Epstein Secrets

stead to the government; and 4) indicated that the Syrian people supported him -- otherwise he would not be in his position. Does this suggest that Bashar is out of touch with political reality? Or -- as he has watched with dismay the fate of his fellow Arab dictators in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen, who

n killed, a worrying sign that the violence is accelerating. Yet, in a remarkable interview this month with ABC's Barbara Walters, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 1) denied the extent of violence in his beleaguered country; 2) disputed the evidence in a U.N. report charging him and his government with crimes ag

st Israel. In fact, in a rare public appearance this month, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah declared that his party will remain defiant, side with Assad's Syria and never relinquish its arms. If Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran (the so-called Resistance Axis), truly intends to reinvent it

years. The two largest political factions in the so-called "lower house"—the Muslim Brotherhood (represented by its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP)) and the Salafi Al-Nour Party—are well aware that within that term, their constituents will expect them to deliver on some of their promises

terview with Ray Takeyh Article 3. RCR The Brotherhood's Walking Korans Hillel Fradkin and Lewis Libby Article 4. Foreign Affairs Alawites for Assad: Why the Syrian Sect Backs the Regime Leon Goldsmith Article 5. Project Syndicate The Paranoid Style in Chinese Politics Minxin Pei Article 6.

Lebanon, and so forth. And when Iranians look at the region, they seem to feel--and increasingly, others are joining them in that opinion--that the Bashar al-Assad regime may prove in fact more durable, that he may somehow survive this insurrection and this wave of protest, and if Assad survives and can someho

me Leon Goldsmith April 16, 2012 -- Since the start of the revolt in Syria, the country's Alawites have been instrumental in maintaining President Bashar al- Assad's hold on power. A sect of Shia Islam, the Alawites comprise roughly 13 percent of the population and form the bulk of Syria's key milita

it of "Brotherhood work'?" Indeed there were according to Shater -- for example, the Brother's establishment of a political party -- the Freedom and Justice Party. This was unprecedented in Brotherhood history. But Shater was at some pains to emphasize that this and other possible innovations were entirely se

In addition, various political figures and commentators have praised or come to the defense of despotic rulers including Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bashar al-Assad. 6. Modem authoritarians can be expected to dou- ble down on their drive to neuter civil society as an incubator of reformist ideas and political

o defend embattled allies like Syria's 8ashar al-Assad. There is also growing replica- tion of what migh

r jobs, homes, or gov- ernment services if they did not turn out for the party. The most charismatic opposition figure, the leader of the Unity and Justice Party, Birtukan Mideksa, re- mained in prison during the election, in which opposi- tion candidates took only two seats 22 The possible motivations for ret

ce that the world has stood idly by as Bashar al-Assad has presided over the deaths of some 100,000 Syr

hone calls from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. And one reason is Syria: Egyptian generals can't help but notice that the world has stood idly by as Bashar al-Assad has presided over the deaths of some 100,000 Syrian citizens. In the Middle East, you can, in fact, get away with murder. The Egyptian military wi

ure, repression and stagnation. We are not buying. And America shouldn't either. Amr Darrag is a member of the executive board of the Freedom and Justice Party, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He was Egypt's minister of planning and international cooperation under President Mohamed Morsi.

development reinforces the view that the Syrian government is aiming to regionalize the conflict, to divert attention from itself and from calls for Bashar al-Assad to step down. Fragmentation is increasing in Syria. Kurdish areas in the northeast are beyond the control of the government and the opposition. Dar

ttention from itself and from calls for Bashar al-Assad to step down. Fragmentation is increasing in Syr

e whole process to a EFTA_R1_00462356 EFTA01976297 halt. On November 7", Constituent Assembly Secretary General Amr Darrag (from the Freedom and Justice Party) announced that the final draft of the new constitution would be issued on November 20", nearly three weeks earlier than the initial December 12" de

nt Dmitry Medvedev last week for failing to coordinate with Arab states before vetoing a United Nations resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down. Emboldened by the lack of international action, Assad's forces are now slaughtering civilians in the streets at an even greater rate. R

is a real chance of that war turning into a broader regional conflict. There is also no guarantee of the character of the successor regime to the Assads. The opposition forces have been endorsed not just by the US, but also by al- EFTA_R1_00230060 EFTA01842755 Qaeda, which must be a first. Rememb

is seen as being particularly enamored with the prospects of Islamists in government," Danin says. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party now controls roughly 45% of parliamentary seats. In Tunisia, recent elections propelled Islamists to the top. Carnegie's Ottaway says it is "inevi

ally in recent weeks with the reported kil=ing of hundreds of innocent men, women, and children in Houla, Qubair, andrAl Heffa by forces tied to the Assad government. The Free Syrian Army is n=ticeably better equipped, using antitank rockets to inflict heavier casual=ies among Syrian security forces. F

own and unable to conduct patrols. The situation is forci=g the international community to reconsider its options for implementing t=e action plan. Bashar al-Assad, under heavy international pressure to comp=y with the peace plan, appeared unfazed as he gave a speech to the Parliam=nt on June 3 denying any gove

ast Update June 2=, 2012 Egypt: Early re=ults from the June 16-17 run-off presidential election indicate that the M=slim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party candidate, Mohammed Mor=i, is in the lead. The release of official results has been postponed pend=ng review of complaints from the candidates. The

ts former secretary-general. The latest failure of the U.N. dream was Annan's mediating mission to Syria. For months, he tried to cajole President Bashar al-Assad into stopping the killing and starting a political transition that would avert civil war. To which he received the standard answer to well-meaning

Abdullah of Jordan back in 2004 of the danger of a Shia Crescent that would extend from the coast of Lebanon to Afghanistan. Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad in Syria, and the Shia- controlled government of Iraq form the links in the chain. When the Arab Spring reached Syria, the leaders in Riyadh were gi

al analogies that are interesting but are hardly predictive of the Brotherhood's political trajectory. Still, if the reception that the Freedom and Justice Party received in Washington last March is any indication, these arguments hold sway and insulate Morsi and the EFTA00711986 Brotherhood from the wides

decades and continued to invest in it even after its discovery in 2002. The government is outspoken in its hatred of Israel. It supports President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and extremist groups like Hezbollah. If Iran gets a weapon, other countries in the region may want one, too. But while Israel's defense m

abroad. The current international consensus for sanctions, and the punishments, would evaporate. It would shift international outrage against Mr. Assad's brutality in Syria to Israel. Many former Israeli intelligence and military officials have spoken out against a military attack. And polls show t

believe that this is a step in the transition toward democracy, but I'm very apprehensive," said Nora Soliman, one of the founders of the liberal Justice Party. "They have control over most of the levers of power." Soliman said she was no fan of the country's generals but saw them as a necessary evil durin

oser to acquiring enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon. In Egypt, Islamists crowd out the liberals and the Google generation. In Syria, the Assads maintain their bloody grip on power, defying the international community and the will of their own people. As for the Israelis and Palestinians, we

o the more extreme Salafists who have emerged as the wild-card in post-Mubarak politics. The Salafist Nour party ran the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party a close second, finishing with 28% of the vote (against the FJP's 38%) in the parliamentary elections that concluded in January. Without a Brotherh