Middle East

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.

Top News: Prosecutor Refers Espionage Allegations Against Political Activists to State Security

By EgyptSource

Well-known activists and founding members of the April 6 Youth movement Esraa Abdel Fattah and Asmaa Mahfouz are being investigated by the Supreme State Security Prosecution on charges of espionage.

The Regime’s Chemical Warfare Calculus

By Faysal Itani

In all likelihood, the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on a large-scale last week, killing hundreds and prompting many observers to ask: With a United Nations team deployed in Damascus specifically to investigate alleged chemical weapons use, why would Bashar al-Assad’s regime so brazenly provoke a serious international backlash and possible military intervention? The confusion […]