Category: Blogs

Syrian Opposition Must Prove It Can Handle Foreign Funds

By Barbara Slavin

In the aftermath of its latest meeting with international supporters, the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) faces a crucial test: whether it can spend millions of dollars in foreign aid efficiently and without corruption.  Syria analysts and SNC members concede that the council has been slow to organize behind a single leader or vision to […]

Egypt’s Outdated Leftist Movement In Need of Renovation

By Hany Ghoraba

Egyptian leftists and socialists have a branding problem. Instead of working to develop a constructive vision for the future, they are wasting time defining themselves in terms of what they are not, and in reference to their neoliberal political opponents. Leftists are building their political capital on criticism of neoliberal criticism, rather than thinking critically […]

NATO: ‘We need to hand over the last provinces and districts to lead Afghan responsibility at a certain time in 2013’

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  Let me stress, we will stick to the Lisbon Road Map and complete transition by the end of 2014.

Top News: Salafi Clerics Slam Brotherhood for Running Presidential Candidate

By Mara Revkin

The Salafi Scholars Shura Council criticized the Muslim Brotherhood for nominating Khairat al-Shater for the presidency. In a statement Tuesday, the council also denounced certain Islamists calling on presidential candidate Hazem Saleh Abu Ismail to waive his candidacy for al-Shater, who they say has the confidence of the Egyptians.

NATO Secretary General: ‘Solidarity to be a key theme’ at Chicago summit

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  We have started the countdown to our Chicago summit.

Australia, a Key Partner in NATO’s security mission

By NATO

From NATO:  ‘You are a highly appreciated partner and contributor’: these were the words of welcome and appreciation that the NATO Secretary General expressed to the group of visiting Australian parliamentarians at NATO Headquarters

On this date: Truman signed the Marshall Plan

By the New York Times

From the New York Times:  On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed the Marshall Plan, which allocated more than $5 billion in aid to 16 European countries. In signing the plan, officially called the Economic Recovery Program, Truman declared, “This measure is America’s answer to the challenge facing the free world.”

Clinton: US may offer ‘intelligence capacity’ to Syrian opposition

By the US Department of State

From the US Department of State:  Excerpts from interview of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton by Wendell Goler, FOX News

Why Europe Still Matters

By Alberto R. Coll, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs:  Over the past decade it has become fashionable to write off Europe and downgrade its importance to American interests.