In what has become the most dangerous country in the world for journalists, the government has recently implemented legislation described as “an alarming return to authoritarianism”:
- Iraqi Journalist Sees Threats to Press Freedom (Washington Post)
80% of imports arrive through the tunnels creating a powerful mafia in Gaza leading some dreamers to hope that closure will force Israel to ease up on the ban that necessitated them in the first place:
- Close Gaza Tunnels? Some Palestinians Say Yes (Christian Science Monitor)
The reinstatement is particularly confusing given the Iraqi governments attempts to ban hundreds of former Baathist politicians:
Despite or because of U.S. efforts there is a “sense that Iran is gaining influence” across the Middle East…
… And the US faces a difficult battle in enacting tougher sanctions on Iran:
Despite sweeping arrests that captured 7 of the top 15 Taliban leaders, ” still intact are a roster of experienced leaders who can take their arrested comrades’ place as well as several subcommittees that each oversee sections of the country”:
- Can Afghanistan Taliban Absorb Blow to Quetta Shura? (Christian Science Monitor)
Afghanis with no ethnic or ideological ties to the Taliban can be bought out, but how long will they wait to be paid?
- Taliban Defectors Accept U.S. Approach but Wait for Promises to Be Kept (Washington Post)
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