Middle East

Zeidan Kidnapping Highlights 5 Month Delay in NATO-Libya Security Agreement

By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes

The reported abduction of Libya’s prime minster early Thursday has exposed the shortcomings in the country’s security sector

NATO Secretary General: ‘Something Needs to be Done’ to Help Libya

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

I can confirm that the Libyan authorities have requested NATO assistance to build or reform the security sector.

The General Speaks Out

By Mohamed Elgohari

For the first time since his appointment by ousted president Mohamed Morsi as defense minister, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke to the press, offering a rare interview to Yasser Rizk, editor-in-chief of the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. The importance of the interview can be seen in the implicit and explicit messages from the strongest man in […]

Libyan Prime Minister Is Kidnapped, Then Freed

By David D. Kirkpatrick and Gerry Mullany

Libya’s prime minister, Ali Zeidan, was kidnapped from a hotel in the capital, Tripoli, on Thursday and briefly held in an apparent act of retaliation for his presumed consent to the capture of a suspected Qaeda leader by an American commando team.

Turkey’s Spymaster Plots Own Course on Syria

By Adam Entous and Joe Parkinson, Wall Street Journal

“Hakan Fidan [Turkey’s powerful spymaster] is the face of the new Middle East,” says James Jeffrey, who recently served as U.S. ambassador in Turkey and Iraq.

The Almost-Aid Cut to Egypt

When CNN broke the news the evening of October 8 that the United States would formally withdraw all foreign military aid to Egypt, everyone was set atwitter. Literally. Avid Egypt observers furiously took to social media to mark what would have been the most significant change to US-Egypt relations since the late 1970s.

The Maspero Massacre: Two Years On

By Mai El-Sadany

On the heels of the recent surge in popular support for the military, calls for the presidential candidacy of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and an October 6 operetta performance meant to awaken dormant nationalist tendencies, comes the two year anniversary of the Maspero Massacre.

United States Poised to Halt Some Military Aid to Egypt

The White House is expected to announce in the coming days the suspension of at least some military aid to Egypt. Late Tuesday a National Security Council spokeswoman denied that the Obama administration would halt all military assistance to Egypt, but suggested that an announcement about the future of the US assistance to Egypt is imminent.

Egypt’s English Language Media Battles Financial Woes, Political Pressure

By Hazel Haddon

The financial difficulties facing English language media outlets in Egypt did not stop the launch of the country’s latest English news website this week. The Cairo Post, which went live on Sunday, is owned by Youm al-Saba’a, an independent Arabic daily which boasts one of the most-visited news websites in the country.