Tunisia – a suicide recalls the spark of the Arab Spring. One day general strike, government caught in the austerity trap. Security improved and tourism up.
Articles tagged: ‘IS’
Iraq: still no government
Posted onIraq politicking – no government six months after the election. Trump’s undiplomatic visit. IS ruination – the fight continues.
Yemen: peace talks
Posted onYemen peace talks begin, with release of prisoners as a confidence measure. Saudi Arabia on the back foot, the US administration obsessed with Iran, but Congress looking for a halt.
Sudan coming in from the cold
Posted onSudan – old genocide charge unresolved, but conflicts reduced and security improving. US warming up relations.
Protecting the Copts
Posted onEgyptian failure to protect the Copts – a fog of conflicting explanations and no coherent strategy – it will happen again.
Egypt – death sentences, human rights, arms purchases
Posted onEgypt – more death sentences – action against Muslim Brotherhood – agreements with Russia, UK and EU.
Iraq: cabinetmaking to begin
Posted onIraq – elections of speaker and president start the process of forming a government. Protests in Basra. Corruption.
Yemen faces famine
Posted onYemen – famine imminent. UN process stalls, radically new approach needed.
The Ahvaz attack
Posted onAt least 25 killed at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard parade. Claims, counterclaims, and accusations. Trump at the UN likely to be a spectacle, but real consequences could be serious.
Iraq: disturbances in a political vacuum (corrected version – typo Iran/Iraq)
Posted onIraq: violent protests in Basra against government failure. Cabinet making drifts on. Iran/US.