Reuters reported today that the US is on the verge of striking a $7 billion missile deal with the UAE, pending Congress's approval. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is believed to be sought by the UAE in order to prepare for a potential Iranian missile attack that may come in retaliation to […]
Lebanese MP Saad Hariri, the head of the country's Future Movement and leader of the March 14 coalition, is in Tripoli this weekend meeting with local officials and representatives in an effort to diffuse the ongoing violence between Sunni (Bab al-Tabaneh) and Alawite (Jabal Mohsen) neighborhoods of the city. A special report published yesterday by […]
During a speech last night at a celebration in Gaza City last night, Ismael Haniyeh, the Prime Minister of the defunct Hamas-led Palestinian government, made his position clear on the proposed idea of an Arab peacekeeping force being sent to the Gaza Strip. In a display of sarcasm, Haniyeh stated that there's no need for […]
Al Jazeera.net reported today that members of the Muslim Brotherhood have erected an online encyclopedia to help inform the public about the organization's history, ideology, and political aims. Dubbed Ikhwan Wiki, the site is done in the style of the ever popular Wikipedia. Thus, those who want to either edit or contribute content have to […]
Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has released part 4 of the series “Knights of Martyrdom”. I previously wrote a post providing an analysis of part 3, which appeared back in July, highlighting indications that the group's al-Furqan Media Group was on the decline. Part 4 comes as Iraqi officials claim that the country is now free […]
The Washington Post's “Washington Sketch” program recently featured an interesting piece covering Al Jazeera English's attempt to cover the Democratic National Convention in nearby Golden, Colorado (video available here). This move to feature 'small-town’ America's views on the convention was met with much resistance by some if its townspeople who view Al Jazeera as Anti-American, […]
The Jordanian Ammon News Agency featured a story Wednesday alleging that units of the Iranian Basij are ready to strike throughout the Arab Gulf states if Iran is attacked. In fact, the author describes them as 'time bombs’ waiting to explode in the region. The Basij is a large volunteer paramilitary force (estimated at upwards […]
Hezbollah's Al-Intiqad newspaper asserts that there are fears over the group's alleged increased naval capacity. The article cites a report issued by the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies back in April 2007 entitled, “Obsolete Weapons, Unconventional Tactics, and Martyrdom Zeal: How Iran Would Apply its Asymmetric Naval Warfare Doctrine in a Future […]
Tuesday's edition of the Jordanian Al-Ghad newspaper alleges that serious differences that have arisen between Hamas and Cairo may threaten to undermine recent Egyptian efforts to bring warring Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, towards an internal compromise. An unnamed official states that Egypt is unhappy with Hamas's alleged attempt to tie talks over the captured […]
I came across an interesting interview (pasted below) with the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood's political department, which was featured on the group's English language website earlier this month. It covers the organization's views on the prospects for democracy in Egypt, the role of outside actors in promoting democracy, and other key issues shaping Egyptian […]
Various news agencies today have reported the success of international activists in ‘breaking’ the embargo of the Gaza Strip. Setting sail from Cyprus in two small boats dubbed ‘Break the Siege’, the activists, who sought to raise awareness of the crisis in Gaza, were allowed to proceed to Gaza's shores after being briefly held up […]
Today's meeting between Syrian and Russian presidents Bashar al-Asad and Dmitri Medvedev in the Black Sea port of Sochi have some fearing that the old battle-lines of the cold war era are once again reemerging in the Middle East. Al-Jazeera's coverage touched upon the most potentially sensitive aspect of any reinvigorated partnership; the prospect of […]
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