MENASource

EconSource: IMF May Agree on $800 Million Loan to Iraq in Weeks

By EconSource

Iraq has requested financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and may reach an agreement within weeks on a loan of about $800 million, a senior IMF official said.

US Role in GCC Security: Lessons from the Taiwan Case

By Robert A. Manning

The upcoming Camp David Summit with nervous Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders has the Obama administration casting about for ways to enhance security assurances.

Top News: US Religious Commission Categorizes Egypt as ‘Country of Particular Concern’

By EgyptSource

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom for the fifth year in a row is recommending that the State Department categorize Egypt as a “country of particular concern” subject to sanctions. The Obama administration has repeatedly ignored that advice, and even those lawmakers most invested in the issue of religious freedom hope to keep it […]

Top News: Saudi-Led Troops in Yemen

By MENASource

At least twenty troops from a Saudi-led Arab coalition came ashore Sunday in the southern port city of Aden on what military officials called a “reconnaissance” mission, as fighting raged between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the nation’s exiled President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi.

EconSource: ISIS Again Pushing to Capture Iraq Refinery at Baiji

By EconSource

Islamic State militants (ISIS or ISIL) took control of half Iraq’s largest oil refinery over the weekend and cut supply lines to the 150 or so government troops who were holding out inside the facility.

Tunisia Walking a Tightrope

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Whether one speaks to a taxi driver, a bureaucrat, an activist, or a politician, Tunisians agree: their country’s two primary challenges are security and the economy. During a research trip to Tunis in April, all of those interviewed unequivocally cited these interlinked concerns in response to questions about Tunisia’s obstacles.

Top News: Turkey Marks Tense May Day as Police Enforce Lockdown

As demonstrations are underway throughout Turkey to mark May Day, Turkish police have detained at least 136 people around Istanbul’s Taksim Square, which is on lockdown today. The police have also used teargas and water cannons to disperse crowds.

Yemen: A View from Marib

By Nadwa Al-Dawsari

It has now been more than a year since Ahmed Ashulaif, a distinguished fifty year-old businessman and tribal leader from Marib, put his business on hold. Since then, he has fought to stop the Houthis, a Zaydi-Shia rebel group that took control of Yemen’s capital and ousted its government in September 2014.

Egypt’s Responsibility in the Mediterranean Refugee Crisis

By Mohamed Abdel Salam

As the season of migration via the Mediterranean begins, public policy discussions by Egyptian authorities on Syrian refugees have become increasingly important. Since the start of the year, over 1,750 refugees have died making the treacherous journey, attempting to leave the coasts of Africa for a better future in Europe. Syrians by far outnumber any […]

Top News: Egypt, Spain Ink Security Cooperation Agreement

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi witnessed on Thursday the signing of a security cooperation agreement with Spain during his visit to Madrid. The agreement, which regulates cooperation between the two states in the field of security and combating crime, was signed by the Egyptian Foreign Minister and the Spanish Interior Minister, reported state television, citing […]