The recent second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution that toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak was marred by renewed violence between protesters and security forces of the country’s new government under President Mohamed Morsi. Disillusioned with the direction taken by Egypt’s new Islamist leader, activists took to the streets again reportedly only to see a replay More »

The United Nations says an international donor conference has raised about $500 million for humanitarian relief efforts inside war-ravaged Syria. Most of those funds are likely to go to aid agencies operating out of Damascus under official Syrian government supervision. But some relief workers say unofficial methods are better for reaching many Syrians in need More »

With Israel’s new Knesset polarized and, in broad strokes, almost evenly divided between right and center-left following recent parliamentary elections, it remains to be seen what type of government will emerge to lead the country into the near future – or whether a government can be formed at all. A final tally of the vote More »

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fared worse than expected in this week’s election.  His Likud-Beitenu Party won just 31 seats.  The right-wing religious HaBayit Yehudi Party (leader – Naftali Bennett), claimed 11 seats. The real surprise was the second place win by the centrist Yesh Atid Party, led by Yair Lapid, the former television news presenter, More »

Amnesty International has welcomed news the United Nations is being called upon to take action on crimes committed in the Syrian conflict. The call came in a petition submitted to the U.N. Security Council by Switzerland. The document has the support of dozens of countries. VOA’s Susan Yackee spoke about Amnesty’s position with its representative More »

Dozens of Syrian street activists met in Istanbul and other venues in Turkey in recent weeks to discuss unity within the opposition Syrian National Coalition. Their goals were to present a united front to potential donors of the Friends of the Syrian People umbrella group and to effect regime change. Gokhan Bacik, an associate professor More »

It is an idea that was first introduced more than a year ago: If President Bashar al-Assad were to fall or be remove himself from power, would Alawites, for decades a ruling minority in Syria, retreat to their traditional western mountain enclaves and form a breakaway state?  As rebels gain more ground in Syria, More »

Russia is now hedging a statement made by its Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who said Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be losing control of the country to rebels.  It was the first time a Russian official publicly acknowledged the possibility of an opposition victory in the crisis which so far has More »

A group of more than 100 nations calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down formally recognized a newly formed Syrian opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. Delegates at the “Friends of Syria” conference hosted by Morocco endorsed the Syrian National Coalition on Wednesday. A veteran observer of Syrian political history More »

Despite past promises made by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he would not use his vast arsenal of chemical weapons against his own people, U.S. intelligence has reportedly obtained evidence that Assad’s security forces might be preparing for just that. According to media reports, U.S. officials believe precursor chemicals for sarin, a deadly nerve More »

Recent reports that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has been in poor health have fueled new questions about royal succession, an issue that has been looming over the Kingdom for years. Six kings have ruled Saudi Arabia since its creation in 1932, including its founder, King Abdul Aziz bin Abdulrahman al-Saud. All of his successors have More »

Tensions remain high in Egypt ahead of a December 15 referendum on a highly-contested draft constitution, authored by an Islamist-dominated assembly.  Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi clashed in Cairo this week, throwing rocks and firebombs.  Meanwhile, three key presidential advisers resigned in protest of  sweeping powers the new president has claimed More »

As U.S. President Barack Obama approaches the beginning of his second term, experts caution that his Administration must radically rethink its strategy to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal or risk seeing its stated goal of a two-state solution slip away. Such was the conclusion of a Washington symposium organized by the Carnegie Endowment for International More »

Gunmen have killed a diplomat from Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.  Yemeni security officials and diplomatic sources say attackers wearing security force uniforms shot at the Saudi diplomat’s car today, killing him and his bodyguard. Susan Yackee asked Robert Powell, a senior Middle East analyst and Yemen expert with The Economist Intelligence Unit More »

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Egypt on the eighth day of violent conflict between the two parties in the Gaza Strip.   Israel has agreed to stop all hostilities, whether by land, sea or air, and has pledged not to target individuals or undertake any kind of military incursions More »

Jordanians have gathered in the streets for a second day, protesting their government’s announcement Tuesday that it would cut fuel subsidies and raise the price of gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene and natural gas, used for heating and cooking.  Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour appeared on national television Tuesday evening and announced the decision would go More »

Among the Arab Spring uprisings of last year, only the one in Yemen produced a negotiated regime change.  The conflict in Syria has entered its 19th month. Some uprising have produces some change; others less. Autocrats in three countries chose exile, were jailed or killed, but President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen agreed to More »

From 28,000 to as many as 80,000 people have been abducted in Syria during the course of the past 19 months, according to the global online activist group, Avaaz. Avaaz is calling attention to the reported cases of forced disappearances, saying Syrian government security forces and paramilitary groups are using the tactic to terrorize families More »

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has welcomed more than 200,000 of its neighbors fleeing Syria’s long and devastating civil war. The kingdom manages services for these refugees through the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, a government agency directly answerable to King Abdullah II. Providing aid to refugees is nothing new for Jordan; over the years More »