Epstein Secrets

h his Syrian counterpart; during the conversation the two presidents complained about a "conspiracy to undermine the stability" of Yemen and Syria. Bahrain Manama has complained in a letter to the UN Secretary-General that the Lebanese party Hizbullah is conniving to overthrow the ruling Khalifah famil

former ruling party, the NDP. Yemen The Gulf Cooperation Council's compromise initiative was finally accepted by both the opposition and President Saleh last week. The compromise agreement stipulates, inter alia, that President Saleh will relinquish power within thirty days, on the proviso that he a

ed, represents a bright spot in the region, but even there, tensions between Islamists and secularists guarantee a bumpy road ahead. In places like Bahrain, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, where repression, sectarian violence, tribal and provincial tensions, and lack of real institutions now prevail, it's sti

e Muslim Brotherhood, while the death of the Coptic pope last month leaves the country's 8 million Copts leaderless at a critical moment. In Yemen, Saleh's successor, a weak interim president (dubbed Mrs. Saleh by some) presides over a precarious transition. If there are strong leaders waiting to eme

ereditary monarchy. The Jordanian parliament refused to entertain proposals from the opposition to proscribe the constitutional rights of the king. Bahrain It appears that Wafaq, the largest opposition group, has dropped its conditions for negotiation with the regime (that the GCC troops must leave the

litary elite made it impossible to end the Houthis' rebellion, or stem the tide of the secessionist movement in the south of the country. President Saleh did not work to extend the writ of the state beyond major urban centers lest the sheikhs turn against him. He also did not give as much attention to

de is built Shiite/Sunni antipathy; and upon both is loaded national competition for regional influence. Their tensions recently came to a head in Bahrain, when the majority Shi'ite population arose to protest felt discrimination by King Isa Al-Khalifa and his Sunni elite advisors. Fearing that the me

ge and willing to do something about it. But does Yemen have sufficient cohesion in its makeup to prevail over its combustibility? The prospect of Saleh coming back as president touches in Tawakkul Karman a self-destructive anger. "If [he] returns and is president, people will blow themselves up. We

he asked for support for Damascus' in its "fight" against terrorism. President Assad has been avoiding calls from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has asked the Chairman of the Council of Representatives, Khalifa Ahmed Al Dahrani, to take charge of the dialogue wi

t those of IPI. Yemen Yemen is in a state of political paralysis and the power vacuum is enticing to separatist and terrorist movements. President Saleh's future political plans remain murky. German and Saudi doctors operated on the President in Riyadh removing shrapnel from his chest and neck. Saleh

ark, protesters can disperse to unlit alleyways to escape arrest—a tactic Syrian activists call "tayyara" or flying. Yemen The authority of President Saleh's government continues to erode rapidly and Yemen appears to be edging closer towards a civil war. Tribal fighters in the capital of Sanaa, have gain

g for the downfall of the regime. Officials have, however, denied allegations that the government has decided to forbid the movement from protesting. Bahrain on June 1. Sources suggest that the opposition plans to resume protests for democratic reforms as soon as the emergency law is lifted According to re