the first democratically elected parliament, the General National Congress, rather than disband the militias, funded them, each faction seeing its own forces as insurance against those of everyone else.
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shared by mpatel5 on 26 Oct 14
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Egyptian students begin new revolutionary year - 1 views
www.middleeastmonitor.com/...s-begin-new-revolutionary-year
Egyptian students revolution Falcon Youth Against the Coup
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shared by allieggg on 13 Nov 14
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I watched Libya seize its freedom. Now I have to flee its new chaos | World news | The ... - 0 views
www.theguardian.com/...bya-freedom-now-flee-new-chaos
libya armed groups middle east Revolution recontruction war militias chaos the guardian revolutionaries
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An Islamist-led coalition came to dominate parliament, but as the squabbling grew worse it realised it would lose an election, so delayed having one.
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Then, in May, a former Gaddafi-era general turned rebel leader, Khalifa Hiftar, launched an offensive against Islamist brigades in the east while his allies stormed congress in Tripoli. An election was duly called in June, and the Islamists duly lost, or expect to lose when parliament assembles this week. The result has seen some of their militias grab what Tripoli real estate they can, triggering civil war.
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"Within Libya it is region against region, within regions, tribe against tribe, within tribes, family against family."
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The Islamists call themselves revolutionaries, implying that anyone opposed to them is against the revolution. Their opponents also call themselves revolutionaries, labelling the Islamists "terrorists", while the Islamists accuse their opponents of following Gaddafi. Neither label is true: both sides have plenty to give that is positive. But the time for giving in Libya seems past.
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"We are like a class of kids where the bad teacher is suddenly dead," he said. "Now we all fight each other."
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Flying away, I leave the country as I found it, back at war. It is a country so rich in possibility and so undone by a chaos you can unpick for ever without getting to the nub.
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This article illuminates the aftermath of Gaddafi's reign from a first person perspective of a citizen fleeing the country due to its devastating chaos. He offers a short version of the conflict and the rise in militant groups. The root of the issue is the fact that when the GNC took power, the factions funded the militant groups for their own insurance rather than working towards their disbandment. The Islamist coalition dominated parliament, and as chaos deepened when they realized they would loose the election so they just delayed having one. This is where General Khalifa Haftar chimed in, launching his offense against islamic insurgency by storming the capitol in Tripoli leading the country to slip into civil war. The Author says "We are like a class of kids where the bad teacher is suddenly dead," he said. "Now we all fight each other." When the light finally comes to a country that was for so long in the dark, its blinding.
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Rick Santorum shows need for moral society so democracy thrives | Liberty University - 0 views
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November 10, 2014 : By Drew Menard/Liberty University News Service Rick Santorum, the one-time presidential candidate, took the stage at Liberty University's Convocation on Monday to emphasize the important role that America plays in shaping the world. In order for this influence to continue, he added, it is imperative that Americans remain grounded in morality. How weird is that?? ^^^ So I was going to post the article that criticizes how Rick Santorum blatantly links Islam straight to violence and talks about how different they are from Christians, but its interesting to see how reframing happens in media so shamelessly. The above description is about how Santorum's speech (which took place at a conservative college) was so enlightening... even though it was totally just a political stunt because he's running for Prez in 2016 (lol other article: http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/09/29/3573218/rick-santorum-baptist-ministers-jihad/)
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shared by katelynklug on 06 Nov 14
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Egypt's youths feel disenfranchised after revolution - Los Angeles Times - 1 views
articles.latimes.com/...youth-disillusionment-20130529
egypt revolution youth politics Brotherhood resources generation
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Egypt's 2011 uprising was often referred to as a youth revolution, but two years after longtime President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office, many in the younger generation say that they are not represented by the Brotherhood or any other oppositional forces. The demands of the revolution the youth led have not been met. Conditions are worsening. The youth are increasingly disillusioned with the idea of political hope and feel like leaving the country may be their best option for fulfillment. The youth feel their is a large disparity between their ideas and demands and the political desires of the older generation who is favored for their wisdom, experience, and resources. Although the youth have popular support, they lack the resources to successfully run a political race and are therefore left out of the process of change. This means it is left up to the older generation of politicians to appease their demands, if only to prevent more protests.
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How ISIS Games Twitter - The Atlantic - 1 views
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ISIS hashtag consistently outperforms that of the group’s main competitor in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra, even though the two groups have a similar number of supporters online.
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ISIS also uses hashtags to focus-group messaging and branding concepts, much like a Western corporation might.
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Author J.M. Berger discusses ISIS's strategy on Twitter, comparing their highly skilled techniques on this platform to the likes of a P.R./ marketing team working for a Western corporation. Berger goes on to discuss programs that automatically post tweets to users accounts, an app they developed that provides updates, and an intricate system able to surpass Twitter's spam and security teams.
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BBC News - Falling oil prices: Who are the winners and losers? - 0 views
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The reasons for this change are twofold - weak demand in many countries due to insipid economic growth, coupled with surging US production. Added to this is the fact that the oil cartel Opec is determined not to cut production as a way to prop up prices.
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Venezuela is one of the world's largest oil exporters, but thanks to economic mismanagement it was already finding it difficult to pay its way even before the oil price started falling.
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Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and Opec's most influential member, could support global oil prices by cutting back its own production, but there is little sign it wants to do this.
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There could be two reasons - to try to instil some discipline among fellow Opec oil producers, and perhaps to put the US's burgeoning shale oil and gas industry under pressure.
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Saudi Arabia needs oil prices to be around $85 in the longer term, it has deep pockets with a reserve fund of some $700bn - so can withstand lower prices for some time.
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In the 1980s the country did cut production significantly in a bid to boost prices, but it had little effect and it also badly affected the Saudi economy.
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Saudi Arabia, Gulf producers such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have also amassed considerable foreign currency reserves, which means that they could run deficits for several years if necessary.
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Islamic State, capturing oil wells. It is estimated it is making about $3m a day through black market sales - and undercutting market prices by selling at a significant discount - around $30-60 a barrel.
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"The growth of oil production in North America, particularly in the US, has been staggering," says Columbia University's Jason Bordoff.
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It has been this growth in US energy production, where gas and oil is extracted from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing or fracking, that has been one of the main drivers of lower oil prices.
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"Shale has essentially severed the linkage between geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, and oil price and equities," says Seth Kleinman, head of energy strategy at Citi.
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With Europe's flagging economies characterised by low inflation and weak growth, any benefits of lower prices would be welcomed by beleaguered governments. A 10% fall in oil prices should lead to a 0.1% increase in economic output, say some. In general consumers benefit through lower energy prices, but eventually low oil prices do erode the conditions that brought them about.
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NY TIMES WRONG: Jihadists from at least four Al Qaeda groups in on Benghazi attack - 1 views
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shared by alarsso on 16 Feb 15
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Syria after Assad: Heading toward a Hard Fall? - The Washington Institute for Near East... - 0 views
www.washingtoninstitute.org/...sad-heading-toward-a-hard-fall
syria post-assad heading institute outcome
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new opportunities for external actors, especially Iran and Hizballah, both of which would seek allies among the former regime's Alawite security elite
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President Bashar al-Assad - 0 views
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This link is a biography of President Bashar al-Assad. Towards the end of the biography Assad's role in human rights and use of chemical weaponry is mentioned. Additionally, the link provides his early life and life in presidency which is crucial to understanding the current situation that exists in Syria.
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Did Obama's Drone War Help Cause Yemen's Collapse? - 1 views
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in the time since the drone campaign was launched, al-Qaida has only grown in size, two pro-American governments have been overthrown, and the country is on the brink of splitting in two.
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Syrian Christians fleeing ISIS find shelter in Turkey - World - CBC News - 0 views
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At any given time, there are about 70 refugees who have fled the war in Syria. They share the bunk beds inside, six to a room.
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Many are housed in state-of-the-art refugee camps throughout the country, but those who have connections and more money choose to come to Istanbul in hopes of easier communication with foreign embassies, faster passage to what they hope will be a more comfortable life in Europe
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The war has split and scattered all of their families around the world. Bekandy's father is still back in Syria, her fiancé and mother are in London.
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He hopes his good deeds might somehow help reunite him with his family, which is now split into three parts, spread across Europe.
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His wife and six-year-old son are on the line from Athens. Their eldest daughter — just 15 — is in Germany.
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Lezieh says ISIS drew that X on his house in Aleppo, marking it to show his was a Christian home. He says militants tried to recruit him, threatened to kidnap his children and bombed his new business
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Now Lezieh gets by with donations from parishioners and hopes to see his family all in one place soon. He tries to smile through the tears. He has to. His daughter is calling.
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Aid for Yemen Dwindles as Need Rises Amid Chaos - NYTimes.com - 0 views
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Residents said that water had been cut off for days and that electricity was out for hours at a time.
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raising fears of a lengthy war that is expanding the destabilizing regional conflict between the Persian Gulf monarchies and Iran.
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aid agencies intensified their warnings on Tuesday about the toll on civilians and hospitals, which are running critically low on medical supplies.
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The Houthis, acknowledging their alliance with Iran but denying acting on its orders, have been able to extend their offensive despite intensifying airstrikes by Saudi warplanes across Yemen.
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physicians had treated more than 500 people in the last two weeks in Aden, including burn victims from explosions at an ammunition depot and passengers on a bus that had apparently come under shelling.
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How Egypt is keeping its women trapped in zombie society - Your Middle East - 0 views
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he majority of families would rather have their daughters in an unfulfilling, even miserable marriage, convinced that she will somehow find a magical way to adapt, than see her alone
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woman's marital status is mutually exclusive from her value and right to lead a healthy, fulfilling life of her own.
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he standard sequence of events for a typical Egyptian female's life, is to pursue an auspicious college degree (to improve her chances of finding a proper suitor, and assist her future children with their studies), possibly add to her assets by acquiring a mediocre job for a year or two (under the pretext of killing time and elevating her practical wisdom), and eventually fulfill her lifelong purpose of securing a
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their rights and full potential, desperately seeking approval before they reach their “expiration date.
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(should she fail to perform this role and still wishes to enjoy her life then she will have indeed committed sacrilege and is a covertly regarded as a disgrace regardless of any other achievement)
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Obama Denounces Attempts to Derail Nuclear Deal With Iran - 0 views
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U.S. and Iran Both Attack ISIS, but Try Not to Look Like Allies - 0 views
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Iran-backed rebels loot Yemen files about U.S. spy operations - LA Times - 0 views
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The loss of the intelligence networks, in addition to the escalating conflict, contributed to the Obama administration's decision to halt drone strikes in Yemen for two months, to vacate the U.S. Embassy in Sana last month and to evacuate U.S. special operations and intelligence teams from a Yemeni air base over the weekend.
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