Category: Blogs

MB or FJP? The Brotherhood’s Branding Problem

By Hafsa Halawa

 Much has been said and written since January about the influence, power and fear of the Muslim Brotherhood and its role in Egyptian politics post-Mubarak. A well organized, structured and financed organization that has grown considerably in strength since its establishment by Hassan El Banna in the late 1920s, the Brotherhood and its official political […]

Fleet of U.S. drones now based in Turkey

By Greg Jaffe, Checkpoint Washington

From Greg Jaffe, Checkpoint Washington:  The U.S. military has begun flying unarmed Predator drones out of a Turkish air base as part of a joint Turkish-American counterterrorism operation in northern Iraq, according to a senior defense official.

Syrian Foreign Minister: ““The Libyan scenario will not be repeated”

By Nada Bakri, the New York Times

From Nada Bakri, the New York Times:  [Syrian Foreign Minister] Walid al-Moallem, speaking at a televised press conference in Damascus, reiterated Syria’s contention that it had complied with with terms of a proposed Arab League peace plan by withdrawing its armed troops from urban areas, releasing political prisoners and offering pardons to militants.

News Update: November 14, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Parties and movements are divided on whether or not to participate in a protest planned for November 18 to demand a swift transfer of power to civilian leadership and reject the supra-constitutional principles. The Brotherhood-dominated Democratic Alliance and most major Islamist forces including the Salafi Nour Party have issued statements rejecting the principles, but Tagammu’ […]

NATO chief falls off bicycle, breaks arm

By Zaman

From Zaman:  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen fell off his bicycle and broke his arm at the weekend, forcing him to call off a planned visit to the Baltic states this week, a NATO spokeswoman said. "He was biking in the woods in Brussels on Sunday and crashed," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on […]

Rasmussen: “I look forward to seeing Georgia in NATO”

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  Georgia has expressed its desire for membership of NATO. And NATO has reiterated that its door remains open to any European state that can contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area and further the principles upon which we have built our Alliance.

NATO does not recognize elections in South Ossetia

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  NATO does not recognise the elections held on November 13 in the Georgian region of South Ossetia.

Obama, Erdogan find shared interests

By Soner Cagaptay, the Washington Post

NATO’s Libya Op shows need for lower-cost strike aircraft

By Robert Wall, Aviation Week

From Robert Wall, Aviation Week:  Although much of the focus of Libya strike operations has been on platforms such as the Tornado GR4, Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale fighters, one lesson emerging from the conflict is the need to have a low-cost aircraft to support such prolonged operations.