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According to ISIS, an Australian teen named Jake Bilardi, who defected and joined the rebel group sometime late last year, drove a van containing a suicide bomb into an Iraqi army outpost yesterday as part of a series of attacks that killed 17 and injured 38 in Iraq's Anbar Province.

According to ISIS, an Australian teen named Jake Bilardi, who defected and joined the rebel group sometime late last year, drove a van containing a suicide bomb into an Iraqi army outpost yesterday as part of a series of attacks that killed 17 and injured 38 in Iraq's Anbar Province.

Compiled by faculty members at the German University in Cairo, this working paper series addresses the effect that watsa has on competence and morality in Middle Eastern economics and society. The authors define watsa as, "the intervention of a patron in favor of a client to obtain benefits and/or resources from a third party." In simpler terms it is a system of social networking in Arab culture in which family and social ties play a significant role in the attainment of economic advantages and resources, largely in the hiring process in businesses and organizations. A person applying for a job seeks out watsa to increase their chances of getting hired. Comparable to nepotism and cronyism, but is not restricted to friends and associates, watsa can also involve strangers linked through some social web of people. Watsa runs somewhat parallel to a Chinese concept of guanxi, based on Confucian ethics and focusing on strong collective ties. While guanxi is a part of Chinese ethics it actually defies Muslim ethical values, which advocates hiring the person most capable. In a Jordanian survey, 87% of respondents want watsa eradicated. While we know that unemployment in the Arab region is widespread, we can assume that this motivates people to do anything they can to improve their chances of obtaining a job. However, the practice of watsa as a whole is actually degrading the economic systems in the Arab sates even further. The article explains the linkage between watsa and poor job performance, economic decline, and the festering of injustice and frustration among the masses in Arab countries.

This looks super interesting, but I can't get the link to open. Thanks for writing a thorough summary of it!

In Egypt, university students have gathered together against the coup forces to protest and make clear their determination to protect their rights. University students against the coup have joined together to lead a series of protest. The article makes clear that the Students Against the coup, do not seek to instigate violence, but will use self-defense if needed which is rightly justified in accordance to religion and  international law . 

This article gave a great general overview to the education in Lebanon. One of the major components of Lebanon's education system is when they changed it 1999 to reflect the style of French education systems. Additionally, Lebanon has a high rate of 95% attendance for its students and it also has a high rate of literacy at 89%

Islamic State has vowed 'harder and more bitter' attacks against the UK and its allies following another day of terror in Europe. The warning comes just hours after 34 people were killed in a series of blasts in the Belgian capital Brussels. This came by way of an airport attack where more than 30 civilians were killed and over 100 injured. UK is on high alert after this attack.

Any doubts that Libya has pivoted to a proxy war have been eliminated with the recent bombings outside UAE and Egyptian embassies as a backlash against their role in the regional "tug of war" on Thursday. Each side of the conflict has its own government as well as city headquarters. Islamists have occupied Tripoli and Haftar's forces Tobruk. The actions of regional players are escalating the civil war to the utmost extent.

An interview with Omar Khouri, a political artist/cartoonist. The interview goes in depth of what Khouri mainly draws/paints and where his inspirations come from. 

A jihadist group which has carried out a series of attacks on security forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula has pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS). Ansar Beit al-Maqdis announced the move on a Twitter account in Arabic, saying IS promised "a new dawn raising the banner of monotheism".

Article explains the civil war that is erupting in Libya. Islamist extremists are trying to take over the country and towns and tribes of Libya are choosing sides. Tripoli has been the biggest battle ground and its airport was destroyed.

This NYT article gives an excellent outline of the prominent factions fighting in Libya, and the purpose and goals of those factions as of Aug, 2014.

This NYT article gives an excellent outline of the prominent factions fighting in Libya, and the purpose and goals of those factions as of Aug, 2014.

Counter efforts have been made by Iran as the country expands its influence in Iraq. In late November 2014, Iran launched airstrikes in eastern Iraq to push back ISIS militants. Since then, Iran and Iraq have been involved in a series of proxy wars as Iran furthers its influence over major Shiite groups in Iraq.

Luis Martinez. The Algerian Civil War, 1990-1998. Translated by Jonathan Derrick. The CERI Series in Comparative Politics and International Studies. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. xxi + 265 pp. $27.50 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-231-11996-2.

Although Algeria's ruling elite appears to have a firm grip on power, strikes, protests and riots in early 2011 prompted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to offer a series of concessions. In February 2011, the 19-year state of emergency was lifted. Two months later, the president promised to amend the constitution to "strengthen democracy".