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Hamas Urges Hezbollah to Withdraw from Syria

On Monday, a high-ranking Hamas official called on Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria and focus on fighting Israel. Reports of a rift surfaced after a round of reconciliation talks between Hamas's leadership in Lebanon and local Hezbollah politicians. Hamas's reaction to the violence in Syria shows the deepening divide in the Arab world between mostly Sunni rebels and Shiites loyal to Bashar al-Asad. Both Hezbollah and Hamas help to comprise the self-proclaimed "axis of resistance" against a common enemy, Israel, but relations between the two terrorist organizations continue to deteriorate.

Hamas's criticism comes amid Hezbollah's growing prominence as Syria's civil war continues into a second year. The Shiite organization based in Lebanon sent "hundreds of its elite forces" to the eastern Syrian town of Qusair earlier this month according to The Guardian. Government loyalists captured the strategic town, giving Damascus an important corridor to Homs and the Mediterranean coast. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah promised to continue fighting alongside al-Asad's forces.

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By Beth Kanopsic  |  June 19, 2013 at 4:49 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Rouhani, A Regime Insider, Wins Iran's Presidency

Thousands of Iranians gathered in the streets of Tehran earlier this week after hearing the final vote count in the Islamic Republic's presidential election. Hassan Rouhani, a favorite among many young Iranians, won more than 50% of the vote, avoiding a runoff with more conservative candidates.

While Rouhani ran on a platform of improving relations with the the outside world and re-invigorating the country's struggling economy, he should not be considered a reformer. Iran's new president-elect is a regime insider who denounced the reformist green opposition movement in 2009. Ironically, many reformist backed leaders him in this month's vote. During the campaign Rohani said, "Centrifuges should spin, but so should industries and people's livelihoods," showing his continued support for Iran's uranium enrichment program in defiance of the international community. Nevertheless, the president-elect called for a "détente" with neighboring countries, marking a style change from the current, outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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By Michael Johnson  |  June 18, 2013 at 2:01 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Attacks in Kabul Test Government's Resolve

The Taliban launched attacks on two high-profile targets this week in Kabul, Afghanistan aimed at the country's own government and a NATO command center. As Afghan security forces take over the day to day operations from international forces, the Taliban attempts to rattle the public's confidence in the Afghan government. While coalition troops begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan it is difficult to predict how the government in Kabul will fare at the end of 2014.

Early Monday morning, seven insurgents launched an assault on NATO's airport headquarters armed with rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles, and at least one bomb. The attackers occupied two buildings under construction and fired toward the military facility. Two of the insurgents were armed with suicide vests and detonated them during the fighting. Afghan security forces fought against the insurgents for four hours, leaving two Afghan civilians wounded and all the attackers dead.

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By Beth Kanopsic  |  June 13, 2013 at 3:56 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Syrian Rebels Seize Border Crossing to the Golan Heights

Syrian rebels temporarily seized control of the Quneitra crossing between Israel and Syria on June 6, spurring Austria to withdraw all of its 380 peacekeepers stationed in the Golan Heights. Vienna attributed its decision to vacate the buffer zone, where international forces have been stationed since the 1974 armistice, to the escalating regional violence. Last Thursday's rebel attack sent the roughly 1,000 UN forces fleeing for their bunkers and injured two peacekeeping troops before the Syrian army recaptured the area.

The four-week withdrawal of Austrian forces will leave the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) with less than half the troops it possessed a year ago. Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann supported the controversial decision, saying, "We never could have and would never have wanted to take on a military mission to mediate or intervene between the opposition rebels and governmental troops." Japan and Croatia also withdrew their presence as the fighting intensified in recent months, further diminishing the precarious security buffer.

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By Skyler Schmanski  |  June 12, 2013 at 11:50 am  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Iraqi PM Meets with Kurdish Leaders

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited the northern semi-autonomous area of Iraqi Kurdistan over the weekend. Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, greeted the Prime Minister in the regional capital of Erbil. Maliki brought high-level Baghdad officials for the first cabinet meeting in the city since the 2003 U.S. led invasion. The UN envoy to Iraq expressed hope that the Prime Minister's visit will help national reconciliation efforts amid growing tensions after the 2011 departure of U.S. troops.

Relations have been strained for years between Kurdish leaders and the central government in Baghdad over energy exploration. The Kurds signed dozens of deals with Western firms since 2003, but the central government refused to recognize the agreements. The semi-autonomous northern region is also constructing a pipeline to Turkey, helping expand exports and further bypass Baghdad's influence. Disagreements over Kirkuk, an oil-rich city that straddles the Kurdish region's border with Iraq, could pose a serious threat to Iraq's stability if left unresolved.

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By Michael Johnson  |  June 11, 2013 at 2:53 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

Egyptian Court Sentences Employees of Western NGOs

A Cairo court convicted 43 non-governmental organization (NGO) employees of inciting unrest in Egypt. Government prosecutors brought charges against sixteen Americans, along with a number of Europeans and Egyptians, with 27 of the activists being charged in absentia. Ten months after the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the Egyptian police raided several NGOs as part of an investigation into their finances. Authorities accused the pro-democracy groups of working unlawfully within Egypt and receiving illegal funding from abroad. Well respected Freedom House, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), were forced to close in what is being called "a war against Egypt's growing civil society."

The court sentenced 27 of the defendants to five years in prison with another five defendants receiving two-year terms. Robert Becker remained in Egypt for the verdict, the only American to appear in court. He stayed despite his employer, NDI, paying $330,000 in bail, allowing him to leave the country. Becker explained that he wanted to show solidarity with his Egyptian colleagues, NDI subsequently terminated his employment. After the court read the verdict he boarded a plane to Rome at the urging of his legal council. The defendants are expected to appeal their convictions.

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By Beth Kanopsic  |  June 6, 2013 at 3:14 pm  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment

U.S. Removes Sanctions on Cell Phone Sales in Iran

The Obama administration removed certain trade sanctions last Thursday that barred Americans from selling cell phones to non-governmental Iranian consumers. The U.S. State and Treasury Departments heralded the change in policy as a means of extending greater information and communications access to Iranian citizens. The general license permits the sale of cell phones, laptop computers, and software to consumers. It does not, however, authorize transfers of such equipment to the Iranian government or anyone on the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list.

The Treasury Department released a statement claiming the motivation behind the repeal was to encourage the Iranian people to overcome their government's "efforts to stifle their access to information." The Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 gives the President the authority to waive certain sanctions if it is "essential to the (U.S.) national interest." The President delegated the decision-making authority to the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Lifting the ban on electronic goods marks a departure from prior U.S. policies that restricted access to communication tools during the Green Revolution following the contested 2009 presidential election.

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By Skyler Schmanski  |  June 5, 2013 at 10:35 am  |  Permalink  |  Submit a Comment