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SyriaSource

May 23, 2016

An Offer Well Worth Refusing

By Frederic C. Hof

On May 20, 2016 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed that the United States and Russia coordinate air strikes against Nusra Front positions in northwestern Syria. Shoigu helpfully added that his proposal had been coordinated with the Assad regime in Damascus. His initiative represents an opening shot, as it were, in Russia’s attempt to forge […]

Syria

MENASource

May 20, 2016

The Nakba, Sykes-Picot and Today’s Arab World

By H.A. Hellyer

On May 16, precisely one hundred years ago, two British and French politicians signed the now infamous ‘Sykes-Picot’ agreement, which, according to one view, was responsible for setting in motion turmoil in the Arab world. Those two names of ‘Sykes’ and ‘Picot’ would probably have passed away into history with few people noticing, except that […]

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2016

Diplomacy Seen Key to Defusing Tensions with Russia

By Victoria Langton

More confidence-building measures will be required to defuse tensions between the West and Russia, Lamberto Zannier, the secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said at the Atlantic Council on May 20. Such measures should include working groups as a key tool for “dispelling concerns” and setting “parameters,” said Zannier. Urging […]

NATO Missile Defense complex in Romania, Sept. 5, 2013

NATOSource

May 20, 2016

US, France Differ Over Readiness of NATO Missile-Defense Shield

By Julian E. Barnes and Robert Wall, Wall Street Journal

French officials said they are withholding their approval for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to take control of the U.S.-built European missile-defense system

Central Europe France

SyriaSource

May 20, 2016

Political Development as a Response to the Conflict in Syria

By Sarah Sheikh Ali

Of the five aspects of development, projects in Syria lack focus on political development, favoring projects of a social, economic, cultural, or environmental nature. In Syria, the spread of selective economic and social services projects without any political development component hinders development work from supporting the resolution of the larger conflict in Syria and sub-conflicts. […]

Syria

MENASource

May 20, 2016

A Swift Response to Egypt’s April 25 Dissent

By Khaled Dawoud

Egypt’s opposition was dealt a heavy blow early this week after several courts sentenced 152 protesters, arrested on April 25, to two to five years in prison. They were detained for demonstrating against the maritime border agreement signed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia in early April, ceding Cairo’s sovereignty over the two strategic Red Sea […]

North Africa

SyriaSource

May 19, 2016

The Latest from Vienna

By Frederic C. Hof

The International Syrian Support Group (ISSG) met in Vienna on May 17, 2016 and issued a statement summing up its work. The language of the statement on civilian protection and humanitarian access is positive and assertive. Russia and Iran have agreed on paper to things of potentially great significance in terms of reducing violence and […]

Syria

New Atlanticist

May 19, 2016

A ‘Shortsighted’ US Embrace

By Ashish Kumar Sen

For Obama administration, anti-terrorism agenda comes at the cost of human rights when picking partners, says Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth The Obama administration has, in the conduct of its war against terrorism, embraced a “shortsighted” approach that sets aside a democratic agenda and overlooks human rights abuses committed by some of its closest allies […]

North Africa Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

May 19, 2016

America’s Friend in North Africa Deserves Better

By J. Peter Pham

It is written in the Book of Proverbs that “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” In other words, a true friend will tell another unpleasant truths, conveying things the other may not want to hear, but doing so for the sake of the other’s own good, which is valued more than even the friendship […]

Morocco

MENASource

May 19, 2016

The Fragility of Tunisia’s Success Story

By Karim Mezran

Tunisia has been considered by most observers as the success story of the Arab Spring. If compared with the disastrous situations in Libya, Yemen, and Syria, and with the increasingly complicated situation in Egypt, Tunisia’s success seems an apparent truth.

North Africa
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