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The Obama administration says there is little doubt that President Bashar Assad's regime is to blame for last week's reported attack, but there has been research into the possibility of the rebels using chemical weapons. It is possible but not likely. If the rebels were to use chemical weapons they would not use it in an area with such little soldier population. additionally it is the regime that has the controlled stockpiles of chemical weapons, not the rebels.

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.

The UN is pushing for sanctions to put pressure on Libyan factions and militias to take part in political negotiations. These sanctions would target individual groups rather than the foreign backers involved in the proxy war and would freeze their assets and impose travel bans. US officials have introduced the possibility of using their own sanctions separate from the UN for a few reasons: UN sanctions move slowly if not at all, Washington could impose them whenever they wish. The US places more emphasis on the importance on external actors in the conflict than domestic groups, explaining that these countries are actually intensifying the conflict. 

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.

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.

Possibly NSFW.

Russia and China once again veto a resolution that would have lead  to an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Syrian governments possible violation of human rights, and international humanitarian law. This is the fourth time both countries have vetoed resolutions relating to the situation in Syria.

Committee meets to prepare plan for possible transition during post-assad period.

The following link is a blog entitled Saudi Women Driving. The blog posts about issues regarding the law against women driving in Saudi Arabia. The first blog post currently on the page is about a television interview with a man with extreme views on this law. He went as far as to say that not allowing women to drive is to protect them from the possibility of being raped if their car ever broke down.

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.

This article discusses women's health rights and their misconceptions. According to this article it is a misconception that women have to obtain permission from their legal guardian to receive medical treatment. Women have the right to health care but are unaware of this right. Many doctors are also unaware of this right or fear the possible repercussions from the guardian if they perform a procedure without consent.

Iran's new production and possibilities to sell to Asia could hurt Saudi's plans for projected future demand of their oil

This article explores possible outcomes for Syrian Christians and the best situation for them if the regime falls, or if civil war continues

Many men from the Muslim Brotherhood were killed in a massacre. This leaves the women in the Muslim Sisterhood to wonder if that gives them a possibility of having a greater role in the organization.

This article focuses on the possibilities of action that Yemen could take that would affect oil supply, prices, and production.

This article elaborates on what ISIS recently revealed to the world about the attacks in France. The "lions" who were responsible for the attacks were identified and a next possible attack location was also predicted as well because of it.

This is another article that describes the group ISIS and how it started as a small part of Al-Quaeda into one of the most notorious terrorist groups today.

By Lee Ferran and Rym Momtaz Born from an especially brutal al Qaeda faction, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has grown from relative obscurity in recent years to overshadow its extremist patrons. It now terrorizes large swaths of Syria and Iraq, has become the target of the largest U.S.

Should the United States fear ISIS as a possible threat? This interactive learning site gives an understanding of who ISIS is, their history, and what their mission is.