SAUDIS LEAD MIDDLE EAST MILITARY SPENDING
According to a new report on military expenditure by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Saudi Arabia’s military budget is now the fourth largest in the world. Saudi Arabia has more than doubled its military expenditures in 10 years, spending $67 billion in 2013, a 14% increase from 2012. The director of SIPRI declared the report incomplete, since data from Iran, Qatar, Syria, and the UAE was unavailable to include in the study. While military spending worldwide decreased in 2013 due to austerity measures in Europe and a 7.8% cut in U.S. expenditures, military expenditure in Africa rose 8.3%, with Algeria leading at over $10 billion in expenditures. (Aljazeera April 15, 2014)
US BLACKLISTS EGYPTIAN EXTREMIST GROUP
The State Department has designated Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis a “foreign terrorist organization,” supporting an Egyptian court ruling of the same conclusion. The State Department bars any groups it designates as such from receiving material resources from the U.S. It also prevents these groups from accessing any assets they may have in U.S. jurisdictions. Since its foundation in 2011, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis has attacked the Israeli city of Eilat and a Sinai pipeline. The group also claims to have been behind the February 2014 bombing of a Sinai tour bus that killed three South Koreans. (Washington Post April 9, 2014)
LIBYAN OIL CONFLICT UPDATE
A Libyan militia has been controlling massive oil fields in the country’s east for over nine months, highlighting the weakness of Libya’s U.S.-backed transitional government. Last month, the militia, headed by Irbrahim Jadran, tried to sell $30 million dollars worth of crude oil in international waters, prompting the Grand National Congress (GNC) to oust Prime Minister Ali Zeidan for his failure to stop the operation. The militia halted oil exports across the region last summer in order to force the government to develop the eastern territory, a region of crumbling infrastructure despite its vast oil wealth. While popular in the region for his Robin Hood-like persona, Jadhran lost supporters when U.S. Navy SEALs retook the oil cargo ship after it reached international waters.
The ousted Mr. Zeidan was replaced by a new prime minister, Abdallah al-Thinni, who resigned after one month, saying gunmen had tried to attack his family. Though his tenure was short, he was able to reopen two oil ports and obtain a promise from the militia to reopen the rest of the ports over time, in exchange for concessions. (Washington Post April 12, 2014; Reuters April 13, 2014)
OPPOSITION SAYS ASSAD TARGETING CHRISTIANS
Syrian opposition leader, Ahmad Jarba, criticized President Bashar al-Assad for targeting Christian areas, while also complaining of indiscriminate bombings. Last Monday, Syrian soldiers backed by Hezbollah fighters recaptured the ancient Christian town of Maaloula on the rebel supply route. Other Christian towns, like Kasab and Latakia were also supposedly targeted by the Syrian army. Assad’s forces used shrapnel and explosives-filled barrel bombs known for inaccurate targeting in these areas. The opposition wants the international community to take a position on this “genocide” and refer the issue to the International Criminal Court, but no legal action is likely so long as Russia maintains veto power on the UN Security Council. (Reuters April 14, 2014)