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irede123

'Hezbollah still far from realizing its goal of attacking Israel from Syria' - Middle E... - 0 views

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    Ultimately, Hezbollah's goal is to turn Syria into an extended springboard for attacks against Israel, but it is still far off from being able to realize this vision, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
mportie

Israeli generals said among 1,600 global targets of Iran cyber-attack - 0 views

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    Israel is one of Iran's prime targets of cyber attacks and espionage. State officials, generals, scientists, activists, those involved in large financial institutions are all victim to mass Iranian cyber tactics, such as phishing via e-mail, fake websites and links, and spyware sent through e-mail. Although Israel is second in the world in cyber-security, right after the US, the rate of cyber-attacks is accelerating higher than investment into cyber-security.
irede123

Lebanon is being forced to collapse - RT Op-Edge - 0 views

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    "But Hezbollah appears to be the only military force capable of effectively fighting against ISIS - in the northeast of the country, on the border with Syria, and elsewhere. It is also the only organization providing a reliable social net to those hundreds of thousands of poor Lebanese citizens"
cthomase

Four Libya oilfields close, workers strike in a fifth - 1 views

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    In response to terrorism fears, 5 oilfields in Libya are not in operation. The oil market in Libya, which has the potential to be one of the highest producing markets in the world, has been under siege since the fall of Qaddafi over 5 years ago. Securing these oilfields should be the top priority for the new unity government if it is ever installed.
mportie

Two new cyber-espionage groups targeting ISPs inside Iran - 0 views

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    Cadelle and Chafer, the name of these groups, engage in cyber espionage using backdoors to target political activists and dissidents. These cyber groups have infiltrated over 100 systems of airlines, telecommunications and other organisations, mainly in the Middle East.
allieggg

The U.S. Is Giving Up on Middle East Democracy-and That's a Mistake - The Atlantic - 0 views

  • democracy assistance to the region, which will drop from $459.2 million to $298.3 million
  • Today’s Middle East is a product, at least in part, of failed democratization, and one of the reasons it failed was the timid, half-hearted support of the Obama administration.
  • the significant impact Western leverage and “linkage” can have on democratic transitions.
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  • “it was an externally driven shift in the cost of suppression, not changes in domestic conditions, that contributed most centrally to the demise of authoritarianism in the 1980s and 1990s.” They find that “states’ vulnerability to Western democratization pressure… was often decisive.”
  • it is also worth noting that President Bush acknowledged the existence of a “tyranny-terror” link—the notion that the root causes of extremism and terrorism can be found in the region’s enduring lack of democracy.
  • the administration’s approach to the region is characterized almost entirely by ad-hoc crisis management and traditional counterterrorism approaches. Its one larger-scale reform initiative—a half-hearted proposal for a
  • We argue that the U.S. and its partners now need to consider a very different approach to Middle East democracy assistance.
  • Conventional democracy promotion activities tend to focus on the process and “retail” aspects of democratic politics—things like elections, political party training, get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns, and civil society enhancement. While these are undoubtedly important, they are insufficient to deliver lasting reforms. Authoritarianism in the Arab world has proven time and time again—even in supposedly post-revolutionary settings such as Egypt today—that it can weather the annoyances of elections and civil society.
  • What is needed are more systematic reforms focused on fundamental institutions. These include things like constraining the military’s role in civilian domains of governance, deep reform in the security and justice sectors including law enforcement and policing, and comprehensive “renovation” of the civil service sector. These are large-scale, long-term, and expensive undertakings that far transcend the modest parameters of most U.S. democracy promotion programs.
  • we make the case for a new Multilateral Endowment for Reform (MER) that would tie significant levels of financial assistance—in the billions of dollars—to reform commitments and benchmarked implementation performance by partner nations.
  • provide a real incentive for countries to embark down a path to deeper and more enduring political reforms while retaining the ability to pull back funding if they do not deliver.
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    This article begins by illuminating the regional democracy assistance cuts that are dropping from $459.2 million to $298.3 million It explains that the Bush Administration began the quest for democracy in the Middle East, and the Obama administration has only continued in his footsteps. The author presents the viewpoint that the U.S. approach to Arab democratization has been in the form of "ad-hoc crisis management" rather than "large scale reform initiatives." Promoting democracy in the form of democratic politics are insufficient, elections and political parties have consistently proved to weather away and fester further civil strife. Consequently, the article proposes a new approach to the region conflict. This approach calls for "systematic reforms" focusing on basic institutions such as the civil service sector, justice and law enforcement, and the military's role in governance. The idea is that addressing these lacking departments in the arab world will eventually pave the way to a smoother democratic transition. 
kristaf

What's Next For Egypt After Sisi's Win? : NPR - 0 views

  • une 01, 2014
  • Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi
  • 2012 brought the Muslim brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi to power.
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  • Muslim Brotherhood
    • kristaf
       
      Muslim Brotherhood- "in Egypt is a Sunni Islamist religious, political, and social movement."
  • Egyptians went to the polls once again and they elected former Field Marshal Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi
  • in 2011, the revolution hatched in Tahrir Square helped bring down Egypt's long-time dictator, Hosni Mubarak
  • How can be genuinely democratic when certain portions of society are basically banned, not allowed to participate in that way, if they're members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
  • And also all voices of dissent being suppressed. Thousands of people characterized as political prisoners are languishing in jail here in Egypt.
    • kristaf
       
      comment on how there are still injustices within Egypt as some people have been jailed for voicing their opinions
  • his is a country that has a difficult economy, power outages, a huge gap between the rich and poor. So this is a president that's going to have to deal with all the issues that Egyptian's are trying to deal with along with security.
    • kristaf
       
      Question's regarding the economy, power outages, and the gap between the rich and poor. All issues to be considered and researched
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    The story discusses the election of Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi following the forced removal of Morsi whom was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood boycotted the election in an effort to make their presence known as well as their strong belief in having Morsi return to office. The Muslim Brotherhood still banned from being recognized as an organization establishes the contradiction of the elections being "genuinely democratic."
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    The story discusses the election of Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi following the forced removal of Morsi whom was a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood boycotted the election in an effort to make their presence known as well as their strong belief in having Morsi return to office. The Muslim Brotherhood still banned from being recognized as an organization establishes the contradiction of the elections being "genuinely democratic."
katelynklug

BBC News - Egypt's youth: "What has the revolution done for us?" - 0 views

  • You don't feel safe or secure anymore
  • given up
  • square is virtually empty
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  • faces of dead people
  • Most of the faces on the wall are those of young people
  • Women have stopped coming to Tahrir now
  • sexual harassmen
  • "One hundred per cent, I regret it"
  • Nothing has happened. Everything's changed for the worse.
  • I don't regret my decision
  • deteriorating economy
  • increasingly hard to live
  • mass unemployment is the most pressing and it is the young who are hit the hardest
  • Half of Egypt's population is below 24 years old
  • not using this youth and energy to its benefit
  • don't have enough skills
  • has to create between 800,000 and a million jobs a year
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    This article gives a description of the state of Egypt's once thriving Tahrir Square, just two years after the revolution. The mood of Tahrir Square has changed dramatically and is now solemn rather than buzzing with enthusiasm. The young activists interviewed in the article expressed their regret for the revolution or how it turned out. The youth population is still struggling for economic revival after two years of revolution. Mass unemployment is hitting the large youth population the hardest, which is still a source of anger. The majority of this population does not have adequate skills for the available job market.
diamond03

Egypt women: Rights on paper, not yet on ground - Yahoo News - 0 views

  • worrying whether those rights will be implemented or will turn out to be merely ink on paper.
  • Men hold an overwhelming near-lock on decision-making in politics, and activists say they are doing little to bring about equality.
  • saying the student was "dressed like a belly dancer." She was wearing black pants, a long-sleeved pink shirt and a head-scarf.
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  • women should wear "appropriate" clothing when they go out.
  • There have been multiple mass sexual assaults on women during protests the past three years.
  • security forces dragged a female protester to the ground, pulled up her top to reveal her blue bra and stomped on her chest.
  • female protesters at the time were forced to undergo humiliating "virginity tests" when detained by the military.
  • Violence is a "very intimidating weapon" against women participating in public life
  • "If there is no democratic climate, how would you benefit from these beautiful laws?" said Abdel-Hameed. "It will be the same as under Mubarak: you have a beautiful law but it's not implemented."
  • The document explicitly enshrines equality between the sexes and women's rights to education, work and high political office.
  • "It's not just more progressive than the 2012 constitution, it's more progressive than the 1971 constitution . from the gender perspective,
  • Women have only been allowed to be judges since 2007
  • guarantees their right to hold high positions in the judiciary
  • 2010 court decision barred women judges from the State Council, a powerful judicial body that regulates disputes between individuals and the state and reviews legislation.
  • January she wrote to the State Council demanding it take on women judges in light of the constitution.
  • The Council replied b
  • two percent of the seats in the last parliament,
  • sought criminal action against the National Council for Women.
  • "the mentality of the decision-makers
  • is the main obstacle to the carrying out the promises of the constitution.
  • low representation of women in government.
  • lowest in the Arab world
  • violated appropriateness and manners"
  • We're tired of the government and officials .
  • creation of a Commission on Discrimination with real judicial power
  • more women judges; a
  • he presence of women in parliament and local council
  • and the nullification of the draconian protest law,
  • gender issues should be mainstreamed across all government bodies.
  • activate a unit specialized in fighting violence against women and "the health sector should take into account reproductive rights.
  • h clinics should provide contraception and treatment for STDs
  • women's issues are never a priority for anyone
  • parts of the constitution may make enforcing the women's rights provisions harder.
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    Women are Egypt have been treated different than men since anyone can remember. The women are taking action and protesting that the constitution be revised to change rights. Seats in parliament is one of the goals they hope to achieve. Equality between sexes is their main goal.
zackellogg

Has the New York Times Just Provided Proof of Muslim Brotherhood Influence Operations i... - 0 views

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    This article discusses the growing suspicions that have risen from the Muslim Brotherhood. According to many, the Muslim Brotherhood has an active influence on the Obama Administration.
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    Ironically, the Muslim Brotherhood has come to be seen by some in the State Department as a force of moderation in contemporary Islamist politics. You should look at the recent New York Times op-ed criticizing Sisi for cracking down on the Brotherhood.
kevinobkirchner

Sisi secures position in Egypt and abroad despite rights record - FT.com - 0 views

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    I'm looking forward to reading this article. What do you think about the convenience of ignoring rights abuses? Which positions on globalization would take that approach, and which do you think would reject it?
micklethwait

Yemeni victims of U.S. military drone strike get more than $1 million in comp... - 1 views

  • Kat Craig, a legal director for the group, said the records undermine U.S. claims “that the victims of this drone attack were anything other than civilians” and said the size of the payouts suggest that the Yemeni government — among the poorest in the Middle East — is being reimbursed by the United States.
lking5

Nations Trying to Stop Their Citizens From Going to Middle East to Fight for ISIS - 0 views

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    the US is pushing for a legally binding UN Security Council resolution that would make all countries take action to prevent the flow of citizens into terrorists groups, like ISIS. action may include evoking people's citizenship or passport suspect of terroristic activities or aiding terrorists, but before any crime is committed.
fcastro2

Iraq and Syria are 'finishing schools' for foreign extremists, says UN report | World n... - 0 views

  • Iraq and Syria have become “international finishing schools” for extremists according to a UN report which says the number of foreign fighters joining terrorist groups has spiked to more than 25,000 from more than 100 countrie
  • monitoring UN sanctions against al-Qaida estimates the number of overseas terrorist fighters worldwide increased by 71% between mid-2014 and March 2015
  • problem had increased over the past three years and the flow of foreign fighters was “higher than it has ever been historically
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  • risen sharply from a few thousand … a decade ago to more than 25,000 today
  • The report said just two countries had drawn more than 20,000 foreign fighters: Syria and Iraq. They went to fight primarily for the Islamic State group
  • ited the “high number” of foreign fighters from Tunisia, Morocco, France and Russia, the increase in fighters from the Maldives, Finland and Trinidad and Tobago, and the first fighters from some countries in sub-Saharan Africa which it did not name. The groups had also found recruits from Britain and Australia.
  • A military defeat of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq could have the unintended consequence of scattering violent foreign terrorist fighters across the world
  • while governments are focusing on countering the threat from fighters returning home, the panel said it was possible that some may be traumatised by what they saw and need psychological help, and that others may be recruited by criminal networks.
  • The number of countries the fighters come from has also risen dramatically from a small group in the 1990s to more than 100 today — more than half the countries in the world
  • foreign fighters who travelled to Syria and Iraq were living and working in “a veritable ‘international finishing school’ for extremists”, as was the case in Afghanistan in the 199
  • an urgent global security problem” that needed to be tackled on many fronts and had no easy solution
  • With globalised travel, it said, the chance of a person from any country becoming a victim of a foreign terrorist attack was growing “particularly with attacks targeting hotels, public spaces and venues
  • It said the most effective policy was to prevent the radicalisation, recruitment and travel of would-be fighters.
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    The fighting in Syria and Iraq has expanded and gained more foreign fighters from many more countries around the world. 
fcastro2

Syria keen on Russian expansion in Middle East - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views

  • Syria has called on its Russian ally to expand in the Middle East, by expanding its small pier in the city of Tartus and turning it into a base
  • This has coincided with Saudi Arabia leading a coalition against Ansar Allah in Yemen, with a cover by the United States
  • meeting with a group of Russian journalists March 27, and in response to a question on Damascus’ desire to see a wider Russian activity in the Middle East, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he certainly welcomes “any expansion of Russian presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, precisely on the Syrian shores and ports.
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  • Assad said: “The Russian presence in different parts of the world, including the Eastern Mediterranean and the Syrian port of Tartus, is very necessary, in order to create a sort of balance, which the world has lost after the dissolution of the Soviet Union more than 20 years ago.
  • Syrian president welcomed the Russian presence in his country and the region. “For us, the stronger this presence is in our region, the better it is for stability [in the region], because Russia is assuming an important role in world stability,”
  • Syrian nod is only a repetition of a former call made under the rule of late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who saw that the presence of a Russian military representation in Syria in the Mediterranean region contributes to the promotion of the idea of “the balance of terror” against Israel and the United States
  • The talk was, however, halted, until the last two years, when an actual need to promote Russian presence in the Mediterranean emerged in light of the reignition of the Cold War.
  • deployment of missile systems on the Mediterranean coast, as a sort of “symbolic deterrence.” The rumors were repeated as the NATO missile defense project was announced, which was supposed to be deployed in different countries, including Turkey and other countries bordering Russia
  • e US invasion of Iraq, as the US desire to change the face of the Middle East seemed free of any rational considerations. Assad made several visits to Moscow, and although this has not been publicly mentioned, Syrian diplomats and officials stressed to As-Safir that Syria expressed its desire to expand the Russian presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly through Tartus, so that it turns into a military presence with limited standards
  • , Russia and Syria signed the biggest deal of its kind to explore oil in the Syrian waters, which covers a 2,190 square-kilometer surface area, and to achieve economic ambitions, namely extracting 2.5 billion barrels of oil and 8.5 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, the oil and gas magazine said back then
  • is understandable, without neglecting the importance of other political and military issue
  • “any decision to modernize the infrastructure of the Russian Material-Technical Support Point in Tartus can only be made after a political decision is taken in this regard, in coordination with the Syrian side.” He explained that any modernization should “take into account the political and military situation in the Mediterranean region,” and therefore “it will include the promotion of all sorts of protection in the facility, including surface-to-air missiles and anti-riots weapons, and will be in coordination with the Syrian side.”
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    Syria is determined to keep Russia in the loop when it comes to its presence in the Middle East. As the United States increases its presence so to those Russia and Syria claims that they encourage Russian presence solely to "keep the balance" in the Middle East. 
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