Ten years ago, the Arab Spring offered hope of a wave of democratic change across the Middle East and North Africa. But only Tunisia has made the transition, with the other popular uprisings ending in repression, war or chaos. Even so, recent popular movements that toppled leaders in Lebanon, Iraq, Algeria and Sudan have drawn […]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power promising real democracy, promoting women and feverishly planting trees across his vast country, snapping up the Nobel Peace Prize along the way. But Abiy’s image of a modern, peacemaking reformer risks shattering entirely after he sent troops and warplanes into Ethiopia’s Tigray region, a move analysts fear […]

US President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday announced an all-female senior White House communications team, in what his office called a first in the country’s history. Among those named was Jen Psaki, who will serve in the highly visible role of White House press secretary. Psaki, 41, has held a number of senior positions, including White […]

The Arab Spring uprisings are nearly a decade old and moribund but protests in four new countries last year revealed that the spirit of the revolts that lit up 2011 is still alive. “The emergence of the 2019 wave of the uprisings in Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon and Iraq showed that the Arab Spring did not […]

Police in France detained 81 people across the country after protests were held in several cities against police brutality and controversial new security law, according to reports. The arrests were made after around 133,000 people demonstrated in several cities, with 46,000 in Paris alone, according to French news agency AFP, which cited the Interior Ministry. […]