CULF 3331: "Middle Eastern Revolutions"

"Conventional wisdom that Syria will turn out to be "Hezbollah's mini-Vietnam", and that the Iranian backed Lebanese armed group could encounter its gradual collapse in the conflict, is proving to be misguided three years into its involvement. While Hezbollah is losing manpower and assets in Syria, it is also expanding its foothold and leverage across the country and gaining military expertise."

"kingdom of Bahrain on Monday published a list of 68 Islamist groups it classified as "terrorist," according to the state news agency BNA Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement, already branded as "terrorist" by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, topped the list approved by Bahrain's cabinet, BNA said."

"The Saudis have initiated a major campaign to undermine Iran's ally Hezbollah, which they believe is vulnerable today. Riyadh is likely to have considerable but not complete success. It's a characteristically risky strategy. The Saudis branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization earlier this year and then persuaded their Gulf Cooperation Council allies to do the same on March 2. Then Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef pressed a summit of Arab interior ministers to join in lambasting Hezbollah in Tunis in early March. The Arab League formally agreed to label Hezbollah a terrorist group at a Foreign Ministerial in Cairo later in the month. Only Iraq and Lebanon abstained. "

After much debate, Iran is being given the opportunity to rewrite the nuclear deal. This is going to have a major effect on the relationship the United States has with its allies.

Claims that the Iran nuclear deal is really bad for the United States and future presidents guarantee to end the deal after the Obama Administration. Israel and other countries around Iran say it is more dangerous than ever.

Mark Dubowitz and Eric Lorber explain why Iran should not have access to U.S. funding. It would allow for them to get away with bad behavior and put the U.S in even more binds.

Not much to do with my topic but an interesting piece on western perspective. Disclosing information on the constant involvement the U.S. has on other countries that aren't asking for help.

With the retaking of Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, we seem to finally have made tangible, on-the-ground gains against ISIS - that is, if "we" refers to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. President Obama and several of his would-be successors are satisfied: The terrorists of ISIS are losing ground.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has lambasted Western governments and praised Russia as "fundamental" to combating the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), in an interview with state news agency RIA Novosti. Assad spoke about the Syrian army's recent triumph in regaining control over the historic city of Palmyra, which was captured by ISIS in 2015.

Russia is playing a "constructive" role in Syria's ceasefire, the Pentagon said, having noted "developments" on the ground. It encouraged Moscow to "continue to focus" on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), while persuading Assad to stop the war.

Signs of wider military cooperation in Syria have emerged as Russia revealed that discussions have taken place about coordinating the liberation of the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in conjunction with the US.

In late February, several hundred Saudi officials, company executives and foreign consultants gathered in a luxury Riyadh hotel to discuss how Saudi Arabia's economy could survive an era of cheap oil.

9/11 Report's 28 Pages on Saudi Arabia's Terrorism Connections Should Be Released

9/11 Report's 28 Pages on Saudi Arabia's Terrorism Connections Should Be Released

Iran is our external enemy of the moment. Saudi Arabia is our enduring internal enemy, already within our borders and permitted to poison American Muslims with its Wahhabi cult. Oh, and Saudi Arabi…

Iran is our external enemy of the moment. Saudi Arabia is our enduring internal enemy, already within our borders and permitted to poison American Muslims with its Wahhabi cult. Oh, and Saudi Arabi…

Iran is our external enemy of the moment. Saudi Arabia is our enduring internal enemy, already within our borders and permitted to poison American Muslims with its Wahhabi cult. Oh, and Saudi Arabi…

This is an article that looks forward at Syria's future and compares it with the past. It talks about how Syria used to be a regional keystone state, and that its stability allowed it to be a refuge for people from wars all around. Now, however, it talks about the destruction that has happened and how much work it would take to rebuild the Syrian economy. It also talks about how even after the conflict, there will be a 10 year period needed to clear the country of warlords and thugs from the war.

This article references the current situation in seeking peace talks. The situation isn't going well, as only 3 of 15 groups were available to meet with the UN envoy. Moreover, the rebel groups want a cessation to the ceasefire so that they can retaliate against government forces. Their plan on doing so involves attacks in Hama and Latakia.