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MENASource

Jan 14, 2016

Western Options in a Muslim Battle of Ideas

By Matthew Bryza

Each act of terrorism prompts confusion and fear on both sides of the Atlantic. Television reports following each new attack are ritualized: policymakers condemn terrorists’ “cowardice” and “barbarism” but offer no policy antidote other than stepped-up policing at home and military operations in Syria and Iraq, while private citizens incredulously explain their neighbors “showed no […]

MENASource

Jan 14, 2016

Top Story: Thousands in Tunis mark revolt anniversary

By MENASource

Thousands gathered in the Tunisian capital Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the uprising that inspired the Arab Spring. Tunisians thronged Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main thoroughfare in central Tunis and the epicenter of the country’s revolution five years ago.

MENASource

Jan 14, 2016

Top News: Cabinet Approves Draft Bill Criminalizing Possession of ‘Terrorist Symbols’

By EgyptSource

The Egyptian cabinet approved on Wednesday a draft bill that punishes the possession and distribution of so-called “terrorist” symbols. The draft bill, which adds a new article to the existing criminal code, was proposed to the cabinet by the presidency.

MENASource

Jan 14, 2016

EconSource: Gulf States Prepare VAT Laws Ahead of Introduction from 2018

By EconSource

Gulf Arab states are putting the finishing touches on draft laws for value-added taxes (VAT) of up to 5 percent that could be imposed starting in 2018, officials said on Thursday.

MENASource

Jan 13, 2016

Same US Policy, Different Syria

By Faysal Itani

Critics have called the Obama Administration’s Middle East policy inconsistent and confused, but in occasional speeches and interviews, President Barack Obama makes clear his core views on US policy in the region. His 2016 State of the Union speech was one such occasion.

Syria

MENASource

Jan 13, 2016

Top News: Turkey identifies the Syrian bomber behind the Istanbul blast, detains one suspect

By MENASource

Turkish authorities identified the bomber in the January 12 attack in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet as a Syrian born in 1988, who had recently entered Turkey. Turkish media, including newspapers close to the government, identified him as Nabil Fadli, and said he was born in Saudi Arabia.

MENASource

Jan 13, 2016

Top News: Egypt Fact-Finding Committee Refutes Top Auditor’s Claims State Bodies Embezzled EGP600 Billion

By EgyptSource

A presidential investigative committee accused head of the Central Auditing Authority (CAA) Hisham Geneina on Tuesday of misrepresenting and manipulating facts about state corruption.

MENASource

Jan 13, 2016

EconSource: Iraq Signs IMF Monitoring Program, Will Draw on Foreign Reserves

By EconSource

Iraq plans to finance its balance of payments deficit by drawing its foreign exchange reserves down to $43 billion in 2016 from $59 billion at the end of October.

MENASource

Jan 12, 2016

ISIS Changes Tactics in Turkey

By Aaron Stein

At 10:00am Tuesday morning, a 28-year-old Saudi national, identified as Nabil Fadli, crossed into Turkey from Syria and reportedly detonated a suicide vest near the Diliktaş (Egyptian Obelisk) in a small square next to Sultanahmet mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque.

Turkey

MENASource

Jan 12, 2016

Top News: Ten dead, 15 wounded in Istanbul tourist district explosion

By MENASource

An explosion in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district has killed at least 10 people and injured 15 others. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national whose “connections” were being investigated.