In The News

France and Britain Urge Stronger NATO Action in Libya

Alan Cowell, Kareem Fahim April 12, 2011
NATO is divided about how to achieve a quick resolution of conflict in Libya as rebels fail to gain ground against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. Stalemate reduces the likelihood of a political solution, reports a New York Times team of reporters. Libyan rebels flatly rejected a ceasefire proposal from an African Union delegation because it included no mechanisms for removal of Gaddafi or family...

Declare Victory and Get on With Ousting Gaddafi

Mark Malloch-Brown April 7, 2011
As a conference in London revealed, the international community is divided over the next steps for Libya.. The task of saving Libyan civilians from massacre has been completed, argues Mark Malloch-Brown, former UN deputy secretary. Debate focuses what UN Resolution 1973 allows: Germany and Italy support a ceasefire, the US and UK suggest more military action is required, and Saudi Arabia and the...

Ex-Mujahedeen Help Lead Libyan Rebels

Charles Levinson April 5, 2011
Libya’s rebels receive assistance in the form of a no-fly zone from NATO and training from former Afghan Mujahedeen, reports Charles Levinson for the Wall Street Journal. One is a Libyan militant who was detained by Pakistani forces after the US invasion of Afghanistan and spent six years in the US Guantanamo military prison. Analysts question if such participants on the Libyan battlefronts...

Let Them Eat Bread

Annia Ciezadlo April 4, 2011
Many factors are at play in the ongoing Middle East protests, and while bread often goes unmentioned, Annia Ciezadlo places food prices in the spotlight. Governments in the Middle East import grain and then subsidize bread for their populations. The inexpensive bread has artificially sustained the rule by non-democratic governments, staving off unrest. In 50 years, nations went from self-...

Saudis Focus on Nuclear, Solar Energy

David Hope April 1, 2011
Nations that cling to petroleum as a leading energy source should take notice: The nation with the largest oil reserves is diversifying its energy sector, developing nuclear and solar sources. Within two decades, Saudi Arabia anticipates using most of its oil for domestic purposes, reports David Hope for UPI. A limited supply of water in the country requires desalination for consumption, which...

US Products Help Block Mideast Web

Paul Sonne, Steve Stecklow March 31, 2011
As protests rage in the Middle East, some software companies help the young protesters in circumventing censorship and others assist the dictators in exerting control. Global media reports show forces in Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen arresting and attacking unarmed protesters with teargas, while outspoken bloggers are jailed. This Wall Street Journal article identifes the Western firms that...

Libya Exposes Fault Lines in the Mediterranean – Part III

Joseph Chamie March 30, 2011
The United Nations authorized intervention in Libya, as protests continue throughout the Middle East. In a speech on Libya, US President Barack Obama noted, “The change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region.” In this YaleGlobal article, the third of a four-part series, demographer Joseph Chamie analyzes the region’s young people and their anger about...