Middle East

For ISIS, Iraq’s Spoils Could Tip Balance in Eastern Syria

By Karen Leigh

Photos depicting militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) driving US-made armored vehicles across the Iraqi border into the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor could prove that the porous border between Iraq and Syria is now an open road for ISIS fighters hoping to establish a Sunni caliphate in the region.

Turkey is ‘On Alert’ After Al Qaeda Affiliate Seizes Turkish Hostages in Iraq

By Hurriyet Daily News

The state of Turkey was “on alert” late June 11 after 80 Turkish citizens, including Consul General Öztürk Yılmaz, have been taken hostage by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

On the Price Egypt Paid, Unacceptable Arrogance, and Major Challenges to Come

By Amr Hamzawy

There is a price to be paid for the absence of democracy and for the way that security practices have dominated the system of rule in Egypt, utterly corrupting political life and subjugating it to the social and party elite such that one must either support these power arrangements, along with their decisions and actions, […]

Turkey Calls for Emergency NATO Meeting on Security Situation in Iraq

By Reuters and Telegraph

From Reuters:  NATO ambassadors held an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening at Turkey’s request to discuss the situation in Iraq, where militants took 80 Turkish citizens hostage,a NATO official said.

Tackling Security Sector Reform in Tunisia: An Uphill Battle

Security sector reform (SSR) was a major demand of the Arab uprisings of 2011. And yet, three years later, little progress has been made toward SSR in these countries. On Tuesday, June 10, 2014, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Bassem Bouguerra and George Washington University […]

The United States Should Reconsider the Kurds

By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

The United States has opposed Kurdish ambitions in both in Iraq and Syria for more autonomy, citing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Iraqi and Syrian state.