March, 2019

• 11 March

  Syria Accuses U.S. Stole 40+ Tons of Its Gold

  The Syrian National News Agency headlined on February 26th, “Gold deal between United States and Daesh” (Daesh is ISIS) and reported that, Information from local sources said that US army helicopters have already transported the gold bullions under cover of darkness on Sunday [February 24th], before transporting them to the …

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• 11 March

  Iran and North Korea highlight pitfalls of Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ strategy

  Donald J. Trump’s hitherto failed ‘maximum pressure’ approach to Iran, as well as for that matter North Korea, begs the question what the US president’s true objectives are and what options he is left with should the policy ultimately fail.

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• 9 March

  Finding a way forward in the Baghdad-Erbil oil dispute

  

  Disagreements between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over oil policy have been one of Iraq’s most stubborn problems. Resolving this issue would allow for better development of natural resources, generate more revenue that’s badly needed for reconstruction, and might potentially deflate competing claims to disputed territories. There are …

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• 9 March

  US foreign policy towards the Middle East: Pumping air into a punctured tire

  

  Theorizing the future of the Arab Gulf states and the broader Middle East requires a proper assessment of the state of power distribution in the region. Is there a new balance of power emerging in the Middle East, or is the distribution of power heading in a more dangerous direction?

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• 9 March

  Origins of the Libyan Conflict and Options for Its Resolution

  

  In the 42 years preceding the 2011 uprising, Muammar Gaddafi controlled all power in Libya. Since the uprising, Libyans, fragmented by geography, tribe, ideology, and history, have resisted having anyone, foreigner or Libyan, telling them what to do. In the process, they have frustrated efforts of outsiders to help them …

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• 9 March

  Idlib- Reportage From The Last Front In Syria

  For a while, all the guns have fallen silent. I am near Idlib, the last stronghold of the terrorists in Syria. The area where the deadliest anti-government fighters, most of them injected into Syria from Turkey, with Saudi, Qatari and Western ‘help’, are literally holed up, ready for the final …

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• 9 March

  Pakistan PM’s political party welcomes Harakat-ul-Mujahideen emir into ranks

  Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil and his supporters voice their support for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party in July 2018, and not today as originally reported. Paragephs 1 and 3 have been updated to reflect the change.

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• 9 March

  US adds Iranian-backed Shia militia and its leader to list of global terrorists

  The US Department of State added Harakat al Nujaba (HAN), or Movement of the Noble, an Iranian-supported Shiite militia which operates in both Iraq and Syria, and its leader, Akram ‘Abbas al Kaabi (or Kabi) to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists today. In the recent past, Kaabi has …

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• 9 March

  Russian special forces train Palestinian militia in Syria

  In a video released yesterday by the Russian propaganda news channel RT, Russian special forces were shown training members of Liwa al Quds, a pro-regime Palestinian militia group in Syria.

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• 9 March

  Jihadist leader in Mali denies reports of his death

  One of the co-founders and senior leaders of al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Amadou Kouffa, denied reports of his death in a video published by the group. The French and Malian governments claimed Kouffa was killed last November, however, JNIM has consistently denied these reports.

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