Page 30 - Middle East Program News Today

US navigates diplomatic engagement with the Taliban as it aims to build an 'over-the-horizon' counterterrorism program

The challenge for Western policymakers is to avoid viewing Russian activism in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa through an exclusively zero-sum lens. The region’s political disarray, complexities, and especially the unpredictability of local rulers all present built-in buffers to Russian influence—as they do to all external players.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen rushed to the defense of the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba while others were blasting it at a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday. | eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

The U.S. and European Union have constructed an expansive and complex array of sanctions against Syria’s regime over the last 30 years, and particularly in the past decade. While such measures have been punitive in nature, the West has sought to utilize them since 2011 as a source of pressure and diplomatic leverage amidst the long-standing deadlock facing negotiations over the country’s future.

Untapped Potential: Women Leadership is Key to Effective Water Diplomacy in the Middle East “We see women playing a critical role in water resource management and decision-making at the family level as well as the community level. However, they’re very often absent from high level water-related negotiations and agreements,” said Merissa Khurma, director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program (MEP), introducing a Wilson Center event on the inclusion of women in water leadership and d...

Tunisia, Arab Spring’s Sole Success Story, Plagued by Police Brutality Tara Kavaler Citizens demand end to long-standing use of excessive force Protests against police brutality have taken place throughout Tunisia on and off since January, and recent weeks have seen them proliferate, particularly in working-class areas of the capital. The death of Ahmed Ben Ammar, 32, in police custody on June 8 prompted many Tunisians to take to the streets. During one of those protests, officers in civili...

Political foes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday pushed for a quick parliamentary vote to formally end his long rule, hoping to h

Its a big deal. The controversial Netayahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, is Israels longest-serving prime minister and is in his 12th year in power despite facing numerous corruption charges, which he denies.  And this newly-formed alliance between his opponents only came together after four inconclusive elections in less than two years.  The arrangement for Lapid and Bennett rests on the agreement that Bennett, who leads the minority right-wing Yamina party, becomes prime minister, ...

For Years, Netanyahu Outfoxed His Rivals. What Changed This Week? An election billboard in Ramat Gan for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party in March, defaced with graffiti that reads “Go Home.” © Oded Balilty/Associated Press JERUSALEM — Naftali Bennett, the leader of a hard-right political party, stood before television cameras and pledged never to share power with Yair Lapid, a centrist, and Mansour Abbas, an Islamist. It was March 22, the day before Israel’s fourt...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel failed to win a majority in the past three elections — but still held onto power. That might be about to change.