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Oil and Terror: ISIS and Middle East Economies - 0 views

www.investopedia.com/...-and-middle-east-economies.asp
shared by wmulnea on 02 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • ISIS's economic cost is significant not just for Iraq but also other Middle Eastern countries.
  • Iraq has the fifth largest oil reserves in the world and third highest in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and Iran.
  • Part of ISIS's rise in Iraq can be attributed to sectarian politics.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • part of their dissatisfaction came from the distribution of oil revenues. 
  • The mismanagement of oil revenues is also manifest in Iraq's poor infrastructure
  • Though currently the Iraqi government has reserves and surplus funds, mounting expenditures and falling oil prices has economists to project that Iraq will run a deficit next year.
  • it is running a self-sustaining economy, making it the world's richest terror group.
  • Thankfully, 6 of 8 Iraq’s major oil fields lie in the Shia South, which is unlikely to come under ISIS control.
  • It sells crude at a steep discount, at a rate of USD $30 per barrel
  • Turkey runs a huge trade surplus with Iraq, which is likely to slow down dramatically due to lower demand from Iraq.
  • Jordan and Lebanon, which have both absorbed a large number of refugees.
  • Iran’s position seems to be the trickiest of all in that its interests align with those of the US in its fight against ISIS
  • Falling oil prices have definitely curtailed Iran’s ability to intervene without serious consequences for its economy. Iran needs oil prices well above USD $100 for it to balance its budget,
  • Any cooperation between Iran and the US over ISIS could lead to a gradual withdrawal of sanctions, which would allow Iran to sell its oil on the open market and generate revenue. The flip side is that Iran’s oil would surely depress oil prices further.
  • Saudi's allegiances have become muddled.
  • it finds its interests are aligned with those of Iran, a traditional foe, both of which are against ISIS.
  • Russia needs oil prices near USD $100 to balance its budget and Iran needs high oil prices to support its nuclear program.
  • Regionally, ISIS will disrupt and degrade the economy of several states, and that in turn may lead to further political chaos -- which is precisely ISIS's goal.
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Meet the female peshmerga forces fighting IS - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 2 views

www.al-monitor.com/...giment-peshmerga-fight-is.html Peshmerga Kuridstan Women Islamic State
shared by nfyffe on 28 Oct 14 - No Cached
micklethwait liked it
  • nfyffe on 28 Oct 14
     
    Author: Shaida al-Ameen Posted August 11, 2014 Kurdish female peshmerga fighters have been active during battles against the Islamic State (IS). According to the female troops' leaders based in the Sulaimaniyah governorate, Kurdish female fighters have been on the front lines in the battles against IS.
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How a German doctor became a PKK hero - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...k-pyd-legend-doctor-medya.html PKK Kurds Turkey
shared by cbrock5654 on 18 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • cbrock5654 on 18 Nov 14
     
    In this article for Al Monitor, a news site launched during the Arab Spring which brands itself as "the pulse of the Middle East", a physician from Hamburg talks about her more than 20 years in the Kurdistan Workers Party in a rare interview.
  • cbrock5654 on 18 Nov 14
     
    In this article for Al Monitor, a news site launched during the Arab Spring which brands itself as "the pulse of the Middle East", a physician from Hamburg talks about her more than 20 years in the Kurdistan Workers Party in a rare interview.
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Sunnis and Shias: Islam's ancient schism - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...world-middle-east-16047709 egypt ISIS war politics syria iraq
shared by malbasr on 08 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • malbasr on 08 Nov 14
     
    What are the differences between Sunnis and Shias?Muslims are split into two main branches, the Sunnis and Shias. The split originates in a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over who should lead the Muslim community. The great majority of Muslims are Sunnis - estimates suggest the figure is somewhere between 85% and 90%.
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Band of Brothers: The Muslim Brotherhood's Artistic Side - 1 views

muftah.org/lim-brotherhoods-artistic-side Muslim Brotherhood Art Muftah
shared by zackellogg on 11 Nov 14 - No Cached
  • kristaf on 11 Nov 14
     
    The article mentions the refusal of an opera production to go on as a way of making a statement against Morsi and the brotherhood. The Orchestra conductor named Nayer Nagui addressed the audience and said "We have decided to abstain from putting  on tonight's performance of Aida...until the Minister of Culture is removed." The newly appointed Minister of Culture was given by Morsi to Alaa Abdel Aziz who was altering the message and production of the show. The show according to Aziz was not following appropriate or respectful interpretations of Islam. 
  • zackellogg on 11 Nov 14
     
    Muftah was first launched in May of 2010 as a way of push back against the Western media potrayl of the Middle East. According to the Muftah mission statement, the West has failed to provide diverse viewpoints, and it is things like Muftah that can really make a difference. According to the mission, Muftah focuses on original content by using diverse individuals to tell the story.
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Understanding Syria: From Pre-Civil War to Post-Assad - The Atlantic - 0 views

www.theatlantic.com/...281989 syria understanding history causes war revolution transition
shared by alarsso on 08 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • xtreme temperatures
  • drought from 2006 to 2011
  • 2001 to 2010, Syria had 60 “significant” dust storms.
  • ...70 more annotations...
  • lessening of rainfall
  • as of the last year before the civil war, only about 13,500 square kilometers could be irrigated
  • agriculture
  • 20 percent of national income
  • employed about 17 percent
  • Syria’s oil is of poor quality, sour, and expensive to refine
  • densely populated
  • less than 0.25 hectares (just over a third of an acre) of agricultural land per person
  • population/resource ratio is out of balance.
  • So it is important to understand how their “social contract”—their view of their relationship with one another and with the government—evolved and then shattered.
  • threw the country into the arms of
  • Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser
  • or three and a half years
  • part of the United Arab Republic
  • A fundamental problem they faced was what it meant to be a Syrian.
  • 1961 Syrians were thrown back on their own resources
  • The majority of those who became Syrians were Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims
  • seven and eight in 10 Syrians saw themselves as Muslim Arab
  • being a Muslim Arab as the very definition of Syrian identity.
  • Nationalists took this diversity as a primary cause of weakness and adopted as their primary task integrating the population into a single political and social structure.
  • Israel
  • Looming over Syrian politics and heightening the tensions
  • A ceasefire, negotiated in 1974, has held, but today the two states are still legally at war.
  • or Hafez al-Assad, the secular, nationalist Baath Party was a natural choice: it offered, or seemed to offer, the means to overcome his origins in a minority community and to point toward a solution to the disunity of Syrian politics
  • bridge the gaps between rich and poor
  • socialism
  • Muslims and minorities
  • Islam
  • society
  • hould be modern
  • secular
  • defined by a culture of “Arabism”
  • the very antithesis of
  • Muslim Brotherhood
  • military, which seemed
  • o embody the nation.
  • help the Syrian people to live better provided only that they not challenge his rule
  • his stern and often-brutal monopoly of power
  • foreign troublemakers
  • Hafez al-Assad sided with Iran in the Iran-Iraq war
  • During the rule of the two Assads, Syria made considerable progress.
  • locked into the cities and towns
  • they f
  • had to compete
  • Palestinians
  • Iraqis
  • Syria was already a refuge
  • March 15, 2011
  • small group gathered in the southwestern town of Daraa to protest against government failure to help them
  • government saw them as subversives.
  • He ordered a crackdown
  • And the army,
  • responded violently.
  • Riots broke out
  • attempted to quell them with military
  • what had begun as a food and water issue gradually turned into a political and religious cause.
  • interpretation of Islam
  • the Syrian government is charged with using illegal chemical weapons
  • All observers agree that the foreign-controlled and foreign-constituted insurgent groups are the most coherent, organized, and effective
  • astonishing as they share no common language and come from a wide variety of cultures
  • slam has at least so far failed to provide an effective unifying force
  • all the rebels regard the conflict in Syria as fundamentally a religious issue
  • pwards of $150 billion
  • a whole generation of Syrians have been subjected to either or both the loss of their homes and their trust in fellow human beings.
  • How the victims and the perpetrators can be returned to a “normal life”
  • First, the war might continue.
  • Second, if the Syrian government continues or even prevails, there is no assurance that,
  • t will be able to suppress the insurgency.
  • Third,
  • Syria will remain effectively “balkanized”
  • alarsso on 08 Feb 15
     
    This article captures Syria's geography, history, and all events leading up to the state Syria is in today.
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Tunisian youth skip presidential vote - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...ections-low-youth-turnout.html
shared by taylordillingham on 09 Feb 15 - No Cached
  • taylordillingham on 09 Feb 15
     
    The majority of the youth argue that whether they vote or not Tunisia will not see progress. The youth are choosing to not participate in the election.

Egyptian Center for Women - 0 views

started by sgriffi2 on 19 Feb 15 no follow-up yet
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Party payments squeeze out Egypt's youth candidates - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...outh-parliament-elections.html egypt youth candidates payments party
shared by katelynklug on 27 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • katelynklug on 27 Oct 14
     
    Political parties are demanding payments of up to $28,000 for candidates to be included in their electoral lists. This is prohibiting youth groups from having an active role in the formation of the new government. Although the new electoral law gave Copts, women, and people with disabilities the right to be a part of parties' electoral lists, splits and conflicts between parties interferes with the process. There is a consensus in the higher order of politicians that the youth are not prepared to be a part of the political process. Others believe this is an unfair statement. However, the mistake of the youth in the revolution was that they did not take part in the government process at the beginning. They missed their opportunity to fulfill their demands by only aiming to overthrow the regime.
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A Quick Nullification? - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...mas-fatah-plo-accusations.html Israeli-Palestinian conflict Palestine Hamas PLO Fatah
shared by mharcour on 11 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • mharcour on 11 Apr 15
     
    In this AL Monitor article, the growing dissatisfaction between Hamas and Fatah is outlined in detail. A short time after the agreement to work together was made, current accusations of treason by each side have the organizations on shaky ground.
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Israel targets Hamas-Fatah unity in Gaza - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...rael-war-gaza-hamas-fatah.html israel gaza hamas war middleeast
shared by jshnide on 13 Apr 15 - No Cached
  • jshnide on 13 Apr 15
     
    After the killing of Israeli teenagers, Israel was able to launch a justified assault on Gaza. Specifically targeting Hamas, the Israelis want nothing more than the safety of their neighboring Jews and Arabs.
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Qatar resets its Syria policy - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...qatar-resets-syria-policy.html syria civil war qatar policy middle east relations
shared by alarsso on 30 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • alarsso on 30 Mar 15
     
    Qatar, whose former emir was quite close with Assad, not slowly draws from the civil war. A source who wishes to remain anonymous tells that Qatar still supports Syrians, but does not want to fuel the new religious conflict, rather wishes to be useful in finding a peaceful end.
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Will Egypt's schools break sex education taboo? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...-violence-women-campaigns.html Sex education taboo gender egypt schools middle east #NotAshame
shared by pvaldez2 on 26 Jan 16 - No Cached
  • pvaldez2 on 26 Jan 16
     
    Gender Based Violence campaign began Nov. 25. The campaign was launched by the Cairo Center for Development and Tadwein.
  • pvaldez2 on 26 Jan 16
     
    Gender Based Violence campaign began Nov. 25. The campaign was launched by the Cairo Center for Development and Tadwein.
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Can Egypt's tourism industry get back on track after Sinai crash? - Al-Monitor: the Pul... - 0 views

www.al-monitor.com/...ssia-crash-sinai-recovery.html tourism Egypt ISIS economy terrorism
shared by mkulach on 27 Jan 16 - No Cached
  • mkulach on 27 Jan 16
     
    Egypt's tourism sector has plumeted since the Russian airplane crashed due to an alleged ISIS bombing on the plane. British and Russian planes had then placed a ban on all flight to Egypt, which is about 70% of tourism in Egypt. Egypt has now created a campaign called "This is Egypt" to try and revamp its tourism sector.
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