The Terror from Within: Perpetrators of the Stalinist Repression | Timothy Blauvelt | TEDxTbilisi
How is it that ordinary people can commit of acts of mass political violence? Historian Timothy Blauvelt examines the case file of one of the agents of Stalin’s terror, and draws surprising conclusions about how average people become the perpetrators of extreme acts.
Timothy Blauvelt is an American historian who specializes in the former Soviet Union. He is an associate professor of Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies at Ilia State University in Tbilisi and country director of the American Councils for International Education, and has published numerous articles about the Caucasus and the former Soviet Union.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at
Historian: ArabSpring & Twitter Revolutions USA plot
RT talks to author and historian William Engdahl on what -- or who -- is behind the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. My comments at the end of the report.
William Engdahl says the US does not want to admit its inevitable demise and current conflicts in the Middle East represent the existing plans to keep this sole superpower not only intact and to spread its influence over the rest of the planet.
He states that the Arab Spring and the Twitter revolutions have been planned years back ... by the US State Department.
Also, Engdahl reveals that the Chinese, by buying the US Treasury bonds, ironically finance the wars directed against Chinese national interest for energy security.
Comment:
After the protests in Iran in 2009, there was considerable commentary posted about them being the result of deliberate action and part of a strategy designed to create social unrest and gather widedspread support on social media sites, especially Twitter. Many of us were aware and yet we made the choice to continue to support the protesters. That is not the same as being a part of some conspiracy. The two things are easily confused, and the genuine supporters, like genuine news reports, videos, images etc, are often hard to identfy or verify. But I have found that very little of this matters if you remain focussed on the humanitarian issues, rather than the politics. If you stick to the issues, you are less at risk of being sidetracked by petty disagreements.
One important thing that I have not seen written about, is that these theories, accusations, etc are not unknown to actual dissidents. There are real dissidents in Iran, just as there are in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Mauritania, and so on across the Middle East, across the Arab world, across the world. They are there in South America, in Asia, in Europe, China, Australia. You get the picture? There are genuine dissidents all over the world. They might well be getting a gentle or even a brutal push from the US or any other global agency or state actor. But they are still genuine dissidents with genuine grievances, and very real desire for change of some sort. I've met a few of these people, I have personally communicated with hundreds of them. Some of them have told me they are aware of external meddling and interference, but they don't care. They have a cause, a reason to resist and they continue to resist, because they must: they see no alternative. Therefore, I continue to support them: I see no alternative.
Report via RT
Israel Diaspora Relations: Past, Present and Future
The historical connections between Babylon and Jerusalem, beginning with the Talmuds through to Israel- Diaspora relations today and into the future. Panel discussion taken place on May 3, 2018 at the Center for Jewish History.
Inspired by Leon H. Charney
Author of
Battle of Two Talmuds: Judaism’s Struggle with Power, Glory and Guilt
The Mystery of the Kaddish
The Legacy of Leon Charney
Prof. Nathaniel Laor
Professor of Philosophy, Psychiatry and Medical Education, Tel Aviv University
Moderator
Prof. David Myers
President & CEO of the Center for Jewish History
Professor of History at UCLA
Panelists:
Prof. Aaron J. Koller
Associate Professor of Near Eastern and Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University
Prof. Marjorie Lehman
Associate Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary
Prof. Shaul Magid
Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University
Center for Jewish History NEH Senior Scholar
Alana Newhouse
Editor and Founder of Tablet Magazine
Musical Performance
Breath and Hammer
David Krakauer, clarinet and Kathleen Tagg, piano
Presented by: Center for Jewish History, Yeshiva University & Beit Hatfutsot of America
Egypt - Massacre effects tourism
T/I: 10:48:28
The normally bustling streets of Luxor were quiet on Wednesday (19/11) as tourist operators raced to evacuate the town of holidaymakers following Monday's massacre, leaving locals to ponder the devastating effect the tragedy is likely to have on the resort's economy.
Lines of taxi drivers waited despondently, their rows of empty vehicles telling the tale. The few passengers they were getting simply wanted a one-way ride to the airport for the charter flight that would take them home.
The archaeological sites millions of international visitors flock to see every year were largely deserted two days after the attack by Islamic militants which left 68 people - 58 of them tourists - dead and dozens more injured.
On the Nile, ferries lay at anchor - the few tourists who have stayed on are spending their days by their hotel pools, rather than venturing out.
SHOWS:
LUXOR, EGYPT 19/11
Ms wall with mural;
cu sign of Luxor;
deserted horse-drawn cabs;
VS men on street
Cu sign: Smile you are in Luxor;
horse and carts waiting for fares;
taxi-drivers waiting for fares
deserted historical sites
ms docked riverboat;
cu empty tables and chairs;
pan deserted sun-beds ;
man cleaning boat
SOT Sherif Yousef, reception manager on riverboat: About 50 people work on the boat......but we'll keep just six to keep the place clean and the rest will go back home - no work.
deserted market-place;
shopkeeper;
faces of egyptians in cafe;
cu man smoking hookah
CAIRO, EGYPT , 18/11
President Mubarak appointing and congratulating new interior minister, Habib al-Adeli;
c/a sign
SOT al-Adeli in Arabic I had the honour of meeting the President and have been assigned the position of interior minister and I hope God grants me success to achieve what we all want which is security and stability in our dear country under the leadership of Hosni Mubarak.
2.35
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Sharper Focus/Wider Lens: Upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa
Featuring MSU Faculty: Yael Aronoff, James Madison College; Mohammad Ayoob, James Madison College and Muslim Studies (moderator); Waseem El-Rayes, James Madison College; Najib Hourani, Department of Anthropology; and Ani Sarkissian, Department of Political Science.