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MENASource

May 7, 2015

EconSource: Iraq’s Baiji Refinery Still Under Threat From ISIS Militants

By EconSource

Pentagon officials said they are worried that Iraq’s Baiji oil refinery could fall to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in the coming days. For weeks, US military officials have said that control of the refinery has been bitterly contested between Iraqi forces and ISIS militants.

MENASource

May 6, 2015

Guns, Butter, and the Future of the Gulf States

By Mathew Burrows

Recent news reports of the Saudis burning through their foreign currency reserves at record pace over the past couple months. Combined with the growing conflict in Yemen and an already heavy engagement in Syria begs questions about the future of Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbors.

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

May 6, 2015

The Cult of ISIS and Foreign Recruits

By Mona Alami

Analysts have described the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) as the most powerful terrorist organization of this decade. However, few have discussed the shared characteristics between the extremist nebula and modern cults, particularly regarding the recruitments of westerners and fresh converts.

Iraq Syria

MENASource

May 6, 2015

Top News: Houthis Fire Across Border into Saudi Arabia

By MENASource

Yemen’s rebels fired rockets and mortars into Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, killing at least three people and purportedly capturing five soldiers in an attack showing the insurgents’ ability to launch assaults despite weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting them.

MENASource

May 6, 2015

Top News: Ministry of Social Solidarity to Investigate Alleged Shia NGOs

By EgyptSource

The ministry of social solidarity announced the formation of a committee tasked with investigating NGOs that allegedly practice or promote Shia rituals. The head of the central administration of the NGOs within the ministry, Khaled Sultan said the committee was formed upon a decree from Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Waly.

MENASource

May 6, 2015

EconSource: World Bank Approves $500 Million Loan for Egypt Public Housing Project

By EconSource

The World Bank has approved a $500 million loan to Egypt to support a government affordable housing project, Minister of Housing Moustafa Madbouly said Wednesday.

MENASource

May 5, 2015

Can Egyptian-American Mohamed Soltan be Deported?

By Sonia Farid

With Mohamed Soltan’s hunger strike exceeding 450 days, speculation is rife as to how long he can survive in an Egyptian prison. In early April, Soltan, who is an American-Egyptian dual citizen, was sentenced to life in prison—technically a twenty-five year sentence in Egypt. A new law introduced last November by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi allowing […]

North Africa

MENASource

May 5, 2015

Top News: Air Strikes Hit Yemen Airports as Saudis Ponder Ceasefire

By MENASource

Heavy Saudi-led airstrikes targeted several airports Monday across Yemen even as the kingdom’s Foreign Minister said officials were considering a ceasefire to allow aid into Yemen.

MENASource

May 5, 2015

Top News: Court to Rule on July 2 in Lawsuit Calling for Facebook to Be Blocked in Egypt

By EgyptSource

The State Council’s administrative court will look into a lawsuit calling for blocking Facebook services in Egypt on July 2. The lawsuit argues that Facebook is used to spread immorality, rumors, and falsified news detrimental to the state.

MENASource

May 5, 2015

A US Defense Treaty with the Gulf States: Why Values Matter

By Richard LeBaron

In an Atlantic Council report and subsequent article in The National Interest, my colleagues Barry Pavel and Bilal Saab at the Brent Scowcroft Center of the Atlantic Council have made a case for a formal alliance with US security partners in the Gulf.

Iran Saudi Arabia