All Security Watch
Number of NATO forces killed by Afghan recruits hits new highThe number of 'green-on-blue' attacks in Afghanistan this year has surpassed that of all 2011, eroding trust and deepening concern about the security transition.
Kidnappings tied to Syria threaten Lebanon's fragile peaceEleven Syrian nationals were kidnapped in Lebanon Thursday in a spree of abductions, raising concern about renewed violence there.
Saudi Arabia and UAE urge citizens out of Lebanon after kidnappingsThe growing spillover from the Syrian civil war, which included the kidnapping of over 30 Syrians in Lebanon today, prompted the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to tell their citizens to leave Lebanon.
Is Israel trying to lead the US to war with Iran?That's what it's starting to look like. But looks can be deceiving.
Syria's civil war and the geopolitics overtaking itAs Syria's civil war continues to deepen, so does the potential for regional mischief.
Free Syrian Army rejects claim that it bombed UN observers' Damascus hotelThe Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for a bombing in Damascus today, but insists the target was a gathering of top military officials, not UN observers, as state media reported.- What's behind the latest Israeli media frenzy on Iran?Israeli media outlets were buzzing this weekend about the possibility of a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran. Was there a policy change driving the attention?
What exactly has Egyptian President Morsi done?A timeline of recent moves by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
Egypt's Morsi cleans house. But a coup? HardlyThe new heads of Egypt's military branches come from within the system, and the outgoing old guard retains both influence and great wealth.
Syrian rebels seek no-fly zone to level playing field with AssadA no-fly zone imposed by NATO and Arab allies helped Libyan rebels overthrow Muammar Qaddafi last year. But the West has shown little appetite for any Libya-style action in Syria.
Egypt's President Morsi fires senior general Tantawi, asserting his powerEgyptian President Morsi didn't just fire Tantawi today. He overturned a constitutional declaration from Tantawi's military council that sought to tie the hands of the civilian president.
Syrian rebels receive UK funding, but no weaponsDespite the West's reluctance to arm the opposition, rebels have made strategic gains in recent weeks. But are their advances part of the Army's strategy to wear the rebels down?
Iran convenes conference on Syria, vowing to preserve the 'axis of resistance'Iran, largely isolated from the West and a steadfast ally of Syria's President Assad, has a lot to lose if the regime in Damascus falls.
Egypt airstrikes in Sinai kill 20 'terrorists' in reprisal for attacks on military postsThe Aug. 5 attack on a border post in the Sinai has spurred an Egyptian military crackdown on the growing militant activity in the Sinai peninsula, which poses a challenge to Egypt's new leader.
With 16 Egyptian soldiers murdered, Sinai is front and center for President MorsiThe murder of 16 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai peninsula highlights long-simmering problems there. And now it's up to Mohamed Morsi and Egypt's politically powerful military to deal with it.
Rebels, observers dispute importance of Syrian prime minister's defectionSyrian Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab has defected from the Assad regime, but there have still been no defections among Alawite members of government, which would be the more telling sign.
Sinai attack presents Egypt's Morsi with first security challengeA militant attack on Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula yesterday left at least 16 people dead, the latest violent incident along the sensitive border with Israel and the Gaza Strip.- Reuters hacked by pro-Assad propagandists again, this time on TwitterAfter fake articles were planted on Reuters website by supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Friday, hackers briefly seized control overnight of a Reuters Twitter account.
- Ideas. Big, glib, unsupported ideasEvgeny Morozov on the cult of 'TED.'
Aleppo on the verge of full-scale battle as UN vote on Syria loomsThe UN warned that the long-building battle for Aleppo is 'about to start' in earnest. Kofi Annan blasted UN Security Council inaction on Syria as he stepped down as peace envoy yesterday.
