There are already 400 in custody over the alleged plot to overthrow the AKP government, including 100 journalists, but this “is the first time a former army chief has been referred to a court as a suspect”:
The Syrian media blooms despite the repression as the government releases more prisoners after last week’s release of 752 and “armed opposition force composed mainly of army deserters … condemned the Maidan attack and cast the blame on the Syrian authorities themselves”:
- Syrian Media Awaken Despite Clampdown (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
- Syria Releases over 500 Detainees, According to State Media (Christian Science Monitor)
- Suicide Bomb Kills 25 in Damascus: Syrian TV (Reuters)
The sanctions have raised expectation of war in Iran and Iran’s trading partners scrambling fora way to ease tensions:
- As Currency Crisis and Feud with West Deepen, Iranians Brace for War (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
- Energy-hungry Asian Economies Look to Keep Iranian oil Flowing in Wake of US Sanctions (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
“World-class fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad hopes to compete in the 2012 London Olympics. If she qualifies, it is believed that she will be the first practicing Muslim to represent the U.S. in women’s fencing, and the first American to wear Islamic head-covering while competing”:
“A senior legal adviser to the Freedom and Justice Party has said that elected officials from his party would reassess the $1.3 billion in annual U.S. aid to the Egyptian military,” adding that “U.S. aid to Egypt, including to the military, does not help the economy or Egyptians and would be subject to debate by the new parliament”:
- Egypt’s Islamists Could Soon Challenge Generals (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
“Before my brother’s death I used to think the Copts in Egypt were repressed and discriminated against…. But now I know that the army is just attacking Christians so they can maintain power. It’s the typical divide and rule tactics. By dividing the Muslims and Christians they can stay in powerâ€:
- What Future for Christians in Egypt? (AlAhram)
“U.S. officials described recent outreach to the Muslim Brotherhood, which appears destined to win the largest share of parliamentary seats, as a chance to put in practice policies President Obama outlined nearly three years ago in a major speech proposing a new relationship with the Muslim world centered on mutual respect”:
- Strength of Egyptian Islamists Proves a Test for Obama’s Pro-democracy Policy in the Middle East (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
With the famine continuing and “Somali officials, backed by international forces, … too busy fighting among themselves to govern,” the defeat of religious extremists by foreign troops seems scant cause for optimism:
- Somalia’s Al Shabab Islamists Are on the Run (Christian Science Monitor)
“The state of politics and the mood of the public in Kazakhstan, a Muslim country of 16 million, are of interest to the” U.S. because of supply routes for the war in Afghanistan, rivalries for influence with Russia and China, and billions of dollars in oil investments by American companies:
- Unlike Russia, Kazakhstan Keeps a Tight Lid on Protests Ahead of Elections (Washington Post with Foreign Policy)
Leave a Reply