Category: Blogs

Top News: Minister Says New Bill to End Prison Sentences for Insulting President

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mohamed Mahsoub said Tuesday that a bill has been submitted to President Mohamed Morsy that would repeal Article No. 179 of the country’s Penal Code, which stipulates a prison term for insulting the president.

The Bounds of Individual Freedoms: Should Egypt’s New Constitution Contain a Limitations Clause?

By Kristin Debs

Now that the Presidential elections have come to a close and a new president has been elected, Egyptians can turn their minds back to the drafting of the new constitution.  A nation’s constitution is a supreme law that sets the tone for the way that nation will govern itself while also laying out a country’s […]

U.S. urges African air forces to form NATO-style ties

By David Lewis, Reuters

From David Lewis, Reuters:  The United States urged African nations on Tuesday to pool their air force assets in a NATO-style effort to take on terrorists and international criminals rather than struggle to fund costly independent operations.

NATO may need more troops to ship home Afghan gear

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

From Adrian Croft, Reuters:  NATO countries may temporarily send more troops to Afghanistan to pack up and ship out huge quantities of weapons and equipment as they wind down operations after more than a decade of war, a military planner said on Tuesday.

Soft Power through Hard Power Weapon Sales

By Derek Reveron

In a Congressionally-mandated report, Richard F. Grimmett and Paul K. Kerr recently detailed global arms transfer agreements in 2011 of $85.3 billion, which is greater than the economic activity of 119 countries and tops the defense budget of every single country in the world save the United States and China. The United States accounts for […]

Top News: Morsi, Jintao Hold Talks to Boost Ties

By Egypt Source

Cairo and Beijing will sign agreements for seven major projects, including a power station, a desalination plant, industrial bakeries and Internet development, according to Egypt’s assistant planning minister Nabil Abdel Hamid. Egypt will also propose the development of a high-speed train line between Cairo and Alexandria, Hamid told state daily Al-Ahram.

Turkey wants safe haven for refugees in Syria. Will UN or NATO oblige?

By Howard LaFranchi, the Christian Science Monitor

NATO names Norwegian diplomat as Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security

By NATO

From NATO:  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has appointed Norwegian diplomat Mari Skåre as his Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security.

Iran Said to Send Troops to Bolster Syria

By Farnaz Fassihi, the Wall Street Journal

From Farnaz Fassihi, the Wall Street Journal:  Iran is sending commanders from its elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and hundreds of foot soldiers to Syria, according to current and former members of the corps.