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MENASource

Jun 29, 2015

EconSource: Aden Oil refinery Ablaze as Yemen Rebels Shell Port

By EconSource

A fire erupted at Aden’s oil refinery Saturday when rebels shelled the nearby port to prevent a Qatari ship carrying aid from docking.

MENASource

Jun 29, 2015

Are Syria’s Kurds America’s New Best Friend?

By Michael Stephens and Aaron Stein

The recent capture of the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad held by the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), by Syrian Kurdish forces (known as the YPG) is a major development in the course of the war in Syria. The result is that Kurdish forces are now poised to […]

Syria Turkey

New Atlanticist

Jun 26, 2015

Top Pentagon Official Disputes Russian Claims that Aegis Ashore Violates INF Treaty

By Larry Luxner

Russia must return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty or face unspecified consequences from the United States, a top Pentagon official warned June 25 in a keynote address to the Atlantic Council. Brian P. McKeon, Principal Deputy Secretary for Policy at the Department of Defense, denied a continuing charge by the Kremlin […]

Russia
French Mirage 2000N, Oct. 13, 2013

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2015

France Fills the American Arms Void

By Owen Daniels and Robbie Gramer, Politico Europe

Through a series of recent sales worth billions, most recently a $12 billion deal with Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday, the Rafale has become the backbone of Paris’s realpolitik economic diplomacy

France North Africa
President of the EU Council Donald Tusk, June 25, 2015

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2015

EU Urges More Defense Spending in Dangerous Times

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

European Council President Donald Tusk urged European leaders to spend more on defense on Friday as deadly attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait drove home his point about dramatic changes to the security situation in Europe and its neighborhood.

European Union France

MENASource

Jun 26, 2015

Presidential Pardons Leave Many Dissatisfied

By Khaled Dawoud

When news of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s plan to pardon prisoners convicted on charges of breaking Egypt’s protest law leaked prior to the official announcement, expectations ran high. The official announcement on June 17 revealed that 165 prisoners, mostly young men, would be released, with unconfirmed promises from unnamed presidential sources that more were to […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jun 26, 2015

Top News: At Least Twenty-Seven Dead in Sousse Terror Attack

By MENASource

At least twenty-seven people, including foreign tourists, were killed when at least one gunman opened fire on a Tunisian beachside hotel in the popular resort of Sousse on Friday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

MENASource

Jun 26, 2015

Top News: Egypt Issues Scathing Statement on US State Department Human Rights Report

By EgyptSource

The US Department of State issued its 2014 Human Rights Report on Thursday. The Egypt report identifies the country’s most significant human rights issues as “excessive use of force by security forces, including unlawful killings and torture; the suppression of civil liberties, including societal and government restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press and […]

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, June 25, 2015

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2015

US Urges NATO Allies to Harden Cyber Defenses Due to Russian Threat

By Reuters, Stars and Stripes, and CCDCOE

From Phil Stewart, Reuters:  U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged NATO allies on Wednesday to strengthen their cyber defenses, a senior U.S. defense official said, citing an advanced threat from Russia.

Cybersecurity NATO

New Atlanticist

Jun 26, 2015

Latest Pew Study on America’s Global Image Reveals Some Surprises

By Larry Luxner

Africans generally love the United States, as do most of India’s 1.3 billion people, but Russians aren’t thrilled with US foreign policy, and Israelis—although they consider America their strongest ally—simply don’t trust President Barack Obama very much. People worldwide, however, generally support US military efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), even […]