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SyriaSource

Feb 18, 2016

Top News: February 18, 2016

By SyriaSource

Syria rebels cross from Turkey to join Aleppo battlesAid deliveries begin to five besieged Syrian townsMSF seeks independent probe into bombing of Syria hospitalCar bomb strikes military convoy in Ankara; Turkey blames Syrian Kurdish militants

Syria

MENASource

Feb 18, 2016

NCHR Pushes for Prison Visits amid Complaints, Reports of Torture

By Khaled Dawoud

For the first time, this February, the National Council for Human Rights called on the Ministry of Interior to allow it to visit detention facilities in Egypt’s police stations. The demand comes amid continued complaints over the state of detention cells at police stations, deaths due to overcrowding, lack of ventilation, and stories of alleged […]

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 18, 2016

Top News: Egyptian Authorities Move to Shut Down Torture Watchdog

By EgyptSource

The Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence was nearly shut down on Wednesday by an interagency task force, reportedly at the orders of the Health Ministry’s Department for Private Medical Treatment.

MENASource

Feb 18, 2016

Abadi’s Unsavvy Politics

By Ramzy Mardini

Only a year and half since coming to power in Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has failed to learn how to adapt to assure his political survival. Last week, the Iraqi leader announced a new round of radical reforms from a position of weakness, despite having generated a great deal of pushback from Iraq’s political […]

Iraq

MENASource

Feb 18, 2016

EconSource: S&P Downgrades Credit Ratings of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman

By EconSource

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman’s credit ratings on Wednesday, citing pressures being created by the drop in oil prices. S&P downgrade

MENASource

Feb 17, 2016

After the Coming Devaluation of the Egyptian Pound, What Next?

By Mohsin Khan and Elissa Miller

There is consensus both within and outside Egypt that a devaluation of the Egyptian pound is imminent. The question is not if there will be a devaluation, but when. The general view is that it is only a matter of weeks or months before the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will have to give up […]

Economy & Business North Africa

New Atlanticist

Feb 17, 2016

Iran, Syria, Russia Seen as Top Challenges in the Middle East

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran, Syria, and Russia together pose the biggest challenge in the Middle East today, and any notion that there can be an alignment of the interests of Tehran and Washington is unrealistic, three former US officials said at the Atlantic Council on February 16. “We have an Iran-Syria-Russia problem right now in the Middle East,” […]

Iran Iraq

UkraineAlert

Feb 17, 2016

A Pyrrhic Victory for President Poroshenko

By Anders Åslund

On February 16, the Ukrainian parliament deemed the performance of its government unsatisfactory with 247 votes, but only 194 parliamentarians voted for a no-confidence measure. The government did not fall as some had expected. Overtly, this strange vote may appear a victory for President Petro Poroshenko, but it seems a Pyrrhic victory that may have […]

Ukraine

SyriaSource

Feb 17, 2016

Top News: February 17, 2016

By SyriaSource

Syria allows humanitarian aid into seven besieged areasUNSC criticizes Turkey’s strikes in northern SyriaRussia and United States to meet on Syria ceasefire this weekAt least 15 civilians dead in Syria coalition air raidsDeputy PM says Turkey wants secure zone 10 km within Syria

Syria
Estonian troops participating in Steadfast Jazz exercise, Nov. 3, 2013

NATOSource

Feb 17, 2016

Expert on NATO Calls for Permanent Alliance Military Presence in Baltics As Hedge Against Russia Military Action

By John Grady, USNI News

A leading analyst on NATO policy called for the alliance to place a permanent military presence in Baltic member states as a hedge against a more active Russian military.

NATO Northern Europe
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