Stay Updated


Content

MENASource

May 19, 2014

Party Positions on Presidential Elections: Inside the Decision-Making Process

By Sarah El Sirgany

Political parties in Egypt have three choices for this year’s presidential elections: supporting former defense minister Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi, or boycotting. It is a simple task that does not require the scrutinizing of multiple electoral programs for their compatibility with party agendas—so simple that it was put to […]

Elections North Africa

MENASource

May 16, 2014

Top News: UN says Humanitarian Situation Deteriorating in Yemen

By MENASource

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday that half of the population of Yemen needs assistance. OCHA’s head, Johannes Van Der Klaauw, said at a press conference, “In Yemen, there are one million acutely malnourished children. It is the highest number after Afghanistan.” He continued by saying that 1.33 million people have […]

MENASource

May 16, 2014

Top News: Three Lawyers Defending AJE Journalists Quit Case in Protest

By EgyptSource

Three lawyers representing Al Jazeera English journalists currently on trial for terrorism-related charges suddenly stepped down on Thursday, accusing the Qatar-based satellite network of twisting the facts of the case to its own ends without regard for the defendants.

MENASource

May 16, 2014

The Kurdish Dilemma: Counterterrorism and Realpolitik in Iraq

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

Increased calls from the Iraqi army to the United States to provide promised F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters are aimed at destroying the Iraqi offshoot of al-Qaeda in Sunni heartland of Iraq. However, the Iraqi army’s fight against Sunni insurgents rather than increased border protection raises worries among Kurds that the Iraqi army could […]

Iraq

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Top News: Bouteflika Announces Presidential Terms Limits, Other Constitutional Reforms

By MENASource

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika proposed a two-term presidential limit and delegating more authority to the prime minister’s post as part of constitutional amendments after his reelection, a government source said on Thursday. Forty-seven proposed amendments were distributed to political parties on Thursday.

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Top News: Egyptians Abroad Head to the Polls as Elections Begin

By EgyptSource

Egyptians living abroad began Thursday to cast their ballots in a presidential poll that is expected to bring former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power.

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Third Eye Blind: The State of the Egyptian Media

By Mohamed Selim

Consensus is nonexistent in contemporary Egypt. Politicians, academics, and activists comprise the actors in a perpetual tragedy, a circular argument filled with nonsensical disagreement and contention over ulterior motives and selfish pecuniary advantages.

North Africa

MENASource

May 15, 2014

Syria: Is the Revolution Finished?

By Frederic C. Hof

Homs, the mother of the Syrian revolution, has fallen. US officials agonize over material support to armed rebel nationalists, while Iranian officials proclaim victory. Lakhdar Brahimi, a tireless advocate for a negotiated political transition, steps aside.

Syria

MENASource

May 14, 2014

Top News: Lakhdar Brahimi Resigns From Post as UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria

By MENASource

International efforts to end the war in Syria faltered further on Tuesday as the United Nations mediator quit, citing frustrations over the moribund political negotiations. The United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, announced that he had accepted the resignation of his special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, who told reporters, “It’s very sad that I leave this position […]

MENASource

May 14, 2014

Top News: Douma Transferred to Hospital, Shamy to Undisclosed Location

By EgyptSource

Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma was transferred to a hospital on Tuesday for medical investigations following several calls to action concerning his deteriorating health.