une 01, 2014
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Erdogan: We will flood the EU with refugees - 0 views
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Another issue Turkey is constantly dealing with, is the problem with the thousands of Syrian refugees at their border, in addition to the mini-civil war w/the Kurds, and its questionable oil business with ISIS. This article points out Erdogan's requests for the EU to deliver more funds to control the border situation. Different point of view from the other two articles I bookmarked this week.
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shared by kristaf on 22 Sep 14
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What's Next For Egypt After Sisi's Win? : NPR - 0 views
www.npr.org/...next-for-egypt-after-sisis-win
#EgyptElections #MuslimBrotherhood #PoliticalPrisoners #Sisi
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Muslim Brotherhood
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in 2011, the revolution hatched in Tahrir Square helped bring down Egypt's long-time dictator, Hosni Mubarak
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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.
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And also all voices of dissent being suppressed. Thousands of people characterized as political prisoners are languishing in jail here in Egypt.
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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.
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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."
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shared by mariebenavides on 23 Sep 14
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The #Jan25 Revolution and the 'Liberation' of Arabic Literature | Arabic Literature (in... - 0 views
arablit.wordpress.com/...iberation-of-arabic-literature
egypt literature revolution english art arablit
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This article discusses the issue of censorship. By talking with Egyptian novelist Khaled al-Berry, presented is the idea of a strong hope for less censorship because the January 25th revolutions had opened up a future of possibilities and challenges for Egyptian literature. While in previous years there had been no actual direct political censorship, publishers would attempt both religious and moral censorship as a means to protect people. While the article does discuss that there will always be censorship, they also look forward to a culture that values art and reading that will change the perspective of the culture.
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Egypt women: Rights on paper, not yet on ground - Yahoo News - 0 views
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Men hold an overwhelming near-lock on decision-making in politics, and activists say they are doing little to bring about equality.
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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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security forces dragged a female protester to the ground, pulled up her top to reveal her blue bra and stomped on her chest.
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female protesters at the time were forced to undergo humiliating "virginity tests" when detained by the military.
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"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."
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The document explicitly enshrines equality between the sexes and women's rights to education, work and high political office.
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"It's not just more progressive than the 2012 constitution, it's more progressive than the 1971 constitution . from the gender perspective,
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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.
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January she wrote to the State Council demanding it take on women judges in light of the constitution.
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activate a unit specialized in fighting violence against women and "the health sector should take into account reproductive rights.
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Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls - 0 views
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harmful physical, psychological and human rights consequences has led to the use of the term “female genital mutilation
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women who have undergone FGC do not consider themselves to be mutilated and have become offended by the term “FGM”
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practised in ancient Egypt as a sign of distinction, while others hypothesize its origin in ancient Greece, Rome, Pre-Islamic Arabia and the Tsarist Russian Federation.
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94.6% of married women had been exposed to FGC and 69.1% of those women agreed to carry out FGC on their daughters
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females interviewed was 38 816. The prevalence of FGC among schoolgirls was 50.3%. The prevalence of FGC was 46.2% in government urban schools, 9.2% in private urban schools and 61.7% in rural schools.
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Egypt are type I (commonly referred to as clitoridectomy) and type II (commonly referred to as excision).5 In Africa, the most common type of FGC is type II (excision of the clitoris and the labia minor) which accounts for up to 80% of all cases.6 I
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The difference in the prevalence rates of FGC is mainly due to educational status in both rural and urban areas
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There is an obvious negative correlation between the female’s parents’ education and the practice of FGC
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Parents with low or no education are the most likely to have circumcised their daughters with prevalence rates ranging between 59.5% and 65.1%
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higher degrees of education are the least likely to have their daughters circumcised and the prevalence rate ranged between 19.5% and 22.2%.
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. In Egypt, in the past, the majority of FGC procedures were performed by traditional midwives, called dayas. However, according to the Demographic and Health Survey (1995),16 the number of
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include infection because of unsanitary operating conditions, and significant psychological and psychosexual consequences of FGC
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complications (early and late) such as severe pain, bleeding, incontinence, infections, mental health problems, sexual problems, primary infertility and difficult labour with high episiotomy rate. In addition, the repetitive use of the same instruments on several girls without sterilization can cause the spread of HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
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In these surveys, 72% of ever-married women reported that circumcision is an important part of religious tradition and about two-thirds of the women had the impression that the husband prefers his wife to be circumcised
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one-third of ever-married women cited cleanliness as a reason while a small number saw it as a way to prevent promiscuity before marriage.
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. It is an issue that demands a collaborative approach involving health professionals, religious leaders, educationalists and nongovernmental organizations.
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Past issues Information for contributors Editorial members How to order About the Bulletin Disclaimer Prevalence of female genital cutting among Egyptian girls
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This is such a controversial topic. I saw a reference to it recently (was it possibly something that was brought up in the Bill Maher/Ben Affleck dust-up?) that pointed out that the practice is almost unheard of outside of central and northeastern Africa, with a few small pockets in Iraq and the Gulf.
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shared by allieggg on 05 Oct 14
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Wasta, Work and Corruption in Transnational Business | CONNECTED in CAIRO - 0 views
connectedincairo.com/...tion-in-transnational-business
middle east watsa corruption Business Egypt Family
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micklethwait liked it
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Girgis worked for a company that insisted as part of their global corporate culture that there be no “corruption.” Six years after opening its office in Egypt, they continued to be plagued by behaviors they understood to be “corrupt.”
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I explained that wasta referred to a network of informal loans and favors traded by Arab men in order to move up in the world.
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Encouraged by my open, neutral tone, Girgis opened up further. “My father mortgaged family lands to pay for my college,” Girgis said. “I owe him everything. If he asks me to find a job for his brother’s son, how can I say no?”
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“You can send me anywhere else in the world and I’ll run the office by the book,” Girgis told his supervisor. “But I can’t do that here.”
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any Egyptian man they hired to run the office would be equally suspended in webs of wasta obligations
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“investment and return” frame I created for understanding, emphasizing the economic parallels between Arab families and running a business
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, I’ve known several Egyptian businessmen who thought wasta was an improvement on Western models of hiring.
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Net result: greater loyalty, less likelihood of theft, less likelihood of negotiating for new jobs behind your back and leaving you in the lurch, etc, he claimed.
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This article is from the point of view of an anthropologist who was brought in as a cultural consultant to mediate an issue of "watsa" for a corporation in the Middle East. The company prides itself on its lack of internal corruption, and in turn hired a man named Girgis who grew up in the Middle East but lived and received an education in the US. In Girgis's first year he hired one of his cousins, which the supervisors saw as corrupt hiring practice. The author, and hired consultant, explained to the company supervisors that watsa was an "investment and return" framework in Arab culture, and that there are economic parallels between Arab families and businesses, families existing as economic units. Girgis conveyed that anywhere else in the world he would run the office by the book, but in the Arab world he must also adhere to social norms. The result of watsa through Arab eyes leads to greater loyalty, and less likelihood for deception and theft. The article basically introduces the idea that while in the Western world this may be seen as corruption, it is an embedded part of culture in the Middle East.
With Zelal screening in Cairo, mental patients unveil social issues - Film - Arts & Cul... - 0 views
english.ahram.org.eg/...airo,-mental-patients-unv.aspx
cairo patients social issues Zelal documentary
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Syria crisis: Where key countries stand - BBC News - 0 views
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The eruption of civil conflict in Syria in 2011 very quickly provoked a deep split in the international community over which side to back and what outcome to see
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Syria regarded as the world's most pressing crisis, the US and Russia, along with other permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkey and Arab states, have attempted to resolve their differences.
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Their Geneva Communique, which calls for a transitional government based on "mutual consent", has become the basis for peace talks in the Swiss city. But it is clear the sides have different interpretations of the plan, and have so far failed to achieve a breakthroug
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US wants Bashar al-Assad out of power, and is pushing for the transitional government called for in the Geneva communique.
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President Barack Obama sought Congressional support for military action but postponed the vote - which was not certain to pass - when Syria indicated it would surrender its chemical stockpile
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United States has been one of the most prominent advocates of firm action against the Syrian government, which it has accused of using chemical weapons and other atrocities.
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It is backing Syria's "moderate opposition" with "non-lethal" assistance, including communications equipment, generators, and office supplies - but is also believed to be supplying light weapon
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Russia is one of Mr Assad's most important international backers and has warned the US and its allies against taking one-sided action against Syria
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Russia was key to Syria agreeing to give up chemical weapons, and backs the Geneva Communique. But it has repeatedly said Syria's future should be decided by Syrians and blocked anti-Assad resolutions at the UN Security Council. It continues to supply Syria with arms, including missile systems and aircraft
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Britain has been a big critic of the Assad government and signed a statement in 2013 calling for a "strong international respons
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supported military action but had to rule out Britain's involvement when he failed to secure the backing of parliament in August 2013.
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UK, along with France, successfully lobbied for the EU's arms embargo to be lifted so as to allow further supplies to Syrian rebels
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France has been among the most hawkish Western countries and was the first to stop recognising the Syrian government and deal with the main opposition coalition instead.
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France up to join US military action until plans were put on hold. The president acknowledged that France could not, and would not, act on its own
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China has joined Russia in blocking resolutions critical of Syria at the UN Security Council. It has criticised the prospect of strikes against Syria, insisting any military action without UN approval would be illegal.
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Turkish government has been one of the most vocal critics of Syrian President Assad since early on in the uprising and signalled its willingness to join international action even without UN approval
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Saudi Arabia has been a rival of the Syrian government for years. It has been particularly active in pushing for action against Mr Assad, and called for "all legal means possible" to be used to stop the bloodshed
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Qatar is thought to be one of the main suppliers of weapons to Syrian rebels and says outside military intervention has become a necessity to protect the Syrian people.
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ebanon there is deep division between supporters and opponents of President Assad. The country has suffered from an overspill of violence, including bomb attacks, as well as a huge flood of refugees. It has said it thinks military intervention might make the situation worse.
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Jordan has also received hundreds of thousands of refugees and has called for a political solution to the conflic
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Israel regards President Assad as an enemy, but has refrained from publicly backing military action against him. It fears its backing could alienate the Arab world,
Pressing Issues: A Disgraceful Day for the 'Paper Of Record' - 0 views
gregmitchellwriter.blogspot.com.br/...graceful-day-for-paper-of.html
issues paper New York Times bias
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Dar al-Ifta in Egypt issues fatwas against "selfies" and online mixing | MuslimVillage.com - 0 views
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Are China and Russia Moving toward a Formal Alliance? | The Diplomat - 0 views
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In the joint statement issued by China and Russia, the main message is that China-Russia relations have reached a new stage of comprehensive strategic partnership and this will help increase both countries’ international status and influence, thus contributing to a more just international order
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China secures a long-term (30 years) provision of natural gas from Russia and Russia can reduce its dependence on the European markets as well as strengthen Russia’s position against Western sanctions
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Russia is now moving closer to China’s side with regard to the territorial disputes between China and Japan
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China and Russia last week vetoed a draft UN resolution to send Syria to the International Criminal Court for war crimes. China and Russia had vetoed three previous UNSC resolutions condemning Syria
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China and Russia will deepen cooperation under the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building in Asia (CICA), a new security framework in Asia-Pacific that conveniently excludes the U.S. and Japan.
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mutual strategic needs as both China and Russia want to create a multipolar world that is not dominated by the U.S., particularly as China faces threats from the US-led alliance in Asia
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China’s chance of winning maritime disputes with Japan partly depends on maintaining a good relationship with Russia
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the NATO expansion is a serious threat to Russia’s national security and as such Russia has to fight back
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new China-Russia alliance is now emerging and this will eventually lead to a multi-polar world order.
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problems in China-Russia relations such as historical mistrust, the lack of a common threat, and conflicting interests in Central Asia
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he most important factor determining whether China and Russia should form an alliance is whether the two countries have shared strategic interests and how long such shared strategic interests can last
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China nor Russia could become a member of the Western bloc led by the U.S. because other allies of the U.S. would feel threatened by China and Russia
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, China’s number two position in the world means that China will not be supported by the U.S. with regard to most international affairs issues
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Yan also refutes the argument that a China-Russia alliance against the U.S. would lead to another cold war.
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ould be potentially high costs of such an alliance due to common problems such as fears of abandonment and entrapment
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Russia wants to maintain good relations with all Asian states and thus will not side with China when it comes to territorial disputes between China and Japan
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China-Russia alliance is unrealistic and a strategic partnership is more flexible and better for China.
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seems that in the near future a formal alliance between China and Russia will not happen due to a variety of reasons.
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shared by fcastro2 on 04 Feb 15
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Putin brings China into Middle East strategy - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views
www.al-monitor.com/...-consequences-middle-east.html
putin china middle east syria strategy politics
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one of China’s main strategic regional projects was the economic region (or belt) of the 21st century Great Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, which intends to create a wide area of Chinese economic presence from China’s western borders to Europe
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Chinese leader opened the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum on June 5 in Beijing
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energy cooperation; infrastructure construction and creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment; and high-tech domains of nuclear energy, the space rocket sector and new energy sources
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suggested that the creation of a free trade zone between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) be accelerated
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China supports the peace process and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, "enjoying full sovereignty."
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, why shouldn’t Russia and China in the current situation — given the proximity of their interests and positions — undertake joint initiatives to unblock the peace process, while initiating steps to "introduce this activity within an institutional framework?
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, the unilateral efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace process are not bearing fruit
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Russia is interested in using this unprecedented convergence with China in its operations on the Middle East arena, where Moscow has in many ways already been acting in unison with Beijing
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, the Middle East Quartet is one of few international platforms where Russia can constructively engage with the United States and the EU
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China's growing economic cooperation with Arab countries not a cause for concern in Moscow, but it is also viewed in a very favorable light
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will not one day replace the United States as the security guarantor for the transportation routes of these resources
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Moscow’s and Beijing’s interests converge in the joint countering of terrorism, extremism and separatism
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. Among the militants from radical groups fighting against government troops in Syria, there are people hailing not only from Russia and Central Asia (fewer in numbers to those coming from Arab and Islamic as well as Western countries), but also from the Uighur minority in China.
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recently, Beijing came under harsh criticism from Ankara for its actions in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region against the Uighur population, which the Turks believe to be their next of kin
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. Disappointed by the failure of EU accession, the Turkish leadership has even started talking about the desire to join the SCO as an observer
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Ankara expresses its willingness to cooperate with China in the fight against terrorists and condemns the separatism coming from some groups in Xinjiang
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There is no doubt that a comprehensive strategic partnership, in which Russia and China would act in concert along the political consensus reached by their two leaders, would in the short term
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According to both, this convergence is neither a union nor a tournament of predators, but a very pragmatic integrationist instrument of protection and projection of interests by the two powers, including in the Middle East.
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roughly 50 agreements ushering in a period of unprecedented convergence between the two countries
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Such consensus includes Syria, despite Beijing’s lesser involvement on this issue, relative to Moscow; Iran, within the P5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program; the fight against terrorism and extremism; the creation of a weapons of mass destruction-free Middle East; the condemnation of external intervention and the strategy of "regime change" as well as the push for "color revolutions;" the policy to reach a settlement in the Middle East; and relations with the new Egyptian regime and with respect to the Sudanese issues.
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shared by mharcour on 28 Feb 15
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Obama Pushes for 1967 Lines Two State Deal - 0 views
www.bloomberg.com/...east-deal-based-on-1967-lines-
Israel Israeli-Palestinian conflict Palestine Two State Solution Obama 1967 Lines
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Tunisian Women Face Challenges in Achieving Gender EqualityMorocco World News - 0 views
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After January 14, 2011 the issue of equality between men and women rose. Later in 2014, Article 46 of the new Constitution guaranteed equality between the sexes and highlighted the principle of parity. "The state is committed to protecting the acquired rights of women. It supports and works to improve them..."
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President Sisi's Worldview - 0 views
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A former senior official at the U.S. embassy in Cairo describes how Sisi's background is shaping his approach to domestic politics, counterterrorism, Israel, and other issues. From the way Sisi is described, his main priority is the domestic economy. He knows that without creating domestic stability through lowering unemployment and generating more capital, he cannot remain in power. In addition, it appears that Sisi is a strong believer of military influence. He has a strategic plan of cooperating with great powers to grow Egypt's reputation. Sisi's plan to create a strong state, while cooperating with other strong states and focusing on military power are all evidence of his political realist tendencies.
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Mana Neyestani reflects in 'An Iranian Metamorphosis' : Columbia Journalism Review - 0 views
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Turkey and the PKK: Saving the Peace Process - 0 views
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This is a report published on November 6, 2014 by the International Crisis Group about the current peace talks between Turkey's President Ergodan and leaders of the PKK. It discusses how after decades of conflict which cost tens of thousands of people their lives, neither Turkey nor the PKK believe that military victory is possible, and are meeting to discuss a peaceful resolution. However, the events in Syria has reignited ever-present tensions between the two groups, and a fruitful compromise between them is seeming less likely. In this report, the International Crisis Group details the parameters of a possible peace deal, and states that differences need to be put aside so that basic issues like "transitional justice, disarmament and decentralization" can be resolved.
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Letters from the Editors Cairo-based... - Oum Cartoon أم كرتون - 0 views
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memorialize freedom of expression, inserting that dark strip above a framed picture that reads, “Freedom,”
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