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Libya’s recovery: Better than it sounds
LIBYA’S interim rulers had their first serious wobble on January 21st when a crowd of several thousand massed outside a government building in Benghazi, the country’s second city, where members of the National Transitional Council were meeting. They hurled grenades and Molotov cocktails, yelled angry slogans and demanded more support for rebel fighters now out of a job.Their discontent had been building for some time, particularly in the east of the country, which fell swiftly to rebel forces early last year. As war raged further west until the fall of Tripoli, the capital, in August and the death of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi in October, Benghazians felt increasingly neglected.The most recent uproar came after more than a month of nightly protests. Pictures of the once-popular Mustafa Abdel Jalil, who led the rebels in opposition, have been burned in the streets; other leaders have been vilified for their links with the former regime. Protesters complain that the city, marginalised under Qaddafi, has seen few improvements since his fall from power. The judicial system is still suspended, schools have only recently reopened, official handouts for the poor are not yet restored, and promised medical treatment for fighters wounded in the uprising last year has yet to materialise.The deputy head of the council, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, whom many dislike for having once led the lawyers’...
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Yemen’s president: Another one bites the dust
ALI ABDULLAH SALEH ended his 33 years as president of Yemen on January 22nd and boarded a plane to Oman and may go on to America. This has brought to a close, at least temporarily, a violent power struggle.Riven by civil strife for many years, opposition groups rose up in open revolt a year ago, following the example of youths in Tunisia and Egypt. Mr Saleh, weakened by an injury from a bomb attack in June, clung to power. For months Yemen appeared in danger of sliding into bloody chaos. Mr Saleh’s loyal troops fought not only student protesters but also tribal bands and defecting soldiers, leaving extremist groups to set up strongholds in the north and south of the country.His departure was brokered by Western diplomats and Gulf leaders. It follows an agreement that gives him and his loyalists immunity from prosecution. The final sign-off on the deal was delayed by several months, until it was enshrined in law by the Yemeni parliament. Mr Saleh’s going should ease political tensions in Yemen. UN envoys have coaxed its competing factions into a detailed power-sharing plan that excludes jihadists. However, Mr Saleh has accepted neither defeat nor permanent exile and says he plans to return to Yemen, a possibility that could yet disrupt the delicate transition of power.Mr Saleh left behind a country that is broke and sclerotic. For decades he secured his power by playing off...
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Kenya and the ICC: Brace yourself
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) on January 23rd announced the prosecution of four well-known Kenyans for crimes against humanity. The charges date back to a post-election spree of violence in 2008, which killed 1,500 people and displaced 300,000 more. Among those facing trial are Francis Muthaura, the country’s top civil servant, and Uhuru Kenyatta, the finance minister. Both men resigned three days later. They are from the Kikuyu tribe, while the other accused are from the rival Kalenjin: William Ruto, a former cabinet minister, and Joshua Sang, a radio-show host.Politics is likely to get messy as a result. Messrs Kenyatta and Ruto may still plan to stand in presidential elections this year. Mr Kenyatta, who says he will co-operate with the court, would likely be the main challenger to Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Mr Ruto has little chance of being elected, but could play the role of kingmaker if the result is close.The court’s indictments are unlikely yet to be much of an impediment on the campaign trail. President Mwai Kibaki had originally planned to ask the men to step down for the duration of the case. But a recent speech indicates he lacks the stomach—or the power—to act against Mr Muthaura, his closest aide.After four years, Kenya has done almost nothing to get justice for victims of the killing spree. Only a handful of people have been prosecuted in domestic...
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Syria’s crisis: It looks like civil war
THE breezy hilltop resort of Zabadani is usually occupied by rich Syrians in second homes and Gulf tourists enjoying the picturesque mountains on the Lebanese border. But for much of January the town of some 40,000 people has been a rebel enclave. After several days of fighting by daring but lightly armed opposition forces, the army, equipped with tanks and heavy weaponry, was forced to pull back on January 18th. Residents hailed their “liberated city” and hung pictures of the dead in a tree. They waved placards and shouted slogans ridiculing the regime. Civilians guarded checkpoints usually manned by the security forces.Zabadani is not the first place in Syria to experience a brief taste of freedom over the past ten months. Last year Mr Assad’s forces temporarily lost control to the opposition in Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. Rastan and Tel Kalakh, two small towns close to Homs, have at times barricaded themselves in. Parts of Homs, the third-largest city, and villages near Idleb have also enjoyed a measure of autonomy.But Zabadani is much closer to Damascus, the capital, than any of them—about 25...
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Books in Arabic: Revolution between hard covers
A novel habit
THE Middle East has a bad reputation when it comes to books; nowhere else do so few people read them. But that might change as censorship rules are relaxed and new books begin to dissect the popular uprisings that felled despots in Egypt and Tunisia—along with other delicate subjects. Eye-witness accounts, jeremiads and self-congratulatory memoirs jostle for space at the Cairo book fair, which coincides this month with the first anniversary of the revolutions.The fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt is chronicled by Abdel Latif al-Menawy in “Tahrir: The last 18 days of Mubarak”. As head of state-television news he had a bird’s-eye view of the uprising. He can be deliciously gossipy, as when he describes Suzanne Mubarak, the former first lady, fleeing from the helicopter meant to ferry her into exile to take a final look at the presidential villa, stuffed with her ill-gotten possessions. Less plausible is Mr al-Menawy’s spirited defence of the role he played at the state broadcaster, which he describes as “neutral and professional”. Most Egyptians remember him for his...
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