SophieCo
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Russia wouldn’t endanger spy swap system with West by attacking Skripal - ex-Soviet mole in CIA
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Israelis and Palestinians alone will find solution, not let others do it – 20th IDF head
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‘Putin is a long-distance runner in politics’ – German journalist Hubert Seipel
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‘Japan should leave US nuclear umbrella’ - Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki discusses the nuclear deterrence
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‘Football beyond politics - shame some politicians don’t get that’ - Russia 2018 World Cup Chief on attempts to undermine the tournament
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‘Cowards fighting cowards behind computer screens’ – ex-drone operator Brandon Bryant on US drone strikes.
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‘US taking other nations hostage over Iran sanctions' – Ex EU-Commissioner Guenter Verheugen
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Spanish ex-Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos talks on Catalonia's bid for independence & future of the EU
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Former Italian PM Matteo Renzi talks on populists rise in Europe, referendum defeat and migrant crisis
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‘George Soros would like to invite millions of migrants to Europe’ – Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto
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‘Breaking up with the US won’t hurt Pakistan’ – ex-Pakistan PM Shaukat Aziz
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‘The UK shouldn’t pretend it is a superpower’ – Lord Peter Truscott
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‘Dangerous for US experts to be too sympathetic to Russia’ – ex-US Defense Department analyst
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‘Secure and stable Africa is in very few people’s interests’ – Eeben Barlow, the mercenary leader
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‘American unilateralism challenges transatlantic relations’ – ex-French PM
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‘No gentlemen in football when the World Cup is at stake’ - Christian Karembeu
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‘Cybercrime is bigger than arms & drugs’ – cybercrime fighter
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Fmr. Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on the impact of Arab Spring
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‘Basically, we didn’t lose anything’ - Billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, Putin’s closest friend, on Western sanctions.
Fmr. Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on the impact of Arab Spring
Moncef Marzouki, the first president elected in Tunisia after the 2011 uprising, weighed in on whether his country can be considered an Arab Spring success story and what went wrong in neighbouring states.
“I would talk about a half-success story,” Marzouki said, explaining Tunisia’s experience differed from the “catastrophe” that transpired in other countries because of “the very structure of the Tunisian society.” Tunisia has had “a very strong civil society for many decades.” Marzouki said, noting that Tunisians “don’t have oil, so we don’t attract greed of super powers and so forth.”
Since the revolution, the country has achieved “the political objective, but we didn’t succeed in achieving the economic goals,” he said. However, despite the economic problems, Tunisians will “never accept the comeback of the dictatorship,” Marzouki added, noting “the public opinion is now playing an important role to put the pressure on politicians, to improve their way of behaving.”
The Arab Spring demonstrations of 2011 were “just the first outbursts” of what Marzouki calls “the Arab volcanoes or the Arab earthquake” that is still shaking the Middle East. The fact that the uprisings in Syria and Libya led to all-out war should be considered “the lesson” for dictators, Marzouki said, asserting “you can’t ask the people to accept you just because it can be worse if you’re removed.”