World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (February 18, 2011)

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article headlined "Democracy by Internet". This topic has been widely discussed by the public after the recent revolution in Egypt, in which the Internet played a major role. "After the revolution in Egypt, it has become a truism that the Internet can foster dissent and political freedom," the author writes. According to him, this was understood by the US administration, and that is why Secretary of State Clinton delivered a speech in which she pointed out the major role of the Internet in the struggle for freedom throughout the world.

The New York Times has published an article entitled "There Won't Be Blood", devoted to the current situation in the Middle East and the unfolding events in several Arab countries. He believes that the Egyptian revolution, as well as the revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia, has presented a very good role model, a model of a bloodless and successful revolution. He thinks that future revolutions, which have already begun, will be peaceful. The author underlines the role of the Internet in the process and pays special attention to the USA's contribution to the struggle for democracy around the globe.

The prominent British newspaper The Guardian today published an article headlined "Arab youth, don't lose momentum now" devoted to the revolutionary situation in the Arab world. The author writes about his personal experience as a resident of Egypt, about the Mubarak regime and the absence of political freedom. He stresses the point that young people are able to change the situation in their countries. "Our generation has finally rediscovered the lost revolutionary heritage of our forefathers - we must keep the dream alive," he concludes.

The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet has published an article about the AKP's attitude to press freedom in the country. The article was published immediately after the Turkish Interior Minister responded to criticism on the part of the US Ambassador, by saying that the press in Turkey is much more free than in the USA. The author of the article believes that the US diplomat is aware of the situation in Turkey and that his criticism is by no means baseless. It's obvious that press
freedom in the United States is incomparable to that in Turkey, the author claims, deriding the Turkish official.


The Jerusalem Post published an article today headlined "The Wrong Message", criticizing US policy in the Middle East, including America's desire to abandon Hosni Mubarak, who was always an ally for both the US and Israel, and the recent statement censuring Israel for "settlement activity." "Washington should be saying right now that Israel is the US's only stable, dependable and democratic ally in the fast-destabilizing Middle East," in the opinion of the author.