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MENASource

Dec 2, 2015

The Rise of ISIS in Lebanon

By Mona Alami

The Dahieh bomb blast on November 12 was the first to target Beirut’s southern suburbs since June 2014, when a suicide car bomb killed a General Security officer. In the period between July 2013 and February 2014, jihadist extremists targeted Hezbollah-dominated areas in nine separate attacks.

Middle East Syria

UkraineAlert

Dec 2, 2015

Russia Is a “Troll State,” Not a Rogue State

By Andrew Kornbluth

In the eighteen months since Russia annexed Crimea, the world has been alternately captivated and bewildered by the wild swings and sudden shifts that describe Russian foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin. Particularly alarming for those who fear a direct clash between Russia and the West has been Putin’s tendency to swerve between antagonism and […]

Russia Ukraine
NATO Foreign Ministers, Dec. 1, 2015

NATOSource

Dec 1, 2015

NATO Taking Steps to Strengthen Defense of Turkey

By NATO Foreign Ministers

The situation along NATO’s south-eastern border remains highly unstable. We reiterate that the security of the Alliance is indivisible and that Allies stand in strong solidarity with Turkey, which is facing multiple challenges from the south including terrorist threats.

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

Dec 1, 2015

Saudi Arabia Prepares for OPEC Clash as Succession Questions Linger

By Jareer Elass

Saudi Arabia will face pressure in Vienna this week from fellow members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to rethink the group’s strategy of sustained high oil output that is causing economic pain to most oil producers. The OPEC meeting on Dec. 4 comes at a time when Gulf watchers are questioning […]

Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Dec 1, 2015

Sudanese Refugees on Egypt’s Border

By Tom Rollins

With 15 Sudanese refugees or migrants gunned down on Egypt’s border with Israel on November 15, and another five killed by Egyptian border guards a week later, Egypt is witnessing the worst case of violence against Sudanese refugees since 2005. At the time, police brutally dispersed a sit-in, where refugees were protesting UNHCR’s decision to […]

North Africa Sudan

SyriaSource

Dec 1, 2015

Top News: December 1, 2015

By SyriaSource

– Putin meets with Obama to discuss Syria on sidelines of Paris climate conference– Assad accuses France of ‘supporting terrorism’; UK to vote Wednesday on Syria air strikes– Syria denies using chemical weapons in civil war– Syria’s al-Qaeda branch releases captive Lebanese soldiers– Deal reached over last Syria rebel exit from Homs city– Turkey detains […]

Syria

MENASource

Dec 1, 2015

Top News: Al-Qaeda Threatens Saudi Arabia Over Plan to Execute Prisoners

By MENASource

Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen threatened the Saudi government in a statement on social media over the government’s plan to carry out a mass execution of 50 prisoners, some of whom are al-Qaeda members. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said it was aware of Saudi intentions to execute its members in Saudi prisons and pledged to carry […]

MENASource

Dec 1, 2015

Top News: Sisi for Climate Change Deal, but Demands Western Funding

By EgyptSource

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, representing African nations at a UN summit on climate change in Paris, said African countries are, compared to developed nations, less responsible for emissions of greenhouses gases that cause climate change.

MENASource

Dec 1, 2015

EconSource: Russia says Turkey Shot Down Russian plane to Defend Oil Supplies from ISIS

By EconSource

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Turkey downed a Russian warplane on November 24 in order to protect oil supplies from the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL).

MENASource

Dec 1, 2015

Migrants, Extremism, and US Policy

By MENASource

An interview with Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns Migrants fleeing conflicts across the Middle East have washed up on European shores, but the global response–particularly after the terrorist incidents that took place in Paris two weeks ago–has left these refugees with few options. Stemming from a fear of terrorist infiltration, many countries are either in the […]

Iraq Syria