Category: Blogs

Top News: Judicial Advisory Body Recommends Dissolution of Egypt’s Brotherhood; Morsi Referred to Criminal Court

By EgyptSource

Egypt’s State Commissioners Authority, a body that advises the government on legal issues, has recommended the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood. Late on Sunday, Egypt’s prosecutor-general ordered the referral of cases against deposed president Mohamed Morsi and fourteen other defendants to criminal court, concerning their alleged responsibility for clashes that took place last December in front […]

Damon Wilson Looks at President Obama’s Visit to Sweden

As Magnus Nordenman summarizes in his piece on NATOSource, there could be any number of reasons why President Obama is visiting Sweden this week. Obama’s decision to visit Stockholm may be explained with something as banal as Russia’s acceptance of Ed Snowden’s asylum application and a wish by Washington to send a message of displeasure […]

NATO Commander: Afghan Forces Suffering Too Many Casualties

By Emma Graham-Harrison, Guardian

Afghanistan’s police and army are losing too many men in battle, and may need up to five more years of western support

NATO Chief Calls for Closer European Cooperation on Defense

By EurActiv

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on European countries to step up cooperation on defence

NATO Must Help Obama on Syria

By James G. Stavridis, New York Times

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization must be part of an international effort to respond to the crisis in Syria, beginning immediately with punitive strikes

The Legal Case against Using Force in Syria: A Reply to Ulbrick, Williams, and Worboys

By Hyder Syed

On August 31, 2013, MENASource published an article by J. Trevor Ulbrick, Paul R. Williams, and Jonathan P. Worboys setting out a legal case for military intervention in Syria. The authors, all respected commentators on public international law, argue that the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) doctrine would legally sanction the limited use of force against […]

Secretary General: NATO Will Not Take Part In Syria Strike

By Jan M. Olsen, AP

NATO’s chief said for the first time Friday that the alliance has no plans for military action in Syria

Obama’s Hamlet Act

By James Joyner

As recently as two days ago, it looked as if strikes would commence this weekend. Yesterday, though, the president announced that he would seek permission from Congress, which won’t be back in town for more than a week. This Hamlet act is drawing jeers from friend and foe alike.

Syria: A Mystifying Lack of US Preparedness

By Fred Hof

The decision of President Barack Obama to seek congressional approval for US military strikes in Syria is constitutionally sound, but strategically appalling. By not making it clear from the outset of the crisis that he would seek the approval of the Senate and House for a military response to the Assad regime’s chemical atrocity, the […]

Obama’s Syria Decision and US Global Credibility

By Barry Pavel and Alex Ward

After a week of signaling that a US-led attack on Syria was imminent to punish the Assad regime for the inhumane and internationally condemned use of chemical weapons against his own people, US President Barack Obama announced two decisions Saturday: first, that he had decided to take military action against Syrian regime targets; but second, […]