Category: Blogs

Egypt Downplays Reopening of Israeli Embassy

By Khaled Dawoud

All announcements on the official reopening of the Israeli embassy in Cairo last week came from Israel, while Egyptian officials were either silent or appeared to downplay the event. Egypt’s stance was likely an effort to avoid a backlash from the generally anti-Israeli public opinion. The announcement, nonetheless, was criticized by staunch opponents of President […]

EconSource: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia Sign Contracts Worth $300 Million for New Oil Pipeline

By EconSource

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have signed contracts worth around $300 million to lay a new 350,000 barrel per day (bpd) oil pipeline between the two countries, Bahrain’s Energy Minister Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza said on Thursday.

Countering Extremism Through Proper Introductions

By Richard LeBaron and Jordan Lesser-Roy

Since 2002, over 8,000 Muslim teenagers have come to the United States through the State Department’s Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program, which allows the students to spend a year attending an American high school while living with an American family.

Investigative Journalists Present Exhaustive Report on ‘Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine’

The Russian government under President Vladimir Putin is “directly coordinating and leading the fight to destabilize and disunite Ukraine”—despite Putin’s increasingly desperate efforts to hide the truth—concludes a damning report issued September 17. “An Invasion by Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine” is a joint production of the New York-based nonprofit Institute […]

New Swedish Poll Shows Sharp Increase in Support for NATO Membership

By Defense News and Deutsche Welle

From Gerard O’Dwyer, Defense News:  A landmark poll in Sweden reveals a massive shift in public opinion that favors the non-aligned Nordic state joining NATO.

Swedish Minister Slams Russian ‘Threats’ About NATO Membership

By Local (Sweden)

Foreign Minister Margot Wallström said relations between Sweden and Russia are “chillier than ever” after she met with the country’s ambassador in Stockholm to ask him to explain comments that the Nordic country would likely face military action if it were to join NATO.

Iran Debates Its Regional Role

By Bilal Y. Saab

University of Tehran Professor Nasser Hadian’s article Iran Debates Its Regional Role is a must-read for two main reasons: First, even though we know a bit more about Iran today because of a long negotiation with the P5+1 over the nuclear issue and extensive interaction among Iranian and Western diplomats, we still know very little […]

Wanted: All—Transatlantic—Hands on Deck for Implementation of Iran Deal

By Peter Wittig

Two factors made it possible to reach the nuclear agreement with Iran. First, unity was key. The agreement is also a transatlantic success. During the negotiations, the P5+1—that is, the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, and China—and the European Union remained united in the goal of preventing the nuclear armament of Iran. Second, […]

Top News: Only Handful of US-Trained Syrian Rebels Still Fighting

By MENASource

Only four or five US-trained Syrian rebels are still fighting in Syria, US General Lloyd Austin told Congress on Wednesday, a stark admission of setbacks to a fledgling military program that critics have already pronounced a failure.

Top News: Photojournalist Shawkan’s Brother Says Court Date Set for December 12

By EgyptSource

The brother of a detained photojournalist says Egypt has set a date for the first session of his trial, more than two years after he was taken into custody.