The view was well worth the hike http://t.co/WZwrgr3R Continue reading →
Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa came to Washington this week to attend his son's college graduation, but he left with hands full of gifts from the U.S. State Department, which announced new arms sales to Bahrain today. The crown prince's son just graduated from American University, where the Bahraini ruling family recently shelled out millions for a new building at AU's School of International Service. But while he was in town, the crown prince met with a slew of senior U.S. officials and congressional leaders, including Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, Senate Armed Services Committee ranking Republican John McCain, as well as several other Washington VIPs. On ... Continue reading →
FIDIMIN, Egypt — This sleepy farming hamlet is where Omar Abdel Rahman, an extremist sheikh now serving time in US federal prison for conspiring to blow up the World Trade Center, gave some of his first fiery sermons. But even as Egypt’s political Islamists rise to power following last year’s ousting of an oppressive secular dictator, Fidimin is breaking with its fundamentalist past, giving way to a more diverse and nuanced political landscape ahead of the May 23 presidential election. While many view the area — poor, rural and conservative, in the fertile Fayoum governorate southwest of Cairo — as a perennial and monolithic bastion of Islamist strength, its residents’ politics are in fact colored as much or more by economics and security as they ... Continue reading →
With Bahrain’s crown prince on a visit to Washington, the Obama administration said on Friday it is pressing ahead with the sale of some military equipment to the Sunni kingdom – a move sure to draw strong objections from some lawmakers and activist groups concerned about human-rights violations in the country. The administration views the release of items for Bahrain's Defense Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard as necessary to maintain the “external defense” of Bahrain, home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and ally that serves as a bulwark against Iran in the Persian Gulf. The Sunni kingdom has cracked down on mostly Shiite pro-democracy protests that erupted last February. Human rights concerns prompted the administration to delay the original $53 million arms package announced ... Continue reading →
Muammar Gaddafi's public persona during the Libyan civil war was that of a confident, defiant leader - a man who (in a much-parodied speech) threatened to hunt his enemies from house to house, room to room, alley to alley. But recordings of his private conversations with aides reveal a more measured, less self-assured tone. Sometimes he is frustrated with his inner circle, which slowly began to defect as the uprising dragged on. Other recordings show Gaddafi grasping for any leverage he can find - even bizarre plots, like trying to pressure the Spanish government by threatening to recognise the Basque insurgency. As the revolt spread, Gaddafi still clung to the hope that he had widespread popular support. By mid-March, Libyan expatriates living in London, Washington ... Continue reading →
Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie said the current stage in Egypt requires the coordination of efforts to lift Egypt out of the crises stifling it. In his weekly statement, Badie called on all national and revolutionary powers to revive the "revolutionary spirit which prevailed in the first days of the revolution," and to put the country's interest over their own narrower personal, professional and partisan interests. He also called for respecting the popular will and the rules of democracy, whatever the outcome may be. Badie emphasized the need to keep the revolution peaceful despite difficulties on the road to change and to insist on the peaceful handover of power on the scheduled timeline, highlighting the importance of a clean, unrigged election. The ... Continue reading →
The Hamas government in Gaza has been operating a force over the past few months whose sole task is to prevent the firing of rockets into Israel. Hamas, which has always championed jihad against Israel, is now using its authority to foil the firing efforts of cells from other organizations such as the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees. Palestinians from Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements rallying in Gaza City, Friday, April 27, 2012. Photo by: AP The new force was formed by and is under the direct command of Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad, who in the past has been considered an extremist in regard to Israel. According to a Gaza source, the force of some 300 men operates, "day and night, 24 ... Continue reading →
