The attempt by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to rush through the new constitution while overriding the judiciary has sparked off violent confrontations between his supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood and non-Islamist activists, leading to at least five deaths in clashes outside the presidential palace on December 5. Morsi has indicated that he intends to press ahead with More »

Despite past promises made by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he would not use his vast arsenal of chemical weapons against his own people, U.S. intelligence has reportedly obtained evidence that Assad’s security forces might be preparing for just that. According to media reports, U.S. officials believe precursor chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve More »

Syria and Egypt dominated the news this week, with no shortage of news-worthy events throughout the region. Syrian government and rebel forces continued to clash, particularly near Damascus. Intelligence sources say the Assad government is preparing chemical weapons, which has alarmed the international community to prepare for a response. Events in Egypt grew bigger More »

Sami, a self-described citizen-journalist in Qusayr, writes about how the prolonged armed conflict in Syria has changed not only the outlook on weddings and marriages but also longstanding traditions surrounding them. Sami has shared previous narratives about barrel bombings, a Christian friend who fled Syria, and the impact his brother’s combat injury has had More »

Tensions remain high in Egypt ahead of a December 15 referendum on a highly-contested draft constitution, authored by an Islamist-dominated assembly.  Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed in Cairo this week, throwing rocks and firebombs.  Meanwhile, three key presidential advisers resigned in protest of  sweeping powers the new president has claimed More »

- Confrontation takes a break in Egypt - What is so controversial in the proposed Egyptian constitution? - Major challenges in securing Syria’s chemical weapons - A U.N. doctrine that could justify international intervention in More »

U.S. intelligence has detected increased activity at Syrian chemical warfare facilities, raising concerns about the regime potentially using chemical weapons (CW) against the opposition. Although such an action would likely only be carried out in extremis, Bashar al-Assad and his cohorts are approaching that very status. Given the regime’s lack of regard for the More »

- A look at the causes behind the unrest in Egypt - Three NATO nations to deploy anti-missile batteries in Turkey - U.S. warns Syrian leaders they will be held accountable if they use chemical weapons - What chemical weapons Syria might have and the damage they could More »

Opponents and supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed near the presidential palace in Cairo, Wednesday.  More »

- Egyptian protests continue against the president and his draft constitution - NATO to deploy defensive missiles to Turkey in light of Syrian violence - Syrian fighters try to heal in Jordanian refugee camps - Diplomatic pressure mounts on Israel after a U.N. vote - How important is the Iranian capture of a ScanEagle More »

- One analyst says the Syrian regime is now decaying - The U.N. finds dire humanitarian needs in the Syrian city of Homs - Britain and France summon Israeli envoys over the latest housing settlement plan - Egypt’s triangular power struggle becomes a duo - Europe’s first gay-friendly mosque opens near More »

This week saw continuing conflict in Syria with the added twist of the Internet being completely shut down in the country. Protests were seen in Bahrain and Kuwait, but the ones getting the headlines were in Egypt, where strife continued over the president’s new powers and the draft of the new constitution. But the More »

Last night, Palestinians cheered their new United Nations status. In Ramallah, the headquarters of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority, thousands gathered in a central square to hear Abbas speak and wait for the results of the General Assembly vote. Many were excited for the new recognition, and some were confused about the meaning of More »

- The “Friends of Syria” issue a warning - Who is behind the Syrian social media black-out? - Egyptian protesters focus their wrath on a draft constitution - Palestinians achieve ‘State’ status at the U.N. - Turkey presses on – trading gold for Iranian natural gas - U.S. lawmakers continue to probe the Benghazi More »

On November 29, ‘Palestine’ was recognized as a State by the U.N. General Assembly, albeit as an observer rather than a full member. A total of 138 countries voted in favor, with nine voting against and 41 abstaining. Exasperated by the failure of two decades of sporadic and mainly U.S.-mediated peace negotiations, and the continued More »

As U.S. President Barack Obama approaches the beginning of his second term, experts caution that his Administration must radically rethink its strategy to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal or risk seeing its stated goal of a two-state solution slip away. Such was the conclusion of a Washington symposium organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International More »

As President Obama enters his second term, experts warn that his administration must radically rethink ways to achieve an Israeli-Arab peace deal or risk seeing his goal of a two-state solution slip away. Yet, while they agree that the old approaches will not work, there is a range of possibilities of what might achieve More »

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly endorsed a Palestinian Authority bid to upgrade its status of “non-member observer entity” to that of a “non-member observer state.” The Palestinians sought the upgrade despite stiff opposition from Israel and the United States. Both countries have insisted that the move will not advance peace or change More »

- Egypt’s final draft constitution timing proves controversial - Despite political divides, Syria’s Kurds want autonomy - The U.N. considers the Palestinian status - The deadly Benghazi attack is taking its toll on the U.S. ambassador to the More »