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MENASource

Aug 7, 2015

EconSource: Fitch Issues First Rating on Iraq’s Debt

By EconSource

Iraq has a stable outlook and a long-term foreign currency issuer default rating of B-, Fitch Ratings said in a statement on Friday.

MENASource

Aug 6, 2015

What is the Best Case Scenario for Egypt’s New Suez Canal?

By Tarek Radwan

One cannot deny Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s clear desire to reinvigorate Egypt’s economy after four years of steady weakening due largely to tumultuous political change and ongoing violence. One large project (among many mega projects Sisi has envisioned)—the “New” Suez Canal—has come to fruition two years ahead of schedule on presidential orders.

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 6, 2015

Top News: ISIS Seizes Central Syrian Town

By MENASource

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) on Thursday seized the heavily populated town of Qaryatain in southwestern Syria after heavy clashes with President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. ISIS’s capture of the town, which is its biggest advance since capturing Palmyra in May, will allow the group to link areas under its control in Palmyra with areas […]

MENASource

Aug 6, 2015

Top News: International Delegations Arrive in Egypt for New Suez Canal Ceremony; Sinai State Threatens to Execute Croatian Abducted in Egypt

By EgyptSource

International delegations continue to arrive in Egypt to attend the inauguration on Thursday of the new Suez Canal. Early on Thursday, commander in chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Viktor Chirkov arrived in Cairo.

MENASource

Aug 6, 2015

EconSource: Egypt Opening Suez Canal Expansion to High Hopes and Some Doubts

By EconSource

Egypt opens an expansion to the Suez Canal today, the centerpiece of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s plan to revitalize the country’s economy. However, some analysts and economists say that the mega-project may fail to meet the great expectations.

MENASource

Aug 5, 2015

Top News: Egypt Prepares to Inaugurate Expanded Suez Canal

By EgyptSource

To mark the inauguration of the $8.5 billion expansion of the Suez Canal, new passport stamps trumpet the project as “Egypt’s Gift to the World,” Cairo’s Tahrir Square has been festooned with strings of blue and white lights, nine swimmers from Egypt’s Paralympics team pulled a 5 kilometer flag along the waterway, and Thursday has been declared a […]

MENASource

Aug 5, 2015

Top News: Turkish Jets Hit PKK Targets; Qatar Backs Turkey over Bombing Raids in Northern Iraq

By MENASource

Turkish warplanes hit Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebel targets in the southeastern Turkish town of Daglica on Tuesday near the border with Iraq. The assault came after three Turkish soldiers were killed by PKK attacks in a neighboring province on Tuesday.

MENASource

Aug 5, 2015

EconSource: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Face Financial Crisis

By EconSource

Blocked from selling Yemen’s oil, the Houthi-led government has slipped into a financial crisis after four months of conflict with a Saudi-led military coalition.

MENASource

Aug 5, 2015

The Five Points of Discussion for the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue

By MENASource

The US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue saw a meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (along with a large number of other officials on both sides) on August 2 in an attempt to rekindle a bilateral relationship that saw its share of turbulence over the past few years.

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 4, 2015

The Potential Missile Race in the Middle East

By Aaron Stein

Hours after the conclusion of the Iran nuclear deal, President Barack Obama reiterated the administration’s policy of working with the Gulf Cooperation Council to integrate the region’s disparate missile defense systems.

International Organizations Iran