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Turkey is now providing a safe haven for Syrian refugees in addition to Jordan's efforts. Turkish officials are trying to build a coalition to back a secure strip of territory for safe passage of refugees. There seems to be some significant disagreement between Turkey and the Kurdish militia.

This article in 2015, describes what women face everyday on Egypt streets. Eman Helal often wears a gas mask and helmet when she photographs protests. She knowns that this protective gear provides her an extra level of security from men in public. It has been said that physical attacks on women by groups of men have increased in Egypt since the start of the Arab Spring.

Kurdish fighters from Turkey and Iraq are scrambling to help defend a vital Kurdish safe haven in northern Syria, where tens of thousands of Kurds have fled after an offensive by Islamic State (Isis) militants.

Kurdish fighters from Turkey and Iraq are scrambling to help defend a vital Kurdish safe haven in northern Syria, where tens of thousands of Kurds have fled after an offensive by Islamic State (Isis) militants.

Syrain Druze have managed to stay safe by remaining neutral thoughout the civil war; but how long can this continue? Will they eventually need to chose sides?

The Turkish government recently went into an extremist-controlled territory in order to evacuate a tomb of a major historical figure, and the soldiers who guarded it. The safe passage of this mission has shown that the relations between Turkey and Syria have gotten a bit better. 

Even though not relating to Iran, this article talks about the power the NSA has in penetrating computer data. It basically explains how no computer hardware or firmware is safe from NSA penetration and illustrates the power America has over other countries cyberspace.

This article/video is from pbs.org, talking about the revolution that happened 5 years ago at Tahrir Square. Women were apart of the revolution, by participating and leading protests. They were able to safely join men to protest, but changed later on. Female protestors were being sexually assaulted. Because of these assaults, laws are now being implemented in Egypt.

There have been at least 15 reported breaches of the Syrian cease fire by Syrian and Russian government. Rebels say overall it is nice to see people safe and receiving aid, but the loophole of still being able to attack ISIS and al-Qaeda continues to concern the rebels. The 15 breaches in question are viewed as attacks against terrorists by some, and attacks against government opposition by others.

In Cairo, taxi drivers are fighting the encroachment of ride-booking services like Uber. But many Egyptians, especially women, say they prefer Uber since they feel safer with the company's drivers.

This article gives a description of the state of Egypt's once thriving Tahrir Square, just two years after the revolution. The mood of Tahrir Square has changed dramatically and is now solemn rather than buzzing with enthusiasm. The young activists interviewed in the article expressed their regret for the revolution or how it turned out. The youth population is still struggling for economic revival after two years of revolution. Mass unemployment is hitting the large youth population the hardest, which is still a source of anger. The majority of this population does not have adequate skills for the available job market.

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.

Really he should move to Austin, right?

Battle in Yemen has left many displaced and in need of goods and healthcare. The blockade has made it difficult for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid to Yemen.

Iraq about to build a wall that Separates Iraq from IS in order to keep Iraq safe.

Libya, given it's instability due to years of warfare and practically no government, has become a new safe haven for ISIS. If left alone, ISIS could make Libya what Afghanistan or Yemen were to Al Qaeda. This would also have major consequences for Europe, specifically Southern Italy and other Mediterranean countries given Libya's close proximity to southern Europe.

This article also talks about the problems Syrian children face regarding education. International laws about "schools remain out of conflict" has gone ignored for a long time. Public Schools are overstretched in neighboring countries due to extra children in schools. The most interesting part of this article is the video which goes into more details about the growth of education in the last four years.