The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
Lauren McCauley -
As Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoyed no less than 26 standing ovations during his speech before the United States Congress on Tuesday morning, the resounding applause did not include the clapping hands of nearly sixty lawmakers who did not attend the controversial address.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders (Vt.) joined 56 Democratic lawmakers in the boycott, which was seen by many as snub to the powerful Jewish-American lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs...
As the November 24, deadline approaches for the end of the Iran and P5+1 negotiations, analysts are speculating about the state of negotiations and what it would mean if a deal is signed. The circumstances and tone of the negotiations have changed since Iran is currently being viewed as a potentially valuable partner in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). Negotiations have reached a level where there is the possibility of the U.S. lifting sanctions against Iran and allowing it to...
From Sharia law to women's rights, how have women managed to fight back in the theocratic state of Iran? Who are these women? What are their stories? The documentary Women on the Front Line tries to answer these questions by talking to women’s rights activists who have been in the thick of the struggle for gender equality in Iran. Produced by Sheema Kalbasi and directed by Hossein Fazelli, Women on the Front Line is a beautifully filmed documentary that provides a spellbinding picture...
Six Iranian youth who danced in a YouTube video to the song by Pharrell Williams "Happy", were arrested by Iranian authorities. Following a public outcry, they have been released. But the director of the video is still being held in custody. What is all this about? Why were these kids arrested in the first place? Analyst Trita Parsi argues that there’s a cultural war going on in Iran. Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani is seen as a reformist with a softer stance on the...
Relations between the U.S. and Iran reached a historic level after a deal was signed on Sunday. The deal calls for Iran to halt most of its uranium enrichment efforts, eliminate its stockpiles of uranium, open its facilities to daily monitoring by international inspectors, and significantly slow the construction of the Arak reactor. Robert Kelley, a nuclear engineer who has worked in the U.S. nuclear complex for more than 30 years and assisted the IAEA as the director in the Iraq Action Team...
Moderate cleric and former nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rouhani has won the recent Iranian presidential election. Iran's new president is urging greater engagement with the West, but will the West reciprocate. What will America's response to Iran's nuclear programme under a moderate leader be? Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett, authors of a new book, 'Going to Tehran', which challenges all the conventional wisdom about Iran and its nuclear programme, argue that Iran would like to engage...
