Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Syria's civil war has forced more than two million people to seek refuge. The timeline shows significant dates in the war, beginning with the first protests in March 2011, that prompted people to leave their country.

Much like Iraq, Libya has fallen into a period of lawlessness without a stable and effective government to keep order and stability. Taking advantage of this are not only various regional militias but the Islamic State (ISIS). It appears as if Libya will again be on the front lines of fighting terrorism, much like Iraq ans Syria.

In a recent audio message put out by Al Qaeda leader Al-Zawahiri, he blasts the Isis Islamic group, saying that they have no control over all muslims. Also Al-Zawahiri goes on to say that Al Qaeda is in all out war with the new terrorist group that has no customs or beliefs other than death of others who oppose them.

U.S Commandos have long known that Libya will be a key element in the battle against ISIS. That is why members have been on the ground training militia and the Libyan government, so that they are able to better combat ISIS.The extremist network has established footholds around the world but none more important than in Libya, where over the last year it has found a source of income and supplies and a lifeboat if its hub in the Middle East collapses.It is crucial at this point that Libya get a democracy in order to firmly establish laws against the Islamic state, then Libyans may have a chance to keep hold of their country away from terrorist threat.

This article is about the Iraq divisions which undermine the Iraqi purpose of war. This is a result of an unstable foundation to build plans off of. They are trying to find foundation because they do not want to fall back into an IS state five years down the line. 

The United States has began backing Saudi-led aggression against Yemen by providing targeting intelligence. There are many contradicting justifications for this provided by the NSC, the White House, the Pentagon, and Capitol Hill.

The whole Syrian civil war began when 15 kids were arrested for writing anit-government things. Protestors began to fill the streets, peacefully, in 2011. The government opened fire on the protestors.

While not directly intervening, the United States has been quietly aiding the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen by providing intelligence and weapons. According to the author, this comprises U.S. interests and its moral standing.

New York Times article discussing how the US and Russia are getting involved in the Syrian conflict have turned it into a proxy war. I bookmarked this because I think it's significant to keep this in mind and how it echoes the events leading up to say Vietnam.

This article is particularly relevant to our discussion in class on Tuesday. A UN plea for aid funding has largely gone unanswered, with only 2 donors giving approximately 1% of what was asked for. The UN representative questioned why no one would give by saying "the U.N. cannot "explain or justify why the international community hesitates to provide humanitarian funding." Perhaps because it's unstable? Perhaps because the world is trying to avoid another corrupt leader such as Gaddafi?

Throughout the Middle East, Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran compete for influence and supremacy via proxy wars in Yemen, Iraq and Syria. Produced by Reem Makhoul, Mark Scheffler and Arielle Ray.

He is the architect and very public face behind Saudi Arabia's boldest military campaign in nearly 100 years. But Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's young, newly-minted defense minister, remains a virtually unknown figure at home and abroad.

Rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia were given fresh fuel Monday with both sides issuing tit-for-tat verbal volleys. Regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran have been trading blows in an escalating war of words since Saturday following the former's move to execute prominent Shiite opposition cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iran's Shiite leaders blasted the Sunni kingdom verbally, while protesters in Tehran stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy.

Russian warplanes are conducting airstrikes now in Syria, according to a slew of news reports. The move follows authorization by a vote in Russian parliament as well as weeks of Kremlin messaging about the importance of bolstering the Syrian regime to combat the Islamic State. These Russian airstrikes, although effective, have put United States in a bit of worry because they are unsure of who is calling in the airstrikes. Russia is known to support Assad so any chance they have they will use the strikes to help strengthen Assad, which is not what the U.S. wants. These actions were not surprising to the United States, who believe Russia is saying that they will attack terrorists when they really just want Assad to stay in power.

This article takes a closer look at the Houthis and the malapropisms found in the media when reporting on the war. For example, the war is often simplified to Shi'i vs. Sunni when, in reality, not all Houthis' enemies are Sunni.

According to the author, there are six reasons Iran has not directly intervened in Yemen through military action. Among these is that launching a military campaign in Yemen is not a priority considering the conflict in Syria and Iraq.