For the past year and a half, the Arab Spring has convulsed the Middle East. It has resulted in the overthrow of four leaders who only two years before seemed destined to rule for life, plunged another country into a fratricidal civil war and placed even long-established monarchies under renewed political and economic stress. What triggered this tsunami of political upheaval? And is it localized to the Arab world, or could it spread? It is no secret that authorities in Beijing and Moscow are playing close attention, attempting to ferret out any indications that a prerevolutionary situation may be building […]

Nabeel Rajab, a prominent opposition activist who founded the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was sentenced to three years in jail last week for his participation in protests. The protests, led mostly by members of the Shiite Muslim majority who are calling for democracy, began last year and continued even as the government imposed martial law and responded with what many call excessive use of force. Explaining that he was disappointed but not surprised to read the news, Toby C. Jones, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University, told Trend Lines the verdict represents the end of any pretense […]

The murder trial of Gu Kailai, the wife of ousted Chinese Communist Party leader Bo Xilai, came to a conclusion last week. According to reports, Gu, a prominent Chinese lawyer, confessed to the murder of Neil Heywood, a longtime family friend and business associate. François Godement, a professor of political science at Sciences Po in Paris and a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the case, which was over in less than seven hours, reflects how controlled the Chinese justice system continues to be. “Very often in China you are judged by a particular court not […]

For 20 years, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has been the undisputed ruler of Ethiopia. Zenawi was the leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which in concert with its sister rebel group from Eritrea toppled the Moscow-aligned dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991. He led his country in the 1998-2000 war against his former Eritrean allies and oversaw multiple Ethiopian military interventions into neighboring Somalia. An active and outspoken leader, Zenawi is also credited with a pragmatic approach to economic development despite his Marxist roots, resulting in an average of 9 percent GDP growth over the past 10 years. […]

Child Laborers in Bolivia Fight for Their Rights

According to UNICEF, some 700,000 children in Bolivia work — a third of the total child-age population — earning far less than adults. The young workers have now formed a union, UNATSBO, to fight for fairer pay and official recognition. Video News by NewsLook