Velvet Revolution

The Greengrocer That Broke the Camel's Back

Uriel Abulof | Posted 03.04.2012

Uriel Abulof

Vaclav Havel left an indelible imprint on the conscience of the entire world. His 1978 essay The Power of the Powerless, has lost none of its relevance, particularly in the wake of the stormy year that the Middle East experienced.

Real-World Change Can Come From Within

Parker J. Palmer | Posted 03.04.2012

Parker J. Palmer

The notion that social change can be sparked by an inner revolution is not only realistic. It also gives us a gift that conventional "realism" withholds -- a chance to do something that might make a difference.

Velvet Revolution Leader Remembered: 'Europe Owes Vaclav Havel A Profound Debt'

AP | KAREL JANICEK | Posted 02.22.2012

PRAGUE — Czechs and world leaders paid emotional tribute to Vaclav Havel on Friday at a pomp-filled funeral ceremony, ending a week of public gr...

On Vaclav Havel, Kim Jong Il and Regular Russian Citizens

Tereza Nemessanyi | Posted 02.21.2012

Tereza Nemessanyi

Most people who know me know my parents defected from Czechoslovakia, and that its Velvet Revolution changed my life. I went from being "from nowhere" to "from somewhere."

Remembering Vaclav Havel

Todd Brewster | Posted 02.20.2012

Todd Brewster

With the news this past weekend that Vaclav Havel, the one-time Czech president, had died, I found myself recalling a scene back in 1989, when I was lucky enough to spend a week in Prague with the leader of what eventually became known as the "Velvet Revolution."

Remembering Vaclav Havel

Andrew Nagorski | Posted 02.20.2012

Andrew Nagorski

Looking back at my encounters with Havel, I'm struck by three dominant character traits: his moral courage, his ability to recognize and live with the contradictions of human behavior, and his sense of the absurd.

Vaclav Havel's Death Mourned

AP | KAREL JANICEK | Posted 02.17.2012

PRAGUE — Thousands of Czechs paid tribute to Vaclav Havel on Sunday, braving cold and snow at the spot where the leader of the peaceful anti-com...

Czech Parliament To Compensate Anti-Communists

AP | Posted 09.19.2011

PRAGUE -- The Czech Parliament has approved legislation to honor and compensate members of the anti-communist movement. The bill gives members of the...

Zach Carter

WATCH: Media Matters Toasts Final Glenn Beck Show With Silly Party

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 08.28.2011

Glenn Beck's tenure at Fox News will come to an end on Thursday, and no organization seems happier about his impending signoff than Media Matters, the...

A Middle East-Like Revolution in Cuba? Don't Hold Your Breath

Christopher Sabatini | Posted 05.25.2011

Christopher Sabatini



Under current U.S. law, Cuba will never have a Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who has become a hero in Egypt for defending freedom of expression and communication among activists.

After the Fall of African Dictatorships

Alemayehu G. Mariam | Posted 05.25.2011

Alemayehu G. Mariam

If Africans are to have hope of a better future, they will need to build a fortress of freedom impregnable to the slings and arrows of civilians dictators and the savage musketry of military juntas.

As African Tyrants Fall

Alemayehu G. Mariam | Posted 05.25.2011

Alemayehu G. Mariam

The Tunisian people's revolution provides practical insights into the prerequisites for dismantling dictatorships in Africa. The first lesson is that when dictatorships end, their end could come with either a bang or a whimper.

Iran Opposition Unplugged

Jamal Dajani | Posted 05.25.2011

Jamal Dajani

It seems that the balance in the Iranian uprising is shifting in the regime's favor. This time Ahmadinejad was prepared... he succeeded in "unplugging" the opposition.

Lessons from the Velvet Revolution

Stephen Zunes | Posted 05.25.2011

Stephen Zunes

These movements were largely led by democratic socialists who mobilized workers, church people, intellectuals, and others to face down the tanks with their bare hands.

MAZIAR BAHARI RELEASED: Iran Frees Newsweek Reporter On Bail

AP | ALI AKBAR DAREINI | Posted 05.25.2011

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran released a foreign Newsweek reporter on bail Saturday almost four months after he was arrested following the country's dispu...

Fox 'News' Fans Flood Anti-U.S. Chamber Campaign With Death Threats, Racial Attacks

Brad Friedman | Posted 05.25.2011

Brad Friedman

"Conservative" Fox "News" fans sure do use the F-word a lot in their death threats. We're used to various death threats by now, but those American "values"-lovin' viewers have really outdone themselves this time.

How Sweet The Sound: An Interview With Joan Baez

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Ragogna

For most of the fifty years since she debuted at the Newport Folk Festival, Joan Baez has dedicated her life and music to fighting for equality and social justice, and for bringing about positive change in the world.

Freed Academic Haleh Esfandiari: 'Iranians Want Evolution, Not Revolution'

Diane Tucker | Posted 05.25.2011

Diane Tucker

Every two or three years, there has been a wave of protests like this in Iran. But this time I think there has been a fundamental change.

Yemen: A Powder Keg Ready to Explode

Jamal Dajani | Posted 05.25.2011

Jamal Dajani

The Obama administration may be ignoring what could potentially be the hottest spot in the Middle East, the country which is the ancestral birthplace of Osama bin Laden: Yemen.

Iranians Worldwide Roll Out Green Scroll Against Ahmadinejad (SLIDESHOW, UPDATES)

Diane Tucker | Posted 05.25.2011

Diane Tucker

Updates, and video screen grabs from the ceremony in Paris, follow the post. AUSTIN, TX -- When a reporter asked Vaclav Havel to comment on Iran's p...

Kian Tajbakhsh: Iran Arrests First American Citizen

AP | DESMOND BUTLER | Posted 05.25.2011

NEW YORK — An Iranian-American scholar whom Iran once accused of fomenting political unrest has been arrested by authorities there for the secon...

Iran Uprising: Historic Parallels To Today's Protests

Huffington Post | Stuart Whatley | Posted 05.25.2011

The massive socio-political movement in Iran, following the highly controversial announcement Saturday declaring Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the victor of tha...

If Democracy Is Denied

Michael Carmichael | Posted 05.25.2011

Michael Carmichael

The sheer momentum of the Obama-Biden ticket has triggered frantic and massive Republican vote-rigging operations in key battleground states designed ...