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micklethwait

Gaddafi was killed by French secret serviceman on orders of Nicolas Sarkozy, sources cl... - 0 views

www.dailymail.co.uk/...las-Sarkozy-sources-claim.html

gaddafi killed french secret orders sarkozy sources

shared by micklethwait on 18 Aug 14 - No Cached
  • micklethwait on 18 Aug 14
     
    Anonymous sources say the darndest things.
jreyesc

ISIS plotting Trojan Horse campaign by smuggling militants into western Europ... - 0 views

www.dailymail.co.uk/...Europe-disguised-refugees.html

ISIS ISIL turkey Syria Europe Militants

shared by jreyesc on 16 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • ISIS is plotting to smuggle militants into Western Europe disguised as refugees so that they can launch devastating terror attacks
  • Relaxed border controls would allow IS militants to blend in with the thousands of genuine refugees spilling over the border in search of safety
  • ISIS was moving away from plans to conduct aircraft hijackings for fear of tight security - and that they were looking to land a new strategy.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Because hundreds of refugees cross the Syrian-Turkish border every day, the jihadists have a good chance of remaining unnoticed in the crowds.
  • Kobane is a town of key strategic importance to both ISIS and the Kurdish resistance due to its close proximity to the largely porous Turkish border. 
  • jreyesc on 16 Nov 14
     
    Members of the Islamic State are being smuggled into Western Europe to plan attacks there. This is a very being problem because of what could happen if they enters these countries. According to the US intelligence sources, this is going to be very hard to control since they mix in with the refugees as well as they carry fake European passaports.
allieggg

Libya has become the latest Isil conquest - Telegraph - 0 views

www.telegraph.co.uk/...-the-latest-Isil-conquest.html

ISIL militias armed groups syria Iraq Jihad Benghazi

shared by allieggg on 17 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • If the conditions remain unchallenged and, hence, unchanged, it will turn into another Syria or Iraq.
  • Nowhere is this threat more profound than with the rise of radical Islam in Libya
  • The ongoing low-level insurgency in Benghazi is driven by two factors. The first is the radical Islamist ideology of certain groups that refuse to recognise the modern state and its institutions. For example, according to the leader of AS’s Benghazi branch, Mohammed al-Zahawi, his group will not disarm and demobilise until its version of sharia is imposed. The realisation of such an Islamic state constitutes the group’s main aim. In other words, it is the nature of their Jihad.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • The second reason is the Islamists’ history with the state security forces. During the 1990s, Muammar Gaddafi unleashed a crackdown on all expressions of Islamism, which saw thousands of youths arrested and jailed as political prisoners. Many were incarcerated in the notorious Abu-Saleem prison. Today’s rejection of state institutions has its roots in that brutality.
  • However, Benghazi is not the only Islamist stronghold in Libya: the city of Derna, which has historically been a strong recruiting ground for Jihadi fighters to Afghanistan, Iraq, and more recently Syria, is of serious concern
  • Derna’s Shura Council of Islamic Youth and Ansar al-Sharia have decided to declare Derna an “Islamic emirate” and publicly announce their allegiance to ISIL and its leader and so called “Caliphate” of Abu Baker al-Baghdadi. This means that ISIL now has its terrorist tentacles in Libya.
  • If the international community continues to overlook the current Libyan crisis, the country is likely to become an incubator of militant Islamist groups.
  • In addition to a military response, however, we need a holistic and proactive approach that focuses on achieving reconciliation and stability. This involves forcing all rival political parties to the negotiation table to agree that a newly elected parliament is the sole representative body in the country.
  • allieggg on 17 Nov 14
     
    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.
allieggg

Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East's 30 year war » The Spectator - 0 views

www.spectator.co.uk/...armageddon-awaits

proxy wars leadership polarization US Saudi Iran the middle east war

shared by allieggg on 21 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • There are those who think that the region as a whole may be starting to go through something similar to what Europe went through in the early 17th century during the Thirty Years’ War, when Protestant and Catholic states battled it out. This is a conflict which is not only bigger than al-Qa’eda and similar groups, but far bigger than any of us. It is one which will re-align not only the Middle East, but the religion of Islam.
  • Either way there will be a need for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution — a redrawing of boundaries in a region where boundaries have been bursting for decades.
  • But for the time being, a distinct and timeless stand-off between two regional powers, with religious excuses and religiously affiliated proxies will in all probability remain the main driver of this conflict.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • ‘Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the birthplace of Islam. As such, it is the eminent leader of the wider Muslim world. Iran portrays itself as the leader of not just the minority Shiite world, but of all Muslim revolutionaries interested in standing up to the West.’
  • ‘Saudi Arabia will oppose any and all of Iran’s actions in other countries, because it is Saudi Arabia’s position that Iran has no right to meddle in other nations’ internal affairs, especially those of Arab states.’
  • Saudi officials more recently called for the Iranian leadership to be summoned to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes. Then, just the month before last, as the P5+1 countries eased sanctions on Iran after arriving at an interim deal in Geneva, Saudi saw its greatest fear — a nuclear Iran — grow more likely. And in the immediate aftermath of the Geneva deal, Saudi sources darkly warned of the country now taking Iranian matters ‘into their own hands’. There are rumours that the Saudis would buy nuclear bombs ‘off the shelf’ from their friends in Pakistan if Iran ever reaches anything like the nuclear threshold. In that  case, this Westphalian solution could be prefaced with a mushroom cloud.
  • allieggg on 21 Nov 14
     
    This article touches on an array of ideas but for the sake of my research I focused on the "Thirty Years War" section. Douglass Murray from The Spectator conveys the perspective that the Middle East is likely to be going through a similar 17th century European 30 years war, when Protestant and Catholics launched a full fledged war against one another. This means that religious war in the Middle East is so much bigger than just al-Qaeda and similar groups. The conflict will re-align the region, but also the entire religion of Islam. Douglass says the outcome would call for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution, redrawing boundaries of a region where they've been bursting for decades.  For the time being the drivers of the conflict is a standoff between the two regional powers and their affiliated proxies, Saudi Arabia and Iran. 
nicolet1189

Isis's Austrian poster girl jihadi brides 'have changed their minds and want to come ho... - 1 views

www.independent.co.uk/...want-to-come-home-9789547.html

Isis foreigner fighters social media Syria Austria

shared by nicolet1189 on 13 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • arrived in the Middle East via Turkey, 15-year-old Sabina Selimovic and 17-year-old Samra Kesinovic
  • whoever is operating their pages it probably is not the girls, and that they are being used for propaganda.”
  • even if they could flee, Austria’s laws bar them from returning once they have joined a foreign war.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • 130 Austrian nationals are believed to have become foreign fighters for Isis.
  • nicolet1189 on 13 Oct 14
     
    Two girls ages 15 and 17, who fled to Syria to join the ISIS movement are not wishing to return to their home countries. The problem, under Austria's laws they are forbidden to return for participating in a foreign war. An interesting aspect of the story is it said to have been ISIS members who were operating their social media accounts for propaganda purposes.
mpatel5

Britain vows 'significant' support for Syrian opposition - 0 views

english.alarabiya.net/...rt-for-Syrian-opposition-.html

Britain Syria Revolution President Bashar al-Assad

shared by mpatel5 on 11 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • mpatel5 on 11 Nov 14
     
    Britain will make "a significant contribution" to equip and train the moderate Syrian opposition to defeat both Islamic State extremists and the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad, its foreign secretary said on Monday. Secretary of Foreign Affairs made a statement,"The UK is helping the opposition establish security and governance, and to deliver essential services. This includes life-saving search and rescue training, helping Syrians whose homes have been reduced to rubble by the regime's bombs."
diamond03

Human Rights Watch calls for anti-FGM measures in Egypt | FIGO - 0 views

www.figo.org/...nti-fgm-measures-egypt-0014805

human rights egypt revolution women

shared by diamond03 on 01 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • Human Rights Watch calls for anti-FGM measures in Egypt
  • “take clear action
  • an end in the country.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • doctor and the fathe
  • doctor was charged with conducting the practice, he insisted that it was for medical purposes and not simply as a form of FGM.
  • first ever FGM trial
  • , the organisation said that significant steps need to be taken to enforce the laws
  • , 13-year-old Sohair al-Batea’s father was charged with
  • HRW says that existing laws need to be enforced properly with the help of greater commitment from local authorities in particula
  • “The authorities must send a clear message to the police, prosecution and the courts on investigating and prosecuting those who perform FGM
  • Rothna Begum
  • for HRW.Posted by Paul Robertson Other relevant links
  • diamond03 on 01 Dec 14
     
    It is clear that Egypt needs to take greeter actions in ensuring FGM is completely banned. Rothna Begum is a women's rights researcher who focuses on the Middle East and Africa. The doctor claims to have done the procedure other medical purposes other than FGM. 
waldrons

Charlie Hebdo attack - 7 views

www.independent.co.uk/...massacre-survivor-9976151.html

Charlie Hebdo survivor

shared by waldrons on 15 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • waldrons on 28 Jan 15
     
    Survivor recalls encounter with Charlie Hebdo
wmulnea

BBC News - Falling oil prices: Who are the winners and losers? - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...business-29643612

shared by wmulnea on 13 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • The reasons for this change are twofold - weak demand in many countries due to insipid economic growth, coupled with surging US production. Added to this is the fact that the oil cartel Opec is determined not to cut production as a way to prop up prices.
  • Russia loses about $2bn in revenues for every dollar fall in the oil price,
  • Russia has confirmed it will not cut production to shore up oil prices.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Venezuela is one of the world's largest oil exporters, but thanks to economic mismanagement it was already finding it difficult to pay its way even before the oil price started falling.
  • Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and Opec's most influential member, could support global oil prices by cutting back its own production, but there is little sign it wants to do this.
  • There could be two reasons - to try to instil some discipline among fellow Opec oil producers, and perhaps to put the US's burgeoning shale oil and gas industry under pressure.
  • Saudi Arabia needs oil prices to be around $85 in the longer term, it has deep pockets with a reserve fund of some $700bn - so can withstand lower prices for some time.
  • were to force some higher cost producers
  • In the 1980s the country did cut production significantly in a bid to boost prices, but it had little effect and it also badly affected the Saudi economy.
  • Saudi Arabia, Gulf producers such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have also amassed considerable foreign currency reserves, which means that they could run deficits for several years if necessary.
  • Islamic State, capturing oil wells. It is estimated it is making about $3m a day through black market sales - and undercutting market prices by selling at a significant discount - around $30-60 a barrel.
  • "The growth of oil production in North America, particularly in the US, has been staggering," says Columbia University's Jason Bordoff.
  • It has been this growth in US energy production, where gas and oil is extracted from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing or fracking, that has been one of the main drivers of lower oil prices.
  • "Shale has essentially severed the linkage between geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, and oil price and equities," says Seth Kleinman, head of energy strategy at Citi.
  • With Europe's flagging economies characterised by low inflation and weak growth, any benefits of lower prices would be welcomed by beleaguered governments. A 10% fall in oil prices should lead to a 0.1% increase in economic output, say some. In general consumers benefit through lower energy prices, but eventually low oil prices do erode the conditions that brought them about.
hkerby2

Syria chemical weapons: the proof that Assad regime launching chlorine attacks on children - 0 views

www.telegraph.co.uk/...orine-attacks-on-children.html

syria soil testing chemical weapons chlorine gas ammonia

shared by hkerby2 on 15 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • hkerby2 on 15 Feb 15
     
    Scientific analysis of the soil in the areas of suspected chemical warfare attacks on Syria have proven the use of chlorine and ammonia gas. With the proof of the soil as well as the evidence of the clear gas poisoning symptoms on the victims, it is now proven that the Assad regime is using chemical warfare on civilians, including children. This link also gives some useful but disturbing videos.
mharcour

BBC's History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...html

Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israel Palestine

shared by mharcour on 08 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • mharcour on 08 Feb 15
     
    This is a timeline of events that traces the conflict between Israel and Palestine from ancient times through the 2000's.
kdancer

Turkish army enters Syria to rescue Isis-besieged sacred site - 0 views

www.independent.co.uk/...besieged-by-isis-10062269.html

ISIS syria

shared by kdancer on 23 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • kdancer on 23 Feb 15
     
    The tomb of Suleyman Shah has been surrounded for months by militants belonging to the so-called "Islamic State", with just 40 guards holding onto the tiny pocket of Turkish sovereign land protected by international law. The operation represents the first land incursion by Turkish troops into Syria since the civil war began there nearly four years ago.
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