A World On Fire

A World on Fire

Hong Kong

By Emraan Ansari The 2019 protests in Hong Kong have the potential to completely redefine the relationship between mainland China and the semi-autonomous province. The demonstrations initially began as backlash to an unpopular extradition bill, in which criminal suspects would be able to be extradited to mainland China to stand trial. The bill prompted…

Iraq

By Kaline Hamadi Iraq protests, comprised of mostly young and unemployed, started in Baghdad on the first day of October. Protesters are demanding more jobs, better public services, an end to corruption and are calling for the end of a failing political system which has existed since the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in…

Lebanon

By Kaline Hamadi What started by several civil society affiliated groups within Lebanon, grew into the millions of Lebanese, and descendants of Lebanon, joining together in Beirut and across cities around the world to express their anger over the deep economic crisis and rampant state corruption plaguing Lebanon. A decision to impose a tax on…

Indonesia

By Emraan Ansari Controversial bills proposed by the Indonesian Parliament have incensed citizens, who have taken to the streets en masse. The proposed legislation would weaken Indonesia’s anti-corruption laws, and reform the penal code to outlaw extramarital sex, ban abortion except in cases of rape and incest, strengthen rules against blasphemy and treason, and make…

Chile

By Emraan Ansari Proposed economic reforms by Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has infuriated Chileans, who railed against the widespread inequality throughout the country. Pinera had initially proposed an increase in metro fare across Chile, in addition to a hike on electricity rates. Unrest across the country in the face of these policies was magnified…

Algeria

By: Kaline Hamadi On February 15, 2019, ten days after Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced his candidacy for a fifth term, the Revolution of Smiles or Hirak Movement began. These peaceful protests, fed up with Bouteflika’s rule and the corruption, led the military to assert Bouteflika’s immediate resignation on April 2, 2019. Following a month later,…

Iran

By Kaline Hamadi Multiple prominent protests have taken place throughout Iran against the corruption, economy, and human rights issues plaguing the country. Iran’s protest movements, despite the regime’s violent responses, show little sign of abating. As security forces step up their crackdown, dissatisfaction runs deeper than ever and dissidents continue to stage demonstrations. For…

Guinea

By Emraan Ansari A constitutional amendment being considered by Guinean President Alpha Conde has ignited tensions in the West African nation. President Conde is contemplating changing the constitution to allow him to run for a third term in the 2020 elections. Opposition parties and civil society groups who oppose these efforts have pledged to…

Nicaragua

By Ibrahim Sultan Demonstrations against President Daniel Ortega began on April 16, 2018, led by university students in Nicaragua’s capital Managua after the government failed to handle forest fires in one of the most protected biological reserves in the nation. Soon after, the government further antagonized citizens by introducing a plan to raise taxes…

Bolivia

By Ibrahim Sultan Since Oct. 20, 2019 Bolivia’s capital La Paz has seen its largest protests in decades against Bolivia’s first indigenous President Evo Morales for what is increasingly seen as an erosion of democratic values. Morales has held power in Bolivia since 2006, a 13 year reign which makes him Latin America’s longest…

France

By Emraan Ansari Late September saw the return of climate protests throughout France. The demonstrators, who have been dubbed as “Yellow Vests” for their fluorescent outerwear, had a lull over the summer but returned to the streets en masse to protest French President Emmanuel Macron’s environmental policies. Authorities estimated 16,000 people turned out, with…

Catalonia

By Emraan Ansari The Spanish government incensed the northern autonomous region of Catalonia when it imprisoned leaders of the Catalan separatist movement for sentences spanning between nine and thirteen years. The jailed leaders had organized a referendum considering Catalan independence in 2017 that the Spanish government viewed as illegitimate. Following the referendum, in which…

Egypt

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By Kaline Hamadi Protests, largest since the 2013 military coup, have taken place in Cairo and across Egypt demanding the fall of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in late September due to discontent over soaring prices, corruption, and subsidy cuts. The protests began when Mohamed Ali, a forty-five-year-old actor living in Spain and a former construction…

Ecuador

By Chloe McFall Thursday, October 4th, large scale protests erupted in major cities across Ecuador. The protesters were predominantly people employed in the transportation sector who are upset that President Moreno has moved forward with rollbacks on subsidies for fuel. Without the 1.3 million dollar subsidy fuel prices will soar, angering protesters as most…

Honduras

By Ibrahim Sultan On October 18, 2019 Juan Antonio Hernandez, a former Honduran congressman and brother of the current Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was found guilty of state sponsored drug trafficking. Over the following days large protests calling for the removal of President Juan Orlando Hernandez have turned violent. Citizens and opponents have…

Russia

By Emraan Ansari Demonstrators in Russia are demanding an end to the policy of arbitrarily imprisoning opposition politicians. Tens of thousands of people from a myriad of opposition parties have demonstrated in Moscow, demanding an end to the crackdown on political dissent in Russia. Activists at the anti-government protests have been diverse, with individuals…

Bangladesh

By Emraan Ansari Students across Bangladesh protested in droves following the murder of an engineering student in Dhaka. The student, Abrar Fahad, had recently posted on Facebook criticizing the government of Bangladesh for export deals signed with India. Authorities believe that the murder was carried out by the Bangladesh Chhatra Party, a student wing…

South Africa

By Chloe McFall In South Africa, femicide is five times higher than the global average and South African women are demanding a change. On September 1st at the conference center for the World Economic Forum (WEF), hundreds of mainly female protesters attempted to storm the building demanding protections for women in South Africa. The…

London, England

By Emraan Ansari Anti-Brexit protests have become more frequent in recent weeks, as the October 31 deadline for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union looms. Anti-Brexit campaigners, aided by the British opposition, have been holding rallies across England demonstrating their dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his plan to lead the…

Puerto Rico

By Emraan Ansari After becoming embroiled in a text message controversy over the summer, Ricardo Rossello resigned his position as Governor of Puerto Rico. Governor Rossello, Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marin, and Chief Financial Officer Christian Sobrino Vega had texts sent on the messaging app Telegram leaked by Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigate…

Serbia

By Emraan Ansari The Serbian political environment has been fraught with tension in recent months, as opposition activists demand a free press and fair elections in the Eastern European nation. Demonstrations have been held on a weekly basis outside President Aleksandar Vucic’s residence in Belgrade. Since winning the 2017 Serbian election by a commanding…

Georgia

By Emraan Ansari Anti-Russian sentiment hit the Georgian capital of Tbilisi hard, with Georgians infuriated over a parliamentary speech given by a Russian lawmaker. Relations are frosty between the two nations, having fought a war in 2008 after Russia invaded parts of Georgia. Diplomatic relations between the countries have not been reestablished since the…

London, England

By Kaline Hamadi British police ordered Extinction Rebellion activists to stop their demonstrations immediately or face arrest, issuing a London-wide ban on the group’s climate change protests. Extinction Rebellion holds their so-called “Autumn Uprising” across major cities across the globe to rebel against the world’s governments for their “criminal inaction” when it comes to…

Jordan

By Emraan Ansari Four weeks after beginning to strike, teachers in Jordan returned to work on October 6. Educators across the country took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the government after a 2014 promise to increase salaries failed to come to fruition. The demonstrations began as an “open-ended” protest, in which…

Venezuela

By Chloe McFall The Venezuelan protests started in January 2019 and are still ongoing in an attempt to oust Nicholas Maduro from the presidency. Initial protests drew tremendous international attention as protesters gathered behind Juan Guaidó, commonly referred to as the opposition by the Maduro administration. Protests in Venezuela grew increasingly violent as police…

Hong Kong

By NIF USA | November 22, 2019

Iraq

By NIF USA | November 22, 2019