Epstein Secrets

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

the supreme arbiter in Syria. President Assad's reluctance to propose reform measures, contrary to what had earlier been promised by Vice President Farouk Alshara'a, indicates that the leadership is split between pragmatists and hardliners (the security apparatus). For the time being, President Assad s

both by current conditions and by future expectations. Oil markets don't like surprises. The sudden ousting of Mr Mubarak and the unrest in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Iran and Algeria (which between them supply a tenth of the world's oil) had added 20% to oil prices by the middle of this week. The big wor

was from and of the armed forces, the largest and most cohesive institution in Egypt, and part of the proud military tradition that overthrew King Farouk, ended British colonial influence, and brought independence under Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar el-Sadat, and Mubarak. Senior military officers initial

o so much to promote. The Arab Spring is turning into a long, hot summer. Civil wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen and the sullen silence of the Shi'a in Bahrain have baptized Arab democracy in blood. More will flow — and American foreign policy is befuddled and bemused. None of the experts look particularly s

_031886 --- PAGE BREAK --- 12 Mubarak family's attempt to turn Egypt into a family possession. The Army has ruled Egypt since the overthrow of King Farouk, playing liberals and religious conservatives off against each other. It looks set to go on doing that for some time to come. In Yemen, Bahrain and S