Epstein Secrets

ther bureaucracies, and thus had no legitimacy. Marcus Aurelius was one thing; Tunisia's Zine el- Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Syria's Bashar al- Assad, quite another. Certainly, the Arab Spring has proved much: that there is no otherness to Arab civilization, that Arabs yearn for univers

r supply have diminished. There are three reasons. First, the most substantial fallout from the Arab world's recent upheaval is behind us. Syria's Bashar al-Assad continues to fight for survival and Yemen continues to flirt with failed-state status, but the Gulf's major oil-producing states are quite stable.

cracies, and thus had no legitimacy. Marcus Aurelius was one thing; Tunisia's Zine el- Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Syria's Bashar al- Assad, quite another. Certainly, the Arab Spring has proved much: that there is no otherness to Arab civilization, that Arabs yearn for universal values

. Streets are being paved and buildings constructed. "Mubarak was crushing us before," said Mahmoud Mohammad, a subcontractor whose 10-man crew in Gaza City was unloading steel bars that were carried through the tunnels and were destined for a new restaurant. "Last year we were sitting at home. The cont

ge P. Shultz Article 2. The Daily Beast Memo to Netanyahu: It's Time to Build an Arsenal of Awe Lloyd Green Article 3. Washington Post Ousting Assad may be only the beginning David Ignatius Article 4. Al-Monitor Allen mission key to Israeli-Palestinian security talks Geoffrey Aronson Article

ree to confidence-building measures such as a humanitarian relief corridor to besieged areas. Idriss didn't demand as a precondition that President Bashar al-Assad resign before negotiations begin. Instead, he said, Assad's departure should come "at the end of negotiations." This position was echoed by Monzer

ld go to the rival Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority. As a result, pumping stations ceased operation in November, and many streets in southern Gaza City are now inundated with human excrement. Residents must sandbag their homes so they won't be flooded by raw sewage. The stench is intolerable. With

which has descended into violence and ethnic strife. Not wanting to take EFTA00671800 sides and unwilling to express support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, Meshaal has been shopping for a new permanent base in Jordan, Egypt or Qatar, so far with little luck. "Before Meshaal was considered the radical

price he must pay. He can't continue with the same old rhetoric if he wants to be in Cairo, Doha or Amman." Unhappy with Meshaal's refusal to back Assad, Iran has reportedly reduced its funding to Hamas, dealing a blow to Meshaal's image as the group's international liaison and controller of the pur

" she said in an e-mailed statement. Los Angeles Times Hamas factions' reversal of roles rooted in 'Arab Spring' Edmund Sanders June 17, 2012 -- Gaza City -- Just a couple of years ago, the prevailing wisdom about Hamas was that its Gaza Strip-based leaders were forced to be more moderate because they

ces the old idea of dynasty. The regime of the Al-Assads does not believe in freedom of information. An A

ent Hafez Al-Assad's brother, Rifat, killed 10,000 (some say 20,000). As a showdown intensifies a generation later, it is another pair of brothers, Bashar and Maher, poised to do the same, against demonstrators lightly armed or weaponless but willing to look EFTA_R1_02032813 EFTA02691196 35 death

ve been disappointed by Hamas's lurch into police state paranoia following 2007. "They have informants everywhere," complains one social worker in Gaza City. "[They are] even paying kids a few shekels to report on people in their neighborhood." Inspired by popular uprisings in the region, parallel stree

stance itself to some extent from Washington. In some areas, notably in calls for the international community to offer substantive aid to the anti- Assad opposition in Syria, the Morsi government found itself in partial agreement with U.S. policy preferences. However, there were also troubling signs

this point, a prolonged stalemate is the only outcome that would not be damaging to American interests. Indeed, it would be disastrous if President Bashar al-Assad's regime were to emerge victorious after fully suppressing the EFTA_R1_00441201 EFTA01964453 rebellion and restoring its control over the entire c

ed of repair. EFTA_R1_00441195 EFTA01964447 Article 5. NYT Pressure Rises on Hamas as Patrons' Support Fades Jodi Rudoren August 23, 2013 -- Gaza City — The tumult roiling the Arab world had already severed the lifeline between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and two of its most important pat

ian behavior, and faux reforms. Then there were the adversarial authoritarians. Here, a smaller group photo featured Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Syria's Assads (father and son), and Libya's Muammar al-Qaddafi. America sought to check and constrain their power, even removing one through invasion. But at tim

Fatah, which could lead to elections, is on ice. That leaves Abu Khaled, an unemployed former shopkeeper, to seethe in his 11th-floor apartment in Gaza City. Khaled, 55, said he voted for Hamas because it promised change and justice, which he figured meant there would be jobs. But only those who "pray

ional/countriesandterritories/syria/index.html?inline=nyt-geo>.=94 A few months ago, talk of possible massacres of Alawites, who dominate Bash=r al- Assad<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/ba=har_al_assad/index.html?inline=nyt-per>'s government in Syria, seemed =ike pro-regim

Arab World Jodi Rudoren<http://topics.nytimes.comitopireference/timestopics/people/r/j=di_rudoren/index.html> and Fares Akram November 15, 2012 -- Gaza City — Instead of the wedding drums that typic=lly provide the evening soundtrack in this forlorn coastal strip, the blac=, still air was pierced by guns

ved in this recent murder. Many have argued that Gen Al Hassan was killed to settle a score relating to his role in the arrest of Michel Samaha, an Assad apparatchik who was caught planning a domestic bombing campaign during the summer. In fact, Gen Al Hassan was probably targeted because of his grow

u chief of the Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai. Associated Press Qatar's emir to head to Hamas-ruled Gaza Ibrahim Barzak EFTA00711389 Oct. 21, 2012 -- Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP) — The ruler of Qatar is expected in the Gaza Strip this week, in what would be a major stamp of legitimacy for the territory's Isl

e terrifying scale of Libya's Qaddafi and Syria's Assad nor stifled economic progress with such alacrity.

s. Streets are being paved and buildings constructed. "Mubarak was crushing us before, ," said Mahmoud Mohammad, a subcontractor whose 10-man crew in Gaza City was unloading steel bars that were carried through the tunnels and were destined for a new restaurant. "Last year we were sitting at home. The contra

other bureaucracies, and thus had no legitimacy. Marcus Aurelius was one thing; Tunisia's Zine el- Abidine Ben Ali, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Syria's Bashar al- Assad, quite another. Certainly, the Arab Spring has proved much: that there is no otherness to Arab civilization, that Arabs yearn for universal values ju