Epstein Secrets

ould be wise to nurture this rare bipartisan unity as much as the international coalition it has assembled against Iran. It was Condoleezza Rice's State Department, after all, that originated the notion of a two-track policy of steadily increasing economic pressure on Iran while seeking a diplomatic settlement

d on religion Two articles approved on Sunday would expand the role of the military, which installed the current interim government after removing Morsi, in Egypt's politics. Photo: AP Washington: Egypt's constitutional panel approved an amended charter, clearing a key hurdle in the military-backed

titution marked a milestone in the government's so-called road map to restoring democratic rule following the military's July 3 ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. His overthrow was followed by the suspension of the old charter, which, while approved in a referendum, fueled deadly protests that encouraged the

authority, having seized further powers before the presidential election in June. After the meeting, which lasted a little over an hour, a senior State Department official said Field Marshal Tantawi and Mrs. Clinton had discussed the economy, regional security, "the political transition" and the military's "o

d Hussein Tantawi, did not mention the Brotherhood by name but were EFTA_R1_02207139 EFTA02722350 widely seen as a reference to the group and to Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's newly elected president and a former Brotherhood leader. And they came just hours after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met wit

ong with respect for minority rights. And with little leverage except a promise of economic assistance, she struggled to coax the military and Mr. Morsi to resolve their rift. She also faced anger from Christian leaders, including some who boycotted a meeting with her on Sunday, objecting to what

paring the ground for this weekend's moves during the weeks where his administration appeared to be passive, floundering and ineffective." Indeed, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland confirmed on Monday that the U.S. had for some time been expecting a leadership change in Egypt's military although h

il of the Armed Forces and revoked constitutional amendments introduced by the military. There are two theories on what has happened. In the first, Morsi -- who until his election was a senior leader of the country's mainstream Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood -- is actually much more power

Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States, according to opposition activists and U.S. and foreign officials." The next day, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland clarified that the administration had no intention of arming the rebels. As for coordinating arms shipments, presumably

ut for democracy would tempt ordinary Egyptians to pine for the brutal certitudes of Mr Mubarak's rule. Better that the vote take place—and that Mr Morsi, the Muslim Brother, become president of the Arab world's biggest country. People are nervous of the Muslim Brothers. Many secular-minded Arabs fe

through formal discussions with U.S. officials at the State Department, National Security Council, and Department of Def

hey also believed that Clinton would be soft on Islamists. It is an article of faith in Egypt that she enabled the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi in 2011 and 2012. For countries in the Persian Gulf, Egypt provides strategic depth, and "losing" it to the Muslim Brotherhood was a major geopolitic