Category: Blogs

President-elect Mohamed Morsi Takes an Informal Oath in Tahrir

By Nancy Messieh

As president-elect Mohamed Morsi’s speech was coming to an end in Tahrir Square, two soldiers could be seen trying to form the beginnings of a human barricade in front of him, at the edge of the stage. Morsi promptly pushed their hands away, stepped forward and lifted his arms, waving at the crowds chanting beneath […]

Names and rank of missing Turkish pilots

The Turkish press has published the names of the two pilots missing after their aircraft was shot down by Syria last Friday.

Assad forces bombard northern towns, avoid Turkish border

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters

From Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters:  Helicopter gunships bombarded a strategic town in northern Syria overnight and tanks moved close to the commercial hub of Aleppo, rebels said, but kept well clear of new Turkish air defenses

Soviet collapse holds a lesson for the euro

By Philip Stepgens, the Financial Times

From Philip Stepgens, the Financial Times:  The conviction that, whatever else happened, the state and socialist system were immutable, proved the downfall of Soviet policy makers.

Top News: Egypt President-elect to Address Crowd at Tahrir Square Protesting Military Hold on Power

By Tarek Radwan

Egypt’s president-elect plans Friday to address thousands who have camped out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demonstrate against the military’s hold on power despite the election of a new civilian leader, a nod to the protesters who supported his bid for leadership. Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali, said the president-elect wants to stand with the thousands […]

Is NATO Deterring Itself?

By Julian Lindley-French

Is NATO deterring itself? A two day meeting here in a searingly hot Rome on NATO’s Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR) reaffirmed to me the deep transatlantic gulf over NATO’s twenty-first century role. Sadly, no answer will be found to NATO’s existential twenty-first century question: is the Alliance integral to America’s world view or […]

Turkey sends additional troops to Syrian border, NATO acknowledges defense plans

By Liz Sly and Karen DeYoung, the Washington Post

From Liz Sly and Karen DeYoung, the Washington Post:  Turkey reinforced its border with Syria with additional troops and antiaircraft weapons Thursday, amid heightened regional tensions ahead of a conference of world powers in Geneva this weekend.

Rising Iraqi Oil Output Greases Iran Sanctions

By Barbara Slavin

Iraq’s once-battered oil sector is further eclipsing production in Iran, relieving pressure on world oil markets and facilitating the imposition of draconian new sanctions on Iran.

Dozens wounded as Serbs, Kosovo police clash

By Fatos Bytyci and Aleksandar Vasovic, Reuters

From Fatos Bytyci and Aleksandar Vasovic, Reuters:  More than 50 people were injured in clashes on Thursday when the authorities in Kosovo deported a group of visiting Serbs