“Bread, Freedom, and Dignity”: Socioeconomic Rights 15 Years On

Fifteen years ago, people across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) took to the streets to demand “bread, freedom, and dignity.” It was not the first time that protesters in the region had organized around socioeconomic rights and it would not be the last. Today, these demands remain unresolved. Across many MENA countries, living […]

Revolutionary Lessons and Internationalism from Below (with The Peoples Want) | The Final Straw Radio Podcast

Digital Hopes, Real Power: How the Arab Spring Fueled a Global Surveillance Boom

When people remember the 2011 uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), they picture crowded squares, raised phones, and the feeling that the internet had finally shifted the balance of power toward ordinary people. But the past decade and a half is also a story about how governments, companies, and platforms turned those same tools into the backbone of a powerful state surveillance apparatus.

Middle East: Using AI to stop dissent before it even starts

Conflict forecasting, using AI and vast amounts of data, is evolving fast. The Middle East's authoritarian regimes could well be among the first in the world to use it to stop protests — before they even begin.