Middle East

Pentagon Sees Syrian Military, Not Chemical Sites, as Target

By Thom Shanker, C.J. Chivers and Michael R. Gordon, New York Times

President Obama is considering a range of limited military actions against Syria that are designed to “deter and degrade” the ability of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to launch chemical weapons, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

Report: NATO Planning Emergency Meeting on Syria on Thursday

By ITAR-TASS

NATO is planning an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Syria in the wake of the chemical attack in suburban Damascus on August 21. According to the available information, the meeting might take place on August 29, a well-informed diplomatic source told Itar-Tass.

Top News: Secularists to Dominate Egypt’s Final Constitution-Drafting Process

By EgyptSource

Informed sources close to the ten-member technical committee tasked with drafting the constitutional amendments revealed to Ahram Online that: “The presidency has already received the names nominated by political, religious, social and economic institutions to form the fifty member committee.” The lists show that secular forces are slated to gain a majority in the fifty member committee

A Sad Melody at the End of the Road

By Ahmed Naje

The time for retreat is past and all the chances to avoid this path have been burned up. The incendiary speeches are escalating from every side and are morphing from incitement to war speeches. The television stations put up the slogan “Egypt is fighting terrorism” written in English and no one tells us who and […]

Hof Looks at Kerry’s Syria Statement

In a piece on MENASource, Fred Hof looks at Secretary of State Kerry’s recent statements about Syria.

Syria: The Kerry Statement

By Fred C. Hof

Secretary of State John Kerry’s August 26, 2013 statement on Syria was powerful and direct. In the absence of a diplomatic deus ex machina it clearly indicates that an American military strike is coming.

Syria: Russia Dooms Hopes of UN Security Council Resolution

By Raf Sanchez and Roland Oliphant, Telegraph

As the US, Britain and France edged closer to approving strikes in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons, the Kremlin said that the West was moving down “a very dangerous path.”

Ways Out of Political Crisis in Tunisia

By Duncan Pickard

Tunisia is amid its most turbulent political crisis since the revolution that toppled Zine El Abidine Ben Ali over two years ago. A confluence of factors has brought the crisis to a head.

Turkey Readies for Syria Intervention with NATO-Backed Coalition

By Today's Zaman

As speculation on whether or not chemical gas was used in a recent attack in Syria — killing more than 1,000 and injuring many more in Damascus — rang alarm bells globally, Ankara, along with a NATO-backed international coalition, has started to ready itself against a possible intervention in Syria.