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This articles discusses the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood being a terrorist group. More specifically, it focuses on how the U.K is dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood in their own country. The Muslim Brotherhood is not allowed in Saudi Arabia but is allowed in the U.K. This article explains why.

Plans to set up new military bases in the Middle East are being considered as part of a strategy to tackle extremism, it emerged last night. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Bahrain are all being looked at as part of the Government's attempts to contain the terror threat from the wider region, according to The Times. The United Kingdom is severely interested in stopping ISIS.

A London rapper identified as a possible suspect for "Jihadi John", the masked Isil executioner, appeared in a television news report during the 2011 London riots, breaking into a live interview to lambast the police. "The police are protecting the police," he says. "They're not protecting the people."

Beji Caid Essebsi, 88-year-old former minister from Tunisia's years under dictatorship won the country's first ever democratic vote for president. He became the nation's new head of state with 55 percent of the vote, capping a four-year-long democratic transition.

This article basically accentuates the driving factors to the ongoing insurgency of ISIL in Libya and how the threat is even more extreme than that of Iraq and Syria. One is the Islamist ideology in itself, rejecting any form of a modern state and the institutions that accompany its success. For example in Libya the leader of the AS branch declares that his militants will not disarm or demobilize until sharia law is imposed. Second, during Gaddafi's rule he unleashed a crackdown on all Islamic expression. The brutality shown towards Islamic groups during this time has fueled their resentment towards sectarian rule and has urged them to push for the rejection of state institutions even more so. The article explains how Islamic groups have claimed power in both Benghazi and Derna, the latter being the historic recruiting ground for Jihad fighters to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The author makes it clear that both military and diplomatic force from the international community is crucial for the reconciliation of security.

Conflict broke out in the Libyan capital Tripoli forcing Mitiga airport, primary airport since Tripoli International was closed due to damages, to close down worsening the bloody proxy war thus escalating the crisis. Egypt and UAE have been aiding the Islamic opposition, helping to fight against the Islamic militants backed by Turkey and Qatar. Apparently Qatar's involvement in Libya goes back to the revolution that ousted Gaddafi, contributing $2 billion in support of the Islamic movements as a part of its vision to establish an Arab regime ruling through Sharia Law. As of now, no players are willing to compromise in this "state of war." 

Syrian rebels, not the Assad Regime, may have made use of the deadly nerve agent, sarin, in their war-torn country. There is no confirmation and testing is still being preformed.

Jordan is asking for more help with the millions of refugees flowing into the country. The UN is fundrasing for more than $7 billion in funds to support Jordan in the relocation of Syrian refugees.

Gulfs states have been investing in missile defences to line the border with Iran. Saudia Arabian spent $2 billion last year on missile defence which has remained a large portion of the Gulf's total miliatry budget of $113 billion.

More information on the Za'arari camp that our speaker was discussing with our class yesterday. I found it interesting that Jennie Corbett, a policy analyst for Europe's RAND Research Institute, described the "acts of resilience and entrepreneurship" as "more poignant and impressive" vs. our speaker yesterday who said NGOS/UN groups should not use the term "resilient" so robustly.

Opening of a representative office of Syrian Kurdistan in Moscow - Russia seeks to "demonstrate it has allies other than Bashar al-Assad. I believe this is a great step for Russia as well as the Syrian Kurds for standing up next to Russia's ambiguous relationship w/Syria's dictator Assad.

Iran's Supreme Leader declared on Wednesday that "missiles" would be part of Tehran's future relations with the outside world and implicitly accused a former president of "treachery".

Drone footage shows aerial views of Palmyra after Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes drove Isil fighters from the site

Scientific analysis of the soil in the areas of suspected chemical warfare attacks on Syria have proven the use of chlorine and ammonia gas. With the proof of the soil as well as the evidence of the clear gas poisoning symptoms on the victims, it is now proven that the Assad regime is using chemical warfare on civilians, including children. This link also gives some useful but disturbing videos.