Middle East & North Africa
Tunisia Boils Over

Tunisia Boils Over

Once again, Tunisians’ anger has overcome their fear. Spurred by a political assassination, tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protest the state into which their country has fallen. The same sense of decency and dignity that propelled them to the streets before drives them on now.

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Dumb and Dumber: A Secret CIA Drone Base, a Blowback World, and Why Washington Has No Learning Curve

Approximately two years ago, the CIA got permission from the Saudi government to build one of its growing empire of drone bases in a distant desert region of that kingdom. The purpose was to pursue an already ongoing air war in neighboring Yemen against al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.
Yet news outlets didn’t publish this story until almost two years later – not for any lack of awareness, but because these editors, urged on by the CIA and the White House, had done their ‘patriotic duty’ and kept the news from the public.

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Israel’s Pointless Attack on Syria

Israel’s Pointless Attack on Syria

Israel’s recent air strike on one of Syria’s premier military research centers came as no surprise to those monitoring the spiraling turn of events in the Levant over the last few months. In the days and weeks running up to the audacious attack, there were several signs that something was afoot—a scurry of Israeli envoys shuttling between Tel Aviv and Washington, reports of closed-door security meetings, the distribution of gas masks to residents of northern Israel, and the deployment of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system in the same region, to name just a few.

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The Depths of Malaise in Palestine

The Depths of Malaise in Palestine

According to recent polls of Palestinians, frustration with the Israel-Palestinian conflict is at a high point; the two-state solution is steadily losing credibility in the eyes of the people; and ordinary citizens in the Holy Land are starting to wonder whether a settlement can be achieved without another round of bloodshed. 

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Morsi’s Last Chance

Morsi’s Last Chance

Egypt is rapidly approaching its most acute political and economic crisis since the 2011 revolution that swept dictator Hosni Mubarak from power. Poverty is at an all-time high of 25 percent, with youth unemployment at a record 40 percent. Foreign currency reserves are on a rapid decline. And most importantly, President Mohamed Morsi is losing the most important commodity he possesses—the people’s confidence and trust. 

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