mircea

Conditions propitious for extremism in the Arab world

Washington played a major role in supporting the Muslim Brotherhood to reach power in Egypt after the revolution of January 25, 2011. If we want to have some control over our present and our future – and avoid repeating mistakes, it is essential we develop an acute awareness of history. …

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Iran’s attack on Saudi Arabia was ill-timed and premature

On Sept. 14, the news that Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities had been attacked and damaged came as a shock. While there had been a gradual escalation in Iranian-led hostilities following the U.S. dismantling of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (aka the Iran nuclear deal), the general expectation was that …

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The war in Syria is far from over, but its nature is changing

Since the beginning of 2018, the Syrian regime has expanded its control of territory across the country from approximately 52 percent to 62 percent. That 10 percent of territory gained was a crucially important 10 percent, encompassing opposition-held areas in Syria’s southwest, rural Homs, and eastern Ghouta, as well as …

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U.S. Sees Rising Threat in the West From Qaeda Branch in Syria

American counterterrorism officials are voicing increased alarm about a Qaeda affiliate in Syria that they say is plotting attacks against the West by exploiting the chaotic security situation in the country’s northwest and the protection inadvertently afforded by Russian air defenses shielding Syrian government forces allied with Moscow.

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