In The News

DNA: Iran Warns Will Hit Militant “Safe Havens” Inside Pakistan

May 8, 2017
Iran, a largely Shiite nation, and Pakistan, largely Sunni, share a border of just over 2900 kilometers. To the north is Afghanistan. “The head of the Iranian armed forces warned Islamabad on Monday that Tehran would hit bases, safe havens and cells inside Pakistan if the government does not confront Sunni militants who carry out cross-border attacks,” reports Daily News & Analysis. Iran...

Spiegel Online: EU Seeks to Ward Off New Refugee Crisis

Christiane Hoffmann, Walter Mayr, Peter Müller, Christoph Schult and Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt May 6, 2017
European leaders value the Schengen zone for border-free travel, but recognize it will lose allure for citizens if external borders are not secure, reports a team from Spiegel Online. “Schengen, [Chancellor Angela Merkel] said, means that Germany's neighbors are no longer Austria or Poland, but Russia, Turkey and Libya,” notes the article. Europe has little control over so many countries in...

Al Jazeera: The Lonely Pyramids of Giza and Egyptian Tourism’s Decline

Al Jazeera May 4, 2017
Egypt, reeling from years of political unrest and mounting terrorism, must also deal with a decline in tourism. Before 2011, the country welcomed more than 14 million tourists annually. Then the Arab Spring protests swelled in 2011, deposing Hosni Mubarak, followed by a coup in 2013 that removed President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution. Today, the number of tourists has dropped to...

Saudi Coalition Attack on Yemen Port Imminent?

Max Bearak May 2, 2017
The civil war in Yemen has draws proxy fighting between Saudi Arabia and Iran – with the former backing the government and the latter backing Houthi rebels. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers are warning the US secretary of defense against support for a Saudi assault on the port city of Hodeida, with members of Congress pointing to a need for congressional authorization. “Saudi fighter jets...

Spiegel Online: Time to Break Off EU Membership Talks With Turkey

Markus Becker April 20, 2017
A narrow majority of Turkish voters have approved constitutional reforms that consolidate their president’s power. The European Union could continue to pursue economic ties, but end negotiations on Turkey’s membership. “The Turks have voted for autocracy, for the repression of political opponents and likely also for the introduction of the death penalty,” urges Markus Becker for Spiegel Online. “...

Deutsche Welle: Turkey's Referendum Result Could Scare Off Investors

Rolf Wenkel April 18, 2017
Turkish voters narrowly approved a referendum, by 51 percent, to replace its parliamentary system with a strong presidency. That could cement power for the current president over the next decade, though opposition leaders object to last-minute changes in voting procedures. Investors will watch closely how political leaders handle the transition as well as minorities, including Kurds who make up...

Deutsche Welle: G7 Foreign Ministers Push for Peace in Syria, Reject Russia Sanctions

April 14, 2017
Top diplomats from the G7 member nations met in Italy April 10 and 11 for their annual meeting, discussing global security issues but ultimately not pledging new concrete action with regards to Syria. Due to the recent chemical attack in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, much of the attention was on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The G7 “unanimously...