VIOLENT WEEK IN SOUTHERN JORDAN
In a rare demonstration of civil unrest, last week’s violence in Maan between citizens and Jordanian security forces came as a surprise to many. Security forces shot and killed a young man who was reportedly impeding a security force raid when he stood outside his house early last week. The security forces were searching for “bandits” suspected of dealing drugs. The young man’s death marked the eighth such killing by security forces within the last year. The incident enraged local men, who followed with an armed attack on government buildings in retaliation. Now the same security forces are looking for 16 young men suspected in those attacks. (Aljazeera, Reuters, April 28, 2014)
ASSAD SEEKS “RE-ELECTION”
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad announced on Monday that he would seek reelection in June, a move Western and Arab opponents are calling a “parody of democracy.” Critics question not only the motivation behind the election, but also the logistics of it. The Syrian electorate is scattered and potential candidates are in exile after months of armed conflict in the country. Six million people have been displaced within Syria and 2.5 million have fled the ongoing fighting, making getting to the ballot box difficult for many Syrians who fled the country illegally and will be ineligible to vote in the upcoming June election. Additionally, there are regulations prohibiting Syrians who have not lived in Syria for the past 10 continuous years from running for office, preventing any challenge from Assad’s exiled opponents. (Reuters, April 28, 2014)
EGYPT SENTENCES TOP MB LEADER TO DEATH
The Egyptian court system has sentenced 682 Muslim Brotherhood supporters, including Mohamed Badie, the organization’s general guide, to death on Monday. Badie was charged with inciting violence against the military-run government that overthrew President Mohammad Morsi in July. The ruling has sparked outrage among Brotherhood supporters and two bombs were found in the car of an army officer Monday. The White House has condemned the ruling and the trials as lacking “even those most basic standards of international justice.” Last Tuesday, the White House approved the delivery of 10 Apache helicopters and $650 million in aid for border security, counterterrorism, anti-smuggling and non-proliferation to Egypt. It is unclear how the court ruling may affect delivery. (Reuters, April 28, 2014)
MIDDLE EAST PEACE: KERRY THROWS IN THE TOWEL
After a nine-month effort at peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, US Secretary of State John Kerry has conceded failure. The terrorist group Hamas, currently controlling the Gaza Strip, refuses to recognize Israel as state and Israel, along with the U.S., considers Hamas a terrorist organization. The last straw in the failure of the peace talks appears to be a refusal by Israel to release a final batch of Palestinian prisoners and an effort by the Palestinian Authority to seek recognition as a state from the United Nations after promising not to do so. Israel plans to turn its attention away from peace negotiations and toward Iran and its nuclear program. The White House is currently planning no further Israel/Palestinian peace talks. (Washington Post April 29, 2014)
AL QAEDA CENTRAL GIVES WAY TO LOCAL AFFILIATES
A State Department report released last week elaborates on the decentralization of al Qaeda. Affiliates of the terrorist group in Somalia, Syria, Yemen and West Africa are moving away from ideological guidance from Ayman Al-Zawahri, and more towards local terrorist actions. As a method of funding individual goals, al Qaeda affiliates in the Magreb in particular have resorted to capturing and ransoming members of Western countries. As its network grows, al Qaeda is finding it more difficult to mediate tensions between affiliates. Notably, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was expelled from the terrorist network in February because of a dispute with the Al Nusra Front, another al Qaeda affiliate in Syria. (New York Times, April 30, 2014