MENASource

Top News: Egypt Court Upholds Three Year Sentence Against Mubarak on Graft Charges

By EgyptSource

A Cairo criminal court has upheld a three-year sentence against Mubarak on graft charges, but the former strongman will return home since he has served the full sentence, his defense team said.

Top News: King Salman Will Not Attend Camp David Summit

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that its new monarch, King Salman, would not be attending meetings at the White House with President Obama or a summit gathering at Camp David this week, in an apparent signal of its continued displeasure with the administration over United States relations with Iran, its rising regional adversary.

Syria: A Strategy Possibly Emerging, But to What End?

By Frederic C. Hof

Recent media reports indicate (if not conclude) that the anti-Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) “train and equip” effort of the US Department of Defense will be based largely in Jordan and focused mainly on preparing Syrian fighters of tribal origin to operate in ISIL-occupied eastern Syria.

EconSource: Iraq to Slash Investment Spending in 2015

By EconSource

The Iraqi government is expected to slash investment spending for 2015 by over 80 percent as weak oil prices hit state revenues.

The Army’s Nation

By Maged Atiya

Some of the least recognized voices in Egypt today belong to men and women trying to build and grow small and medium size businesses. While the hope for broad prosperity rests within their ranks, their concerns are often overlooked. Their voices today paint an unhappy picture. Among the plethora of comments, most offered privately, they […]

Obama-GCC Summit: Syria is the Elephant in the Room

By Hanin Ghaddar

President Barack Obama will host the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders next week at the White House and Camp David to discuss security issues in the Middle East.

Top News: Kerry Meets with Gulf Ministers on Iran, Yemen

Concerns over a final nuclear deal with Iran and civil war in Yemen will top the agenda of talks in Paris on Friday between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Gulf Arab states. Kerry met counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain, as well as the head of the […]

The Iran Deal, Camp David, and Nuclear Nonproliferation in the Middle East

By Nabil Fahmy

Leaders from the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will convene at Camp David on May 13 and 14, where they were initially invited to deliberate with President Barack Obama on the Iranian nuclear framework agreement.

Top News: Sisi Frees Presidency, Cabinet from Some Public Sector Labor Laws

By EgyptSource

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree exempting him and the Prime Minister from following public sector labor regulations when it comes to hiring and firing top staffers. Articles 19 and 20 of the Civil Service Law, which was ratified in February this year, hold that senior and executive management positions in the public sector […]

EconSource: US Official Says Majority of Iraq’s Baiji Refinery Controlled by ISIS

By EconSource

Iraqi security forces are “all but cut off” at the Baiji oil refinery by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) and now only control about 20 percent of the facility, according to a senior US official.