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The U.S. should no long really solely on air-strikes to bring down the ISIS group in Syria but it needs other strategic plans. They need to work with the people in Syria and gain their support and trust in order to defeat ISIS.

The New York Times reports that eleven oilfields in Libya are not operational due "theft, looting, sabotage and destruction." The armed groups responsible remain unidentified. ISIS has allegedly beheaded Egyptian Christians in the area, but as of yet, are not taking responsibility for the oil field looting.

Working with the Iranian, Russian and Syrian regimes to address Middle Eastern problems and fight ISIS is a sure way to alienate Middle Eastern moderates.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is suspected to be alive, after reports that he had been injured or dead after an air strike hit the area he was in at the time. The is an audio recording that fit into the accounts that he might be alive.

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.

! This article shares 3 stories of women who have gone through the FGM procedure. They tend to consider FGM as the "Right of Passage" for young worn. Many women die in childbirth or have complications because of the results of FGM. 

This article is partly a news report and partly a discussion of gender equality in the PKK. On October 27, rumors began to spread on social media that a Kurdish female fighter known by the pseudonym Rehana may have been beheaded by Islamic State militants in Kobani. Rehana became the face of the PKK's female fighters after a picture of her making the victory sign was retweeted hundreds of times on Twitter. An image of a beheaded woman whom IS fighters claim to be Rehana was posted on pro-IS social media sites on the 27th, but it is impossible to verify whether the photo is genuine. The author goes on to discuss the complicated history of gender equality in the PKK. Currently, the group has the largest female militia in the world, and has a history of feminism rooted in it's founder Abdullah Ocalan's ideology. However, the author cites claims made by Berfu Kiziltan about how while the PKK has historically recruited women as well as men, in its early days, recruitment was sometimes by force. The author also mentions the PKK's history of female suicide bombers, as well as a recent suicide bombing in Kobani carried out by a female PKK soldier.

This is a timeline of events that traces the conflict between Israel and Palestine from ancient times through the 2000's.

Here is a timeline posted by the New York times of Iran's nuclear programming, beginning in the 1950s onward.

This New York Times article discusses the lead up to, the details of, and the resultant trilateral agreement that came from the Middle East Peace Talks that President Clinton held at Camp David in July of 2000. While talks initially seemed to be going well, negotiations reached an impasse over the control of Jerusalem. While Barak agreed to lesser control of East Jerusalem, Arafat would not consider anything of the sort. Both Clinton, Barak, and the media blame Arafat for the failed discussions.

Earlier this month, the residents of Ben Gardane declared a strike that led to the closure of the border crossing to demand lifting a 30 dinar tax imposed on foreigners crossing into Tunisia from Libya. Saturday Libyan vehicles crossed into Tunisia's border for the first time after the three week protest. According to the Tunisian security officials the protest was ended "swiftly" and "peacefully".

This article suggests that increased shale oil production is changing the economy of oil, but at the same time Saudi Arabia is reluctant to slow OPEC production.

This is hands down the most helpful article I have read when it comes to trying to get a grasp on the issues Saudi women face. It covers many bases including that of a woman who does not want women's rights to be changed and even goes so far as to wish great punishment on activists. The article includes some information on activists of varying degrees including a teacher, a blogger, a YouTube video maker, and more.

This article talks about how poetry is similar to the revolution because of the way it has transformed the people; the revolution has changed common moments and common people into inspiring times the way poetry changes common words into something extraordinary. It talks about how both poetry and revolution have been able to seek justice and tear down symbols of powers. For these revolution, poetry has been able to keep the needs and wants of the people alive and real.

This news report in International Business Times covers quite a bit of information, as a lot has happened during the past week in regards the conflict with ISIS. The US has declared support for the PKK and other Kurdish forces, because they are fighting against ISIS. Meanwhile, Turkey's President Ergodan, has condemned the US for supporting the PKK, as the US and Turkey are long-standing allies, and the PKK and Turkey have been embroiled in a decades-long conflict. Kurdish fighters are currently battling ISIS forces in the Syrian town of Kobani, and Turkey is opposing giving the fighters any weapons, and equating them with the PKK.

Jabeur Khachnaoui, a terrorist of the attack on the Bardo museum had an older brother who at the same time was attending a rally against terrorism on the other side of town. The two brothers grew up in a family with three other siblings in Tunisia's impoverished southwest. They were close but ended up deeply divided in their outlooks.

When we think of domestic abuse or abuse in general we often think at home situations involving a man and woman. In Saudi Arabia, and surely other parts of the world, maids are frequently subjected to abuse. This article is one example of a maid that was severely abused for the simple act of bringing coffee too late. Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are often abused by their employers.

In response to remarks made by Secretary of State, John Kerry, this LA Times article examines the claims of apartheid in Israel and offers evidence in support of it.