Foreign Policy Blogs

Middle East & North Africa

Avigdor Lieberman: Lame Duck Diplomacy

Avigdor Lieberman: Lame Duck Diplomacy

The following was taken from Jspace.com.  The article was written by Jspace Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Rob Lattin, who also blogs about Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for Foreign Policy Blogs.  On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman re-emphasized his belief that the Palestinian Authority should hold general elections, and continued his criticism of Mahmoud […]

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American Politicians Undress to Impress in Israel

American Politicians Undress to Impress in Israel

This week, the big story regarding Republican lawmakers and their inappropriate outfits in Israel has centered around a group of approximately thirty members of a GOP House delegation, their staff and their families drinking and taking a swim in the Sea of Galilee. The incident took place almost exactly a year ago, but has just […]

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The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Scheherezade Faramarzi

The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Scheherezade Faramarzi

Introduction by Azadeh Moaveni: Scheherezade Faramarzi is a celebrated veteran correspondent whose over three decades of reporting for the Associated Press (AP) has spanned from North Africa to Pakistan. Long respected in the field for her profound understanding of the Middle East and keen reportorial eye, she remains one of the most authoritative journalistic observers of […]

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Don’t Forget About Iraq

Don’t Forget About Iraq

An Emerging Power? The Council on Foreign Relations recently published an interesting memorandum titled “Renewed Violence in Iraq.” The contingency report, authored by Douglas Ollivant of the New America Foundation, offers suggestions as to how the U.S. can help the Iraqi government cope with myriad internal security threats. Ollivant begins by identifying the major social/national fault […]

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Kidnapped Turkish deputy: Why CHP, why Tunceli, why now?

Kidnapped Turkish deputy: Why CHP, why Tunceli, why now?

I have recently concluded an e-mail interview with the Southeast European Times on the kidnapped Turkish deputy; Mr. Hüseyin Aygün of the Republican People’s Party – CHP. Here is the full version of the interview: ————— August 14, 2012 What happens to the ones that are being kidnapped by PKK?  PKK doesn’t have a monolithic […]

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Qaddafi’s Female Bodyguards (2012)

Qaddafi’s Female Bodyguards (2012)

This short (59 min.) film was shot in 2003, well before the revolution that resulted in Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s ouster and death in 2011. While an interesting topic, it will most likely be relegated to a small footnote in Libya’s history. From the time he took power in 1969, Colonel Qaddafi surrounded himself with […]

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Kurdish Militants Kidnap Turkish Deputy

Kurdish Militants Kidnap Turkish Deputy

According to Turkish news agency NTV, the Kurdish militant group PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) has kidnapped a member of the parliament; this appeared as ‘breaking news’ in many other Turkish media outlets just about half an hour ago and the story in unfolding as I’m writing this post. According to news sources, Turkey’s opposition Republican […]

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The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Azadeh Moaveni

The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Azadeh Moaveni

Azadeh Moaveni is a former Middle East correspondent for Time Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and the Al-Ahram Weekly of Egypt. She has lived and reported throughout the Middle East. By the age of 23, Azadeh was reporting for the Time Magazine, a testament to her remarkable rise on the American journalism scene.  Born in California and […]

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Turkey Retires Generals Jailed on Coup Charges

Turkey Retires Generals Jailed on Coup Charges

The decision is made during the meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) which convenes biannually to discuss the military’s agenda and the promotions in the military’s upper echelons. According to Hürriyet Daily News, some of the arrested generals and admirals have been awaiting promotion since their promotions were previously put on hold in 2011’s […]

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The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Lisa Daftari

The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Lisa Daftari

Lisa Daftari is an independent journalist and analyst from Los Angeles. Lisa has appeared on leading American news organizations including Fox News, Front Page Magazine, Newsmax Magazine, NPR, Daily News, Wall Street Journal, NBC, Voice of America, Russia Today, Wikistrat and PBS. As a rising figure on the American media scene, Lisa is firmly focused on bringing the […]

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The Plight of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

The Plight of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

While Turkey argues that it has the capacity to address the increasing flow of Syrian refugees, several refugee advocacy groups have criticized Turkey’s policies and have called on Ankara to adhere to its obligations under international law. As the international community is struggling to find a solution to end the violence in Syria, the humanitarian […]

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Oslo, So Long

Oslo, So Long

  As a rite of summer in U.S. presidential campaigns, the nominee of the challenging party takes a trip out of the country to buff up his foreign policy credentials. Republican Mitt Romney is no exception, and his trip, not surprisingly, included a stop in Israel. Romney has a long friendship with Israeli Prime Minister […]

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The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Asieh Namdar

The Iranian Women in American Journalism Project (IWAJ): Asieh Namdar

Asieh Namdar is a Senior Writer at CNN’s sister network HLN. She also served as an anchor for CNN International. She joined CNN in 1989 as a video journalist and continued her career to hold many positions, including producing her own segments. As one of the most experienced writers at the network, Asieh has reported […]

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Al Qaeda in Iraq Threatens America

Al Qaeda in Iraq Threatens America

“You will soon witness how attacks will resound in the heart of your land, because our war with you has now started…“ – Abu Bakr Baghdadi Presaging the latest wave of violence in Iraq, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) released a recorded message, heralding the start of Ramadan. The speaker, believed to be Abu Bakr […]

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Turkey to produce ICBMs

Turkey to produce ICBMs

Acting on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s directives for the production of long-range missile with 2500km (1553 miles) range, Turkey’s Defense Industry Executive Committee has formally announced its decision to commence design and production work for an ICBM. According to Turkish NTV and Zaman news agencies, sources in the Ministry of Defense have indicated that industry agencies had […]

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