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This article briefly addresses the current global petroleum market, outlining the top national producers and their current import/export strategies. The article is a good overview of the global politcs affecting oil prices.

This interactive map shows how the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) has expanded over the past year. Currently, the group is occupying sections of both Syria and northern Iraq. This map also shows the areas of northern Iraq which have been attacked by American fighter jets and drones. The most strikes have been at Mosul dam; they allowed Kurdish forces to re-take the strategic location.

This interactive map shows how the territory controlled by the Islamic State (IS) has expanded over the past year. Currently, the group is occupying sections of both Syria and northern Iraq. This map also shows the areas of northern Iraq which have been attacked by American fighter jets and drones. The most strikes have been at Mosul dam; they allowed Kurdish forces to re-take the strategic location.

This is an article for Hurriyet Daily News, an online newspaper based in Istanbul.On October 5, many neighborhoods on Turkey's border with Syria were evacuated. I thought this news article was interesting because it quotes a speech by Turkey's president in which he addresses his viewpoint on the PKK. The organization has been banned in Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization. He says that ISIS/ISIL and the PKK are equivalent groups, and that the PKK is using the current conflict with ISIS to manipulate public opinion.

This is an article for Hurriyet Daily News, an online newspaper based in Istanbul.On October 5, many neighborhoods on Turkey's border with Syria were evacuated. I thought this news article was interesting because it quotes a speech by Turkey's president in which he addresses his viewpoint on the PKK. The organization has been banned in Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization. He says that ISIS/ISIL and the PKK are equivalent groups, and that the PKK is using the current conflict with ISIS to manipulate public opinion.

The news today says that ISIS has all but taken a Syrian Kurdish border city with Turkey, called Kobane. Not surprised that Erdogan would conflate the two groups, while the US is trying to activate Kurdish militants to resist ISIS. I was chatting with another student in my office today and we were wondering if the duty and suffering that have devolved onto the Kurds in this crisis might reinvigorate their push for a nation-state of their own.

Both the current Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood have failed to attract the support of the youth, while women participated in the recent referendum to support stability. The youth see the remnants of Mubarak's administration through the government structure. The revolution wouldn't be important without changes to the government. Many political groups are trying to coax the youth to being on "their side," and meanwhile, the Egyptian youth are struggling to find any positives. Gaining the vote of the youth generally means a win or loss for the politicians.

Both the current Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood have failed to attract the support of the youth, while women participated in the recent referendum to support stability. The youth see the remnants of Mubarak's administration through the government structure. The revolution wouldn't be important without changes to the government. Many political groups are trying to coax the youth to being on "their side," and meanwhile, the Egyptian youth are struggling to find any positives. Gaining the vote of the youth generally means a win or loss for the politicians.

This was an article (originally published by the Independent, however, I found it on their website via my first article from the BBC) by the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence of London. The article suggests, allowing fighters to return home safely and enroll in a De-radicalization program would be more beneficial than current policies of severe punishment (prison, stripping of citizenship, etc.). The authors contend current repercussions for fighters returning to their home countries leave them trapped and isolated and prison sentences often lead to further radicalization. Overall this article really captured my attention in its non-conventional proposal for governments to handle these situations.

This is an article from the Columbia Journalism Review discussing about a popular illustrator Mana Neyestani. In the article, Neyestani talks about his career in Iran as a comic illustrator and how it landed him in jail. This correlates to the issues that are currently happening in Egypt  

Documents reveal that Iran has been attempting to get a peaceful nuclear program fro years. The United States opposition towards the program has remained the same.

This article references the current situation in seeking peace talks. The situation isn't going well, as only 3 of 15 groups were available to meet with the UN envoy. Moreover, the rebel groups want a cessation to the ceasefire so that they can retaliate against government forces. Their plan on doing so involves attacks in Hama and Latakia.

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 source reports the third day of a successful blockade of an Israeli ship in the port of Oakland. The organization blocking the ability to dock wishes to voice their disapproval with the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and bring exposure to the partnership formed between the two countries which they believe resulted in the current militarization of police forces in the United States.

Jonathan Guyer is a Cairo based scholar who is currently looking into the comic satire used throughout Egypt.

Threats from ISIS extend to twitter as it threatened to assassinate the CEO Dick Costolo for deactivating ISIS held accounts. ISIS has also called upon citizens within the countries of twitter's operating facilities to attack Twitter employees on, currently Twitter has offices in the US, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Canada.

Saudi continues to raise production output regardless of current prices.Oil production in March averaged 10.3 million barrels per day, an increase from the 9.6 million bpd from the first two months of this year.

BBC discusses the effect of IS and the current political state of Libya.

In this news article on the BBC, a PKK commander claims that while the both sides leadership desires to move forward with the peace process, the peace talks with Turkey are in danger of turning into conflict. Cemil Bayik, a PKK commander in the Qandil mountains, says that the Turkish government's treatment of Kobane shows that it still views the PKK and the Kurdish people as a bigger threat than ISIS. Meanwhile, a Turkish government official, Yasin Aktay, vice-chairman of the ruling AK Party, gave a statement saying that the PKK and the Kurds are using current time of instability to try to "upset the status quo", and try to set up a system of self-governance like Iraqi Kurdish groups. This article ends with dire warnings by both sides. Aktay warns that in the coming weeks and months, Turkey will actively try to prevent a "power grab" by the PKK in Kurdish towns. Meanwhile, Cemil Bayik says that unless the Turkish government changes its policies, the conflict between the Kurds and Turkey will continue, asserting that "if necessary the Kurds will fight against the Islamic State and the Turkish army."

A PKK commander tells the BBC that the peace process with Turkey is in danger of turning into conflict.

Syria, in agreement with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is destroying all of it's chemical weaponry facilities and all products. There are a total of 12 facilities that are expected to be destroyed by this summer, 2015. There are also underground facilities and aircraft carrier that are expected to be destroyed as well. A current total of 1300 metric tons has been destroyed from Syria thus far.

Syria's current President Assad states the he wants the U.S. to take action and allow him to be a part of negotiations. U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry also states that Assad should be part of the peace talks but other world leaders such as in France and Turkey oppose this.

Jonathan Guyer is a Cairo based scholar who is currently looking into the comic satire used throughout Egypt.