa Cruz about the current situation and how it echoes the Arab Spring that preceded it as well as the 1988 youth rebellion of Algiers.

This week, we revisit the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean region specifically in Greece, to see where things stand, and the similarities with the refugee and migrant crisis at the US southern border. We speak with Pan Zanetakis, a human rights worker with the Greek organization HumanRights360, and Chicago based Attorney Leena Odeh who spent most of last year working with asylum seekers in Greece.

This week , we speak with exiled Egyptian socialist activist Hossam El-Hamalawy about the legacy of the Arab Spring in his country - and in the middle east and north Africa region. Despite the bleak economic situation and unspeakably ferocious political repression in Egypt, El- Hamalawy explains why he is still hopeful that - in the long term - the revolution will survive and overcome.

This week, we unpack the story of the young Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Al Qnun. Rahaf who decided to seek asylum abroad, with writer and analyst Hana Al-Khamri(@hanaalkhamri ). Later in the program, researcher and former student activist Mohammad PourAbdollah talks to us about the most recent labor protests at the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane factory in Iran.

Nearly three decades after Omar Al Bashir came to power, the Sudanese regime is facing a formidable challenge posed by a fresh wave of unrest. Popular uprisings are not new to Sudan. This most recent wave of protest over a month ago in the northeastern city of Atbara. Locals took to the streets over a government decision to triple the price of bread, protests swiftly escalated into anti-government rallies, marches and work stoppages rocking several cities and towns, with union and professional associations joining. Protestors are now demanding for Bashir to step down. According to the Guardian, the government of Omar al-Bashir in Sudan has launched an “alarming” crackdown on journalists. At least five reporters have been detained by the national intelligence security services and are being held at undisclosed locations. Dozens of others have been arrested and held before being released. According to human rights organization, more than 1000 people have been arrested and at least 40 people have been killed. This week, we continue our conversation with McGill University political scientist Professor Khalid Madani. He tells us more about the regional and international role and response to the current protests, the role of women and the future of this uprising.

Nearly three decades after Omar Al Bashir came to power, the Sudanese regime is facing a formidable challenge posed by a fresh wave of unrest, which started in the northeastern city of Atbara on December 19. Protests which first erupted over a government decision to triple the price of bread have swiftly escalated into anti-government rallies, marches and work stoppages that have rocked several cities and towns. Who are the protestors? What are their demands? What role do the civil society groups play in these protests? What has been the regime’s response to the protests? And what is the genesis of the economic crisis that the country is experiencing? We put these question to Kalid Medani of McGill University-

This week, we speak with award-winning Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki about her academy award-nominated film Capernaum, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes film festival in 2018 Later in the program, Issa Golitzen Farajaje joins us to talk about his collaboration with Aswat, the Bay Area's Premier Arab Music Ensemble, to research and perform a concert of Sufi music from the Arab world.

After 4 years of a devastating war in Yemen, this week we delve into the complexities of living with war, through the eyes of a group of Yemeni women. We will hear from them talking about their activism and what roles they took on in their communities and families since the beginning of the war in 2015 But first we discuss the pro-Israel backlash against Palestine activism on US campuses. The backlash is not a new tactic, but in recent years, lawsuits have been increasingly used to intimidate students and faculty and silence any criticism of Israel. So does this backlash look like in the Trump era and is it working? To talk about that and more, we are joined by Zoha Khalili, attorney with the organization Palestine Legal and Dr. Loubna Qoutami, a post-doctoral fellow at University of California Berkeley and a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement.

This week, we speak with Paris-based Iranian historian Nasser Mohajer about the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in Iran in the summer of 1988 Later in the program, award-winning Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki will talk to us about her new film Capernaum, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes film festival this year.

VOMENA Nov 23, 2018 by VOMENA Team at KPFA

The images of starving Yemeni children have become the face of the brutal Saudi-led, US supported war against Yemen We speak with Hussein Mohsen co-founder of Yemen Relief Project about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and what’s being done to bring some relief to the war-stricken country. Later in the program, Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki speaks about his award-winning film, Of Fathers of Sons, which won the prize this year at the Sun Dance film festival-

On 2 October, Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi regime Insider and self-exiled critic of Mohamad Bin Salman walked into his country's consulate in Istanbul and never came out. After initial denials and claims that he had left the consulate shortly after arriving, Saudi Arabia admitted that the Mr Khashoggi was dead and it was some rouge elements who committed the murder. Soon after the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi, media outlets close to Mr Erdogan started leaking out details that Mr Khashoggi had been tortured, dismembered and disposed of by an elite hit squad sent from Saudi Arabia Turkey's authoritarian leader Recep Tayyib Erdogan - himself one of the biggest jailers of dissidents and journalists - promised to name those involved in this heinous crime, but so far has not released any names. In a recent op ed in the Washington post, Mr. Erdogan wrote, "we know the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government.” He added “I have no reason to believe that his murder reflected Saudi Arabia’s official policy.” But beyond the superficial rhetoric, what has been the impact of Mr. Khashoggi’s murder on relations between the two countries? Shahram Aghamir put this question to Sinan Birdal, visiting assistant professor of International Relations and Middle East Studies at the University of Southern California

Nine months after a group of environmentalists affiliated with the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation were imprisoned in Iran without any evidence of wrongdoing and denied due process—and after the death of the organization's founder, Kavous Seyed Emami - five members of this Foundation have been charged with national security crimes carrying the death penalty. We speak with Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran about the crackdown on environmentalists in Iran. Also this week, Amman-based activist, fiction writer and poet Hisham Bustani joins us to talk about two of his latest poems just translated and published in English.

VOMENA Oct 26, 2018 by VOMENA Team at KPFA

Ever since a fishmonger was crushed to death in November of 2016 by a garbage compactor in El Hoceima, The northern Rif region of Morocco has been the scene of social unrest and protest against the Moroccan government, a movement that has been spreading to other parts of Morocco over the past two years.This week, we get an update on the protest movement in Morocco with Moroccan anthropologist Miriyam Aouragh. Bay Area based activist and after school teacher Heather LaMastro speaks with us about her her pen pal project connecting kids in the Bay Area with kids Gaza living in the besieged Gaza strip, and also about her humanitarian visit to the besieged Gaza Strip.

French President Emanuel Macron recently broke a long held taboo by recognizing the culpability of the French government in the kidnapping and murder of anti-colonial activist Maurice Audin in 1957 in Algiers. We look into the possible motivations behind this bold and historic act by the French president with UC Santa Cruz’ history Professor Muriem Haleh Davis, whose research focuses on the French colonial empire and the post-colonial world in the Middle East and North Africa.

Why would a celebrated Chilean playwright decide to bring attention to a human tragedy all the way back in Syria that has been unfolding for the past 7 years? Bay area based artist and director of Guillermo Calderón's play Boosa or Kiss, in Arabic, Evren Odcikin tells us about his decision to direct this play and about the role that art and theater can play in addressing pressing cultural and political problems. But first we'll hear a conversation with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, about Israel’s deportation order against him and the challenge to this decision - and to the draconian law it is based on - which Human Rights Watch has mounted in Israeli courts. Vomena contributor professor Bassam Haddad spoke with Omar Shakir about Israel’s passage of the Nation State Law, enshrining Jewish supremacy over Palestinians as a constitutional mandate, and how shifting regional dynamics may impact the human rights situation on the ground.`

This week, we bring you the the second part of an indepth conversation about the root causes of the protests in Iraq with Balsam Mustafa, a PhD researcher in Modern Languages & Politics at the University of Birmingham Also this week, we remember the great palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish who passed away on August 9th 2008, following complications after major heart surgery in Houston, Texas. He was just 67.