Middle East

Fireworks and Blood Mark Egypt’s Victory Day

By Marwa Farid

The commemoration of the fortieth Anniversary of the Sixth of October Victory, this year, is bittersweet. It has been sweet for the general population, celebrating the day with festivities, and activities organized by the army in the squares and skies of Egypt. Yet, a good day turned sour as events unfolded and clashes broke out […]

CIA Ramping Up Covert Training Program for Moderate Syrian Rebels

By Greg Miller, Washington Post

The CIA is expanding a clandestine effort to train opposition fighters in Syria amid concern that moderate, U.S.-backed militias are rapidly losing ground in the country’s civil war, U.S. officials said.

MENASource Discussions: Gulf Security and the US-Gulf Relationship

By MENASource

Ambassador Richard LeBaron, senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, recently held an online conversation with Dr. Greg Gause, professor of political science at the University of Vermont and nonresident fellow with the Brookings Doha Center.

Transcript: Prospects for Political Settlement in Syria

On October 3, the Atlantic Council convened a distinguished panel to discuss prospects for a political settlement to Syria’s civil war. Moderated by the Atlantic Council’s Executive Vice President Damon Wilson, the discussion explored the viewpoints of the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom—represented by Frederic C. Hof, senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s […]

Elections in Libya Will Signal Progress on Constitution

By Duncan Pickard

The General National Congress (GNC) of Libya made significant progress in the country’s slogging transition to democracy in July when it passed an electoral law to govern the elections of a sixty-member constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.

Iranian Cyber Warfare Commander Shot Dead in Suspected Assassination

By Damien McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat, Telegraph

Mojtaba Ahmadi, who served as commander of the Cyber War Headquarters, was found dead in a wooded area near the town of Karaj, north-west of the capital, Tehran.

Iranian Cyber Warfare Commander Shot Dead in Suspected Assassination

By Damien McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat, Telegraph

Mojtaba Ahmadi, who served as commander of the Cyber War Headquarters, was found dead in a wooded area near the town of Karaj, north-west of the capital, Tehran.

Weighing Russia’s Syria Success

By Rajan Menon

Those who have bemoaned the acrimonious exchanges between the United States and Russia, watched with dismay as President Obama’s “reset” with Moscow (more of a marketing moniker than substantive policy) unraveled, and tried valiantly to insist that Russia remains a great power and ought to be respected and embraced by Washington as a partner have had their […]

An Eye on Egypt’s Amended Constitution: Military Articles

Continuing EgyptSource’s constitutional coverage, in this installment we look at the articles relating to the military, namely the debate over military trials in the constitution, the appointment of the minister of defense, and the armed forces’ budget. Keep up with all of EgyptSource’s constitution roundups  here.