BROTHERHOOD BANNED AND FLEEING EGYPT
The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters has upheld a previous ruling which banned the Muslim Brotherhood and ordered its assets confiscated and its activities banned. The military-backed authorities in Egypt formed a committee in early October to review the Brotherhood’s assets and the ruling allows them to move to seize the organization’s finances, though they have yet to do so. The lawyer for the Brotherhood said the group would file another appeal against Wednesday’s ruling, but this appeal will not suspend implementation of the ban unless it’s accepted by a court, and it is unlikely to reverse the initial decision. A few Brotherhood leaders were able to escape the crackdown and flee to friendly cities such as Qatar, Istanbul, London, and Geneva. (ABC News November 5, 2013, The Washington Post November 6, 2013)
AL QAEDA INFLUENCE SPREADS IN SYRIA, PEACE TALKS DELAYED
Al Qaeda-linked groups are increasingly taking control of rebel-held northern Syria and imposing a strict Islamist agenda. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is now the dominant military force in the north, which poses a threat to the U.S. and its European allies who have postponed armed assistance to rebel groups for fear that weapons could wind up in hands of al Qaeda. The discipline and the resources of ISIS may be preventing other rebel groups from confronting them, allowing the group to take many northern towns and control key access points to the city of Aleppo.
While ISIS gains power, a peace conference to be held this month in Geneva has been delayed. Disputes over the attendees and the agenda have prevented the talks from going forward. Syrian opposition groups are divided and want Assad to step down, the Syrian government does not seem ready to talk about a transition, and the U.S. and Russia disagree on whether or not to include Iran in the talks. Diplomats will meet again on November 25. (CNN November 6, 2013, BBC News November 5, 2013)
BROTHERHOOD LEADER ARRESTED IN EGYPT
Essam el-Erian was captured by security forces in Egypt on Wednesday. El-Erian was a senior leader in the Brotherhood's political arm, an advisor to the President, and one of the most outspoken leaders of the Brotherhood. Erian began his rise through the ranks as a student advocating openness and relative liberalism, but became conservative and erratic when the Brotherhood took power after the fall of Mubarak. El-Erian was one of the last remaining Brotherhood leaders not in detention, though others in the Brotherhood pyramid seem to have already assumed leadership positions in order to organize protests around the country. (The New York Times October 30, 2013)
IRAN AND ISRAEL IN UNUSUAL MEET ON NUCLEAR-FREE REGION
Iran, Israel, and Arab states participated in an October 21-22 meeting about the prospects for an international conference on banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Assorted envoys laid out their national positions, but Israel had no direct communication with Iranian and Arab delegates. The discussions were deemed “constructive” and another meeting may take place later this month, but it is not clear who would attend. A broad Arab-Israeli peace and verifiable limits on Iran’s nuclear program would need to be established to progress towards a nuclear-free zone. Iran, the United States, France, Britain, Germany, China, and Russia will hold a new round of international negotiations in Geneva on Thursday and Friday. (Reuters November 5, 2013)
U.S. MILITARY LEAVES DESTROYED EQUIPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN
In anticipation of withdrawal, the U.S. military is destroying most of its equipment that is being left in Afghanistan and selling the scrap for $46.5 million. The equipment is being broken down to prevent insurgents from using it to their advantage and from making bombs with it. Leaving the equipment as junk will save the U.S. billions in transportation costs. Additionally, coalition forces have handed over $71 million in equipment intact to the Afghans. Afghan security forces disagree with the policy that they believe is stripping Afghanistan of useful material. (The Washington Post November 6, 2013)
SAUDI SWEEP FOR UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS
Authorities in Saudi Arabia announced this week that police shot and killed an African migrant who tried to resist arrest amid a major crackdown on foreigners working illegally in Saudi Arabia that has already resulted in more than 16,000 arrests. The security sweep came after 7 months of warnings from the government, which has created a special task force of 1,200 Labor Ministry officials to find migrant workers without proper work documentation. Since the warnings, almost 7 million foreigners have corrected their paperwork and the kingdom has issued over 1 million final exit visas. The sweep aims to create more job opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s own citizens. (The Washington Post November 6, 2013)