Category: Blogs

Assad Says Europe Will ‘Pay Price’ if It Arms Rebels: Newspaper

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned Europe in a German newspaper interview that it will "pay the price" if it follows Washington’s lead and delivers arms to rebel forces, saying such a move would spread terrorism to the continent.

Lawlessness Engulfs Sinai’s Bedouins

By Sarah El-Rashidi

Following the Egyptian revolution in January 2011 a nationwide security vacuum has caused great unrest, particularly in the rugged Sinai Peninsula. Sinai’s geographic location bordering Israel and Palestine and its indigenous Bedouin population are the primary concern given the area’s influence on regional and national security. The lack of security in the mountainous desert terrain […]

Top News: Morsi Cuts Egypt’s Syria Ties, Syria Lashes Out at Decision

President Mohamed Morsi said he had cut all diplomatic ties with Damascus on Saturday and called for a no-fly zone over Syria, pitching the most populous Arab state firmly against President Bashar al-Assad. GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION Opposition weighs post-June 30 transition plans Top opposition party leaders met on Saturday at the headquarters of the Popular […]

Report: Russian Weapons Systems Competitive with NATO Counterparts, Also Cheaper

By Charles Clover, Financial Times

From Charles Clover, Financial Times:  “Ever since Soviet days we have been lagging behind the US in military aviation,” says Mr [director of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Ruslan] Pukhov.

Top News: Egypt’s Morsi Severs Ties With Syria

Norway Aims to Double the Number of Women in its Armed Forces

By Ellen Emmerentze Jervell, Wall Street Journal

Yemen’s National Dialogue Behind Closed Doors

By Samaa Hamdani

Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference (NDC), which began on March 18 and just reached the halfway point of its six-month mandate, was conceived as a core part of the transition process and is intended to bring together Yemen’s diverse political, social, geographic, and demographic groups to address the most critical issues plaguing the beleaguered country. Unfortunately, […]

The New Prince of Persia

By Julian Lindley-French

Democritus wrote, “I would rather discover one true cause than gain the Kingdom of Persia”. With the election of the maybe vaguely reform-minded Hassan Rouhani many in the West are again hoping that this new Prince of Persia will also mark a new beginning for Iran. Much of this can be put down to the […]

German Defense Minister Says Euro Hawk Termination Partly Due to US Export Constraints

By Chris Pocock, AINonline

From Chris Pocock, AINonline:  In a report to parliament last week, German Defense Minister Thomas De Maziere called for NATO and Europe to achieve clarity on the certification and operation of UAVs.