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MENASource

Dec 2, 2015

The Economic Fallout of the Metrojet Crash

By Brendan Meighan

Egypt’s tourism industry has been shaken to its core by the downing of a Russian airliner over Sinai in October, killing all 224 passengers and crew members onboard.  While tragic in its own right, the economic implications for the tourism sector, and indirectly the broader Egyptian economy, are massive and have the potential to reverse […]

North Africa

UkraineAlert

Dec 2, 2015

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

By Melinda Haring

On November 30, Ukraine took two steps forward in its fight against corruption. Member of parliament Mykola Martynenko resigned his position, and Nazar Kholodnytsky was appointed the nation’s top anticorruption prosecutor. Martynenko was the deputy head of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front party and the head of parliament’s energy and fuel committee. According to […]

Ukraine

MENASource

Dec 2, 2015

Top News: Sinai Expert Detained Fifteen Days for ‘Spreading False News’

By EgyptSource

An Egyptian researcher and freelance journalist detained upon his return to Egypt is being investigated for spreading false news his lawyers said Tuesday.

MENASource

Dec 2, 2015

EconSource: Under New Central Bank Leadership, Egypt Repays Foreign Investors

By EconSource

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) changed the way it allocated dollars at a foreign exchange auction on Tuesday and sought to reassure markets by repaying foreign investors a backlog of more than $500 million.

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