Yesterday's kidnapping of a dozen tourists and their Egyptian guides in southern Egypt raises three important questions whose answers have serious consequences: 1. Who did it and why? Al Jazeera English has compiled a helpful lift of attacks against tourists in Egypt since 1992. The attacks that were not isolated incidents were politically motivated, mostly […]
In an interview with BBC, General Petraeus, the outgoing commander of US troops in Iraq, states that he probably will not ever use the word ‘victory’ in discussions about Iraq. Further (and this is what I like about our military leaders), he argues that honesty is the best policy when it comes to reports about […]
The LAT reports that Iraqi (primarily Sunni) men are being held in prisons for considerable time periods (in years) without having access to counsel. This is upsetting, and counterproductive for purposes of national reconciliation/progress/peace. The US government is currently sponsoring a legal aid clinic to help secure representation for these men, but as negotiations for […]
The "Lebanese Resistance Martyrs" mass was held on Sunday in the Faoud Chehab stadium in Jounieh commemorating slain Lebanese Forces supporters. "I fully apologize for any mistakes we committed when we carried out our national duties during the war," Geagea said, adding that he asked for forgiveness from God and for those they had hurt. […]
Efforts are underway to reach a Christian-Christian reconciliation between Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and al-Marada Movement leader Suleiman Frangieh. Reconciliation efforts intensified after two people were killed and three wounded in clashes Wednesday between the LF and Marada in the town of Bsarma in the northern Lebanese province of Koura. [Naharnet] In the upcoming […]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks to correct some misconceptions about his feelings on Jews and Israelis: "We are opposed to the idea that the people who live there [Israel] should be thrown into the sea or be burnt," he said. Well. He maintains an opposition to the Zionist regime, and believes a new government should be chosen […]
WSN: Why do we keep hearing that all or most of the Shias are with Hizballah? AA: The story that Shias are with Hizballah is far from being accurate. Iran is spending a lot of money in Lebanon, and that's why they are able to have a base of supporters, services and a social network […]
GCC states don't anticipate much fallout from the current … situation on Wall Street at this point (this point being Wednesday … so we’ll see). Many of the Gulf currencies, though, are pegged to the dollar, so it remains to be seen how effectively they can avoid the impact of US market fluctuation. The GCC […]
OIJ (my acronym, re-use at your own risk) is a part of the al-Qaeda network. Yemen has taken 25 men into custody as suspects.
… 46% to 20% who affiliate with the Republican party. This is true because of all the reasons the Republican party is struggling right now (don't make me name them), plus being at the target end of recent civil liberties infringements. Can anyone think of a good lipstick-on-a-pig joke about this?
The NYU Center for Global Affairs hosted an event recently called CGA Scenarios: Iran 2015. The goal of the event was to produce a publication that examined three different possible scenarios for the US relationship with Iran over the next 7 years in a manner cognizant of the complex nature of Middle East politics and […]
Tzipi Livni, formerly Israel's Foreign Minister, was elected Prime Minister. She has three months to assemble a working coalition, or new elections will be held. Since she's been active in the peace talks up to this point, we can expect a continued focus on that issue. She was profiled by the Times magazine last year […]
The US embassy in Yemen today was attacked by car bombers. 16 people were killed, none of them Americans. US officials are blaming al Qaeda.
This agenda has one article: disarming Hezbollah. We will reject it and we will only discuss how to build a strong state, which supports its population and army in confronting Israeli attacks. [NOW Lebanon] I agree with Mousawi. Lebanon should reject ALL foreign agendas and promote the Lebanese national interest full stop. Is Hizballah [and […]
The Chronicle of Higher Education has a piece (or had – last week) on Saudi Arabia's massive recent investment in the education sector. Other Gulf states are also cultivating investment in education, albeit more importing it than manufacturing it locally – my former workplace, NYU, just opened a campus in Abu Dhabi and my alma […]