Group items tagged

Arab states have began to jump on board offering support to the coalition against ISIS. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon have recently voiced their support. Turkey, the only Arab member of NATO has voiced their lack of support in the coalition thus far. Saudi, the home to major religious cities, feels like a direct threat to ISIS and have made it clear that they will be playing a major role in the war against the Islamic State. UAE allegedly initiated bombings from Egyptian bases on Libya due to islamic militia takeovers of major cities and institutions. Arab states along with France, Germany, and Britain have agreed to form a "coordinated military campaign." Bringing in Assad from Syria is somewhat crucial, but the coalition is hesitant due to the loss of the Assad Regime's legitimacy over the past years of civil strife. Official plans of attack are still sketchy, but are definitely in the works. The coalition of states have made it clear that in order to tackle this ISIS threat, they must band together to dynamically exterminate the Islamic State from all angles.

This article takes an interesting look at the current trend pointing towards a single-state solution. This 2010 Dissent article states that the overall drive for a separate Palestinian state is dwindling as the PLO's own strength dwindles as well.

This article from News Week basically paints a picture of Libyan history and how Gaddafi's reign devastated the state economically, socially, and politically. Author Dirk Vandewalle uses the phrase "a political tabula rasa" which in Latin means a blank slate, to describe the fate of Libya after Gaddafi's rule and convey the extent to which the country has to literally reconstruct every component that makes up a society and its government. He highlights major events that led to the downfall of both the Gaddafi regime and the Libyan state as a whole such as Arab nationalism, Jamahiriya, the Green Book, security apparatuses snuffing all opposition, terrorist incidents, isolation and international sanctions, the Lockerbie bombing, weapons of mass destruction, human right violations, divide and rule policies, and his use of oil revenue to fuel his insurgency. Vandewalle concludes the article with uncertain ideas thoughts towards Libya's future and the way the state is going to literally rebuild themselves from this "blank slate" that Gaddafi left behind. 

In this NPR discussion, two viewpoints are put forth and examined: a single state and peaceful two-state solution. One wishes for an Isolated Israeli government and one calls for a peaceful unification of its people. In the midst of it all, an interesting parallel is made to South Africa.

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, has been travelling around the Middle East trying to marshal support for the United States' coalition against ISIS/IS (called ISIL). He says that 10 countries have pledged to support the US effort. These countries include Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and the six gulf states (UAE).

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, has been travelling around the Middle East trying to marshal support for the United States' coalition against ISIS/IS (called ISIL). He says that 10 countries have pledged to support the US effort. These countries include Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and the six gulf states (UAE).

In this Star article, the history of the two-state deal, and its morphing into a one-state deal, is highlighted and outlined. As the article states, the political leaders continue to grow more harsh with each other, while the people of the nations desire for a greater peace continues to rise.

In this Washington Post opinion article, the author calls for the full recognition of the Palestinian state by the US. A staunch proponent for the two-state solution, the author states throughout his argument that recognition is the only way forward in the peace process.

This article basically accentuates the driving factors to the ongoing insurgency of ISIL in Libya and how the threat is even more extreme than that of Iraq and Syria. One is the Islamist ideology in itself, rejecting any form of a modern state and the institutions that accompany its success. For example in Libya the leader of the AS branch declares that his militants will not disarm or demobilize until sharia law is imposed. Second, during Gaddafi's rule he unleashed a crackdown on all Islamic expression. The brutality shown towards Islamic groups during this time has fueled their resentment towards sectarian rule and has urged them to push for the rejection of state institutions even more so. The article explains how Islamic groups have claimed power in both Benghazi and Derna, the latter being the historic recruiting ground for Jihad fighters to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The author makes it clear that both military and diplomatic force from the international community is crucial for the reconciliation of security.

The article states that ISIS, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood are all "terrorist organizations"  that are being ignored and should be recognized as a threat. The article does not state what the intentions of the Muslim Brotherhood are, but does state the objectives "ISIS to create a caliphate empire, and Hamas to eliminate the State of Israel."  The article also mentions the images that have been given to portray the situations in Gaza. 

The Turkish government recently went into an extremist-controlled territory in order to evacuate a tomb of a major historical figure, and the soldiers who guarded it. The safe passage of this mission has shown that the relations between Turkey and Syria have gotten a bit better. 

This article provides an analysis of the role in religion moving forward from the revolution. While some groups promote a totally secular state, others are encouraging a system of government that is dictated by Sharia law. Some articles have been passed in the new constitutional referendum that are very controversial. The articles (2, 54, and 219) were an attempt to establish Islamic authority in rule, as well as the authority of other groups like Coptic Christians and Jews. In short, the identity of the Egyptian state is being defined by these political moves. Although different Islamic groups try to distinguish themselves politically, other leaders have tried to present the issue as a dichotomy between and Islamic state and a secular state. In reality, the political diversity is better represented by a spectrum. However, these groups must find enough popular and physical support to enact policies. Any policies enacted will be too much for one group, and not enough imposition for another.

In this Electronic Intifada article, Ali Abunimah advocates for the single state solution and addresses John Kerry's statements of no possible, peaceful, outcome from a single state solution.

In this heated Counterfire editorial, the history of the two-state solution strife, and the rise of the single-state solution is examined. Looking at a myriad of outside factors from Radical Islam to Netenyahu, this 2014 article strongly calls for a single, multi-faith, democratic solution.

This December 2014 article from the Times of Israel examines a poll conducted by the Brookings Institution. The major take-away is that the poll is said to have shown a significant rise in support for a single-state solution should the two-state solution fail.

Though many of the youth leaders who participated in the 2011 revolution are in prison, youth-driven political campaigns will continue under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. A new movement that has risen, called the "We have had enough" campaign has several demands from the Egyptian youth. These include holding accountable anyone who was involved in killing any Egyptian, a debate about implementing separation of powers, setting minimum and maximum wages, and amending the protest law. These demands have led the state to release some of the prisoners of conscience, in an attempt to prevent any chaos before parliamentary elections. A similar movement, called the Dhank movement, arose in protest of the living conditions for the poorest Egyptians. The leaders of this movement encourage protests like refusing to pay electric bills because of a lack of service. The activists describe the need for the Dhank movement coming from Sisi's poor treatment of the lower class that included removal of subsidies and raising prices of commodities. The "We have had enough" campaign spokesman says they insist on the implementation of 14 human rights amendments. He ends by reiterating the consistent suspicion the youth groups have of the state and a lack of confidence that their demands will be met. This shows that there is no clear strategy or realistic possibility to ending the tension between youth groups and the state.

The UN is concerned by the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan but says the militant group's power to "unite insurgents is more significant than its capabilities in the war-torn country."

In this NY Times article, the authors give a decent "state of affairs" as seen through Israeli and US eyes. Published a few days after Netanyahu's re-election, it touches on his reversal of the Palestinian state issue and the US Government's response to such.

US special forces were able to take an ISIS member into custody. Through questioning, the military men were able to learn that ISIS is now beginning to make plans to use mustard gas as a chemical weapon. The Red Cross has been identified because of the possible use of chemical weapons.

An Islamic State detainee currently in American custody at a temporary detention facility in Erbil, Iraq, is a specialist in chemical weapons whom American military officials are questioning about the militant Sunni group's plans to use the banned substances in Iraq and Syria, Defense officials said. The member of ISIS who is probably dead at this point reports say, told the miltants that they were planning on using mustard gas with upcoming attacks planned.

This article/video is about how a woman in Raqqa risked her own life to video tape what happens in the everyday life of the Islamic State. This woman gave us an insight to what is happening in cities that ISIL has taken over. We see how women in general are forced to wear the niqab and how they are told by men what to do. Another aspect that we see in the video is how many foreign women have actually go to these places to join the fight. The video states that around 150 french women have joined the Islamic State.