Slain U.S. Ambassador Thrived On Tough Assignments
This story first appeared on NPR.com on September 12, 2012
Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was a very special diplomat. He made a career of going to difficult places and insisting that he witness tumultuous events firsthand.
The Russian government, like its counterparts in the West, the Middle East, and elsewhere, was caught off guard by the outburst of Arab uprisings beginning in January 2011 that swept away long-ruling authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and (it appears) Yemen, and have threatened to topple those in Bahrain and Syria. The response of the Russian government to these events has, like that of Western governments, often been confused and inconsistent. Just as Western governments have done, Moscow has sought to protect its interests in the region.
Introduction to Revolution and Political Transformation in the Middle East: Government Action and Response
Originally posted September 2011
On August 21, 2011, rebel forces in Libya rolled into the capital Tripoli, seemingly finishing off months of armed combat and foreign intervention and bringing down yet another Arab head of state. At the same time, sporadic but violent repression of protests in Syria continues, while other states remain calm or have seen their protest movements fizzle. We open this second volume of our series, Revolution and Political Transformation¸ at a time of uncertainty and transition for the region.
In his article for NPR.com, Middle East Institute scholar Greg Myre examines the new dynamics of war reporting. As the nature of warfare shifts from traditional army-to-army combat to more assymetrical government vs. non-state opposition warfare, journalists are having to embed – alone – with rebels groups in order to get the story. In the wake of multiple journalist deaths in Syria, Myre looks at the increasing risk faced by war correspondents in covering the front lines of conflict.
