Content

REUTERS/Stringer

New Atlanticist

Dec 4, 2014

Boko Haram Steps Up Offensive as Nigeria Halts US Military Training Program

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Boko Haram, the African militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) over the summer, appears to have borrowed a page from the jihadists’ playbook as it unleashes a deadly wave of attacks across northern Nigeria in its quest to carve out an Islamic state rooted in Shariah law.

Nigeria
REUTERS/Stringer

AfricaSource

Dec 4, 2014

Boko Haram Q & A

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Boko Haram, the militant Islamist group that has a foothold in northern Nigeria, has begun to consolidate control over large swathes of territory threatening the stability of Nigeria and its neighbors. The militants have resorted to using female suicide bombers as they ramp up their fight against the Nigerian government ahead of elections in February. […]

Conflict Nigeria
AWACS: NATO's 'Eye In The Sky,' March 18, 2011

NATOSource

Dec 4, 2014

NATO Faces AWACS Fleet Shrinkage

By Tony Osborne, Aviation Week

NATO might be calling on its members to raise their defense spending, but if the alliance’s airborne early warning program is anything to go by, that message may be falling on deaf ears.

NATO Security & Defense

MENASource

Dec 4, 2014

Top News: Tamarod, Sami Anan Political Parties Rejected

By EgyptSource

The Supreme Electoral Commission rejected on Wednesday the establishment of Tamarod’s Arab Popular Movement political party and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan’s Masr al-Orouba political party, based on provisions within the political parties law.

MENASource

Dec 4, 2014

Top News: ISIS Militants Establish Training Camps in Eastern Libya

By MENASource

A top US military commander confirmed Thursday that militants allied with the Islamic State have established training camps in eastern Libya. General David Rodriguez, Commander of US AFRICOM, told reporters that there were several militants identified at the camps but ruled out immediate military action targeting the identified locations.

UkraineAlert

Dec 4, 2014

Amid East Europe’s Tussle, Moldova Election Shows Need to Speed Reform

By James Rupert

US, EU Should Re-Focus Now on What May Be a Last, Best Chance for Critical Changes, Analysts Say Moldova’s pro-Europe parties have won a troubled election victory, taking barely enough parliament seats to renew their coalition and pursue the integration of Moldova with the European Union. That may hold open a window of opportunity—for perhaps […]

Eastern Europe Elections

NATOSource

Dec 3, 2014

Infographic: Details of the Coalition Fighting ISIL

By Jorge Benitez and Gabriel Maletta

Which nations are conducting air strikes in Syria, but not Iraq? Are allies conducting an equal number of the air strikes against ISIL? Which Pacific power is participating in military operations in Iraq? The following chart answers these and many more questions about the international coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

Iraq NATO
Meeting of NATO foreign ministers, December 2, 2104

NATOSource

Dec 3, 2014

New NATO Force Not Ready Until 2016, Alliance to Rely on Interim Brigade

By Michael R. Gordon, New York Times

NATO will establish a prototype of a new rapid response force next year as it strives to improve its ability to deter a Russian attack, the alliance said on Tuesday.

Germany NATO

New Atlanticist

Dec 3, 2014

Iran Nuclear Deal Could Come Before July, Analysts Say

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran and six Western powers could reach a deal on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program well before the new July 1 deadline, experts told the Atlantic Council on December 2. The P5+1 — the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany — and Iran last month extended their self-imposed November 24 […]

Iran Nuclear Nonproliferation

MENASource

Dec 3, 2014

Top News: Tunisia’s Parliament Fails to Elect Speaker in Inaugural Session

By MENASource

Tunisia’s new parliament, the Assembly of People’s Representatives, held its first session on Tuesday but failed to elect a speaker and his two deputies after members voted to postpone the election to Thursday.