Unrest in Egypt and the Birth of a New Political Age

As I wrote in a Huffington Post essay, "Obama, No Realist He," it is impossible to understand what is happening in North Africa and the Middle East right now without taking a step back and recognizing how fundamentally things are changing throughout the world today. We are seeing so many streams of change flowing into the river of history: technological change, advances in communications and media, evolving economies and the creative/destructive power of globalization, the post-WWII global order, "the rise of the rest," the election to the presidency of the most powerful country in the world a man with non-European lineage. But taken together what we know is that we are in a transitional global period now, and with these events of the last few weeks it feels more like we are entering the beginning of a new age rather than experiencing the end of the last. Read More

Why Egypt matters

by Roger Hardy

Egypt matters, in a way that tiny Tunisia - key catalyst that it has been in the current wave of protest - does not.

Egypt, the most populous Arab state, can help determine the thrust of Arab policies - whether towards Israel or Iran or in the perennial quest for Arab consensus on issues that matter.

And - the wild card that troubles Western policy-makers most - could the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's Islamist opposition movement, somehow exploit the protests to come to power?

Read more...

Tunisia forms new government amidst protests

Tunisian interim leadership on Monday announced the formation of a new government as protests continued in the capital Tunis, France24 news reported.

The new government of national unity includes members of the opposition as announced by Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi. In addition, established political figures were included too in a desperate attempt to bring back political stability in the North African country.

The crisis in Tunisia escalated after the ouster of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. The Prime Minister remarked that foreign, interior and defense ministers under Ben Ali will continue in their posts.

Anti-government protests continue in Jordan

Jordanian opposition political parties and professional associations demonstrated in front of the parliament on Sunday afternoon to protest government actions and the difficult economic situation, the Ammo News agency reported.

Turkey, Qatar and Syria to meet over Lebanon government crisis

Leaders from Turkey, Syria and Qatar will attend a meeting in Damascus on Monday to seek a solution to the political crisis in Lebanon, Turkey's state news agency reported.

EU condems the Shepherd Hotel demolition in East Jerusalem

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Vice President of the European Commission made today the following statement:

"I strongly condemn this morning's demolition of the Shepherd Hotel and the planned construction
of a new illegal settlement. I reiterate that settlements are illegal under international law,
undermine trust between the parties and constitute an obstacle to peace. Furthermore, we recall
that East Jerusalem is part of occupied Palestinian territory; the EU does not recognise the
annexation by Israel. We are also concerned by the recent upsurge of violence in the Occupied Palestinian territory, and deeply regret the loss of life. We call on all parties to exercise restraint, and for a halt to all violence.”

IDF soldier killed, four injured after Gaza Strip gunfire

An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldier was killed on Friday and four more were injured after gunfire near the Gaza Strip border, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

IDF said that a cell of terrorists was situated along the fence near Kibbutz Nirim, in central Gaza, on Friday night and opened fire on Israeli soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade with automatic weapons and mortars.

The gunfire lasted approximately 20 minutes, the paper said, and the injured soldiers were transported by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. Initially it was reported that the attack occurred as the militants waited in an ambush for an IDF patrol and opened fire when it passed by.

Somali pirates attack and board UK-flagged ship in failed hijack attempt

MANAMA, BAHRAIN -- Somali pirates on Monday attacked and boarded a UK-flagged tanker in the North Arabian Sea, but failed to take control of it, the U.S. Navy said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Navy said the incident happened at approximately 1.45 p.m. Bahrain time when Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) were notified of a distress call from the merchant vessel CPO China, which is a UK-flagged tanker. The distress call indicated that the vessel was being attacked by pirates while underway in the North Arabian Sea.

The ship reported taking fire from several skiffs and, despite evasive manoeuvring, was boarded by the suspected pirates. The U.S. Navy said the ship's master mustered his 20 man crew in the ship's citadel, a secure compartment from where they could retain control of the ship.

Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne, currently serving with CMF's counter-piracy mission, Combined Task Force 151, was the nearest warship to CPO China and was immediately ordered to assist.

When the HMAS Melbourne's helicopter arrived at the location of the CPO China, the warship was able to establish communications with the vessel. "Having been unable to take control of the merchant vessel, and with Melbourne on the scene, the pirates left the ship," the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

The Master of the CPO China reported that all the crew members were safe and, on Tuesday morning, a security team from HMAS Melbourne boarded the ship to make sure it was secure.

"Somali pirates operate across a vast expanse of sea. They use large mother ships to travel great distance from the Somali coast, from where they can launch fast skiffs to attack international shipping," a CMF spokesperson said. "We are pleased that HMAS Melbourne was close enough to intervene in this instance. However, coalition warships may not always be in the vicinity of a pirate attack. That is why we emphasize that seafarers have the power to greatly reduce their chances of being pirated if they take simple precautions."

The spokesperson urged mariners transiting these waters to follow guidance laid out in the Best Management Practice volume 3 and added that they should regularly check Navigation Area Warnings and liaise closely with Maritime Trade authorities. Other CMF warships have also been involved in disrupting pirate activities in recent days.

On Sunday, the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Lake Champlain was ordered to investigate a suspicious vessel that had been spotted in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel displayed the hallmarks associated with the kind of 'skiff' commonly used by pirates.

As Lake Champlain launched her helicopter to investigate, the suspicious vessel increased its speed and was seen to be throwing items overboard, according to the U.S. Navy. The vessel initially refused verbal commands to stop, but ultimately heeded directions after warning shots were fired.

Personnel from Lake Champlain then boarded the skiff and confiscated excess fuel and a motor. The vessel was then released.

Iran invites International officials to visit nuclear facilities in mid January

TEHRAN, IRAN -- Iran on Monday announced that a number of prominent figures from six countries will visit two nuclear facilities in mid January.

According to the Fars news agency, ambassadors of two Non-Alignment Movement Troika members (Cuba and Egypt), Head of the Group 77 and representatives from China, Brazil, Russia and Turkey will visit the Islamic nation on January 15 and 16.

The group would have the opportunity to take a tour at the Arak heavy water facility and Natanz uranium enrichment center, both in Central Iran. This visit is expected to have a positive effect towards the next round of talks between Iran and the Group of 5+1.

G5+1 are the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany and are scheduled to meet Iranian officials in Istanbul, Turkey in the new rounds of talks in late January.

Last December, Iranian officials met with the G5+1 group in Geneva, Switzerland, amidst n ea international skepticism as it was believed that the meetings would not last a single day. However, Iranian officials said the talks were held under a positive and constructive atmosphere and agreed to hold additional meetings.

Iran has alleged that it has always pursued a civilian target use for its nuclear program. The Islamic country claims that its program is a civilian path to provide power to Iran's growing population, as fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

The country led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is building a 300-megawatt light-water reactor in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Iran is currently under a fourth round of sanctions, which were backed by the U.S. They were imposed upon Tehran citing the proliferation risks of Iran's nuclear program and its continued failure to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) requests.

Ahmadinejad said that the sanctions against his country were illegal and downplayed any effect it might have had in Iran. He added that the measures only strengthen the country and accelerate the progress.

Israeli gov't data shows drop in terror attacks in 2010

JERUSALEM -- Official data released by the Israeli government on Monday showed a drop in terrorist attacks in the country, continuing a decline similar to 2009.

The Israeli Security Agency said 2010 concluded with a total of 798 terror attacks as opposed to 1,354 attacks in 2009, 378 of them being executed during Operation Cast Lead. This drop was also seen in the number of casualties.

According to the data, nine Israelis died as a result of terrorism in 2010, lower than the 15 fatalities in 2009, which included nine fatalities during Operation Cast Lead. In addition, 28 people were injured in 2010, significantly lower than the 234 injuries in 2009.

In the winter of 2008-2009, Israel launched a surprise airstrike against the Gaza Strip which marked the beginning of a three-week military conflict between Israel and Hamas, killing nearly 1,500 people and leaving thousands more injured and displaced. Israel stated its aim was top stop rocket fire from and arms import into Gaza.

In 2010, the agency said it recorded a total of 150 rocket launches from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. This is significantly lower than the 569 in 2009, although 407 of them were launched during Operation Cast Lead. "Moreover, there has also been a drop in the number of mortar shell attacks: 215 launches in 2010 as opposed to 289 launches in 2009," it said.

However, the Israeli government believes that Gaza-based Hamas continued to strengthen its military power, especially by smuggling high quality weaponry from the Sinai Peninsula through tunnels in Rafah. "The Sinai zone is becoming Gaza's 'backyard' when it comes to the amount of weaponry destined for smuggling to the Gaza Strip," the Israeli Security Agency said.

The Israeli government holds Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by most countries, solely responsible for maintaining the calm in the Gaza Strip and for any terrorist activity emanating from it. "The IDF will also continue to respond harshly to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel," it warned.

PM Netanyahu says U.S. rejected Israel's freeze proposal

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that the U.S. government rejected Israel's proposal over the settlement freeze, local media reported.

Netanyahu said that he agreed to the U.S. plan to extend by three months the West Bank settlement freeze moratorium but the Obama administration was the one that rejected the offer, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

"The United States asked us to consider extending the freeze by three months, and the truth is that we were prepared to do so," Netanyahu said. "It was eventually the United States who decided against that direction, rightfully, in my opinion."

In December, the United States announced that it ended negotiations attempting to reach a three-month-extension over the settlement freeze between Israel and Palestine. The U.S. said that it was unable to met Israel's demands.

Netanyahu also remarked that he supports a two-state solution and blamed Palestine for the lack of progress. The Prime Minister highlighted that this has been his position since 1996.

"During the cabinet meeting on Sunday, I called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to hold direct negotiations, but I got no answer," he said. "We took many actions in order to move the peace process forward but the Palestinians did not even advance one millimeter despite the settlement freeze."

Also in December, U.S. Envoy George Mitchell announced that the U.S. were still pursuing the continuation of peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Some Middle-Eastern countries previously expressed their skepticism over U.S. interest in doing so.

One day before that announcement, Abbas expressed his disappointment with the U.S. after failing to resume peace negotiations and declare that the border talks with Israel will be based on 1967 lines.