On April 13, the Russian RIA Novosti news agency quoted a high-ranking source in the Russian defense ministry as saying, “A decision was made to deploy Russian warships near the Syrian shores on a permanent basis.” The source announced that Russia’s naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean had “nothing to …
At least five people, including two Turkish officials, were wounded on Monday when a cross-border shooting hit a refugee camp in Turkey’s Kilis province along the Syrian border. This incident has been described by the Turks as a “violation” of its border. It adds another level of complexity to the …
A ceasefire between Syria’s government and rebel forces appeared, for a moment, to be on the horizon. But in reality it was nothing more than a mirage that evaporated over the weekend when dictator Bashar al-Assad’s government demanded concessions from the opposition who have been under unceasing attacks for the past year. The Guardian …
The U.N. Security Council finally reached an agreement on Syria yesterday. In typical U.N. form, it amounts to more talk than action. Russia and China acquiesced to a non-binding presidential statement calling for “a ceasefire in Syria and opening conflict areas to humanitarian aid.” The statement contains no ultimatum for …
The group that claimed responsibility for a double-suicide bombing that killed 27 people in Syria is widely regarded as a front organization for al-Qaeda in Syria. The Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant, which claimed responsibilities for the attacks, bears all the marks of another bin Laden wannabe group. The …
Recently, 17 Senators expressed a concern over U.S. government trade ties to Rosoboronexport, a leading Russian arms exporter that supplies weapons to the defiant Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. On March 12, the Senators addressed a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stating that “Russia remains the top supplier of …
Since the uprising erupted last year, Bahrain has continued to experience unrest. Despite continuing reforms by the government, the opposition movement has steadily hardened its stance against the al-Khalifa monarchy. Last weekend, protests in Bahrain escalated in one of the most violent confrontations between the opposition movement and police. Tens …
Senator John McCain (R–AZ) yesterday called for a U.S. military intervention in Syria that would include air strikes on Syrian government forces to protect the Syrian people. McCain said that “Providing military assistance to the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups is necessary, but at this late hour, that …
At the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting in Washington today, President Barack Obama delivered a speech on US-Israeli relations under his presidency, but with the bad parts left out. “I have kept my commitments to the state of Israel,” Obama declared, “At every crucial juncture – at …
