Epstein Secrets

nto the city's southern outskirts, paramilitary groups were said to have massed in Alawi-populated northern suburbs. The city centers of Damascus and Aleppo, however, remained relatively quiet, as the government appeared to be organizing rallies of its own supporters, with activists claiming that efforts

uption, and privilege that has been the hallmark of the authoritarian Arab regimes lying between the Atlas Mountains and the Persian Gulf. Yet unlike the Muslim Brotherhood's rebellion in Hama, which shook the government of Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez in 1982, the Facebook rebellion seems curiously faceless. There are s

5 Lucy Ashton of The Financial Times reported on a growing trend of radical Islam in Syria: Conservative Islam is a relatively recent phenomenon in Aleppo, known for centuries as a cosmopolitan trading city whose merchants "could sell a dead donkey skin to a king", according to a local proverb. Now, h

991, 1995-1996, 1999-2001, and 2008. How a post-Assad Syria would conduct foreign relations vis-à-vis Israel-Palestine remains a gamble. Regarding the Muslim Brotherhood's position on Israel, Thomas Pierret writes, "[the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood] seeks to `counter the Zionist project [the state of Israel] in its diff

cing the western Bekaa valley, and is characterized by rugged terrain. It was also assumed that these two battles would be followed by a battle for Aleppo, which is seen as a battle that would, to a large extent, decide the overall internal Syrian conflict. However, this plan, by which the Syrian army

yria, Libya, Morocco, and Palestine "We are not against Hamas as a resistance movement , but we are against its complicity in seeking to spearhead [Muslim] Brotherhood projects in the region, and dissolve national issues, including the Palestinian cause. We are against Hamas's policies because they aim to scrap a

recommend the imposition of a no-fly zone that would deprive Assad of the use of helicopter gunships and fighter aircraft to bomb neighborhoods of Aleppo and other cities? I asked his campaign and was told no — not a no-fly zone. So did Romney mean providing the Syrian rebels with anti-tank or anti-

olution, the Salafist Call entered the political fray and created the Nour Party, which quickly became the second largest party in parliament after the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. The Salafist Call is the more influential sect within the Salafist current, and Alexandria is its bastion, but it also h

he intelligence EFTA00636706 report. The "most dangerous and barbaric" of these al-Qaeda fighters are about 250 Chechens, based in the suburbs of Aleppo and coordinated by an operative known as Abu Omar al-Chechani, the report says. Joining this core group of foreign fighters are about 2,000 young

erthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak was not prompted by Obama's failure to confront settlements. Nor was the subsequent coup launched against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi triggered by settlements. 7. Libya's descent into gangsterism and chaos. The civil war that led to the ouster and death of Muammar Q

lawite minority — begin. As a result, most Alawites are rallying to Assad, as are some Sunnis who have benefitted from his regime, particularly in Aleppo and Damascus, the capital. These pro-regime Alawites and Sunnis see the chaos and soccer riots in Egypt and say to themselves: "Assad or chaos? We'

rter for The New York Times. I quickly heard terrifying stories about an uprising that had happened in February in the Syrian town of Hama, led by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. Word had it (there were no Internet or cellphones) that then-President Hafez al-Assad had quashed the rebellion by shelling whole Hama neighborho

the massive security buildup to hold demonstrations in at least 20 cities, underlining its nationwide appeal. It also managed to show its presence in Aleppo, the country's second most populous city, which had remained relatively quiet until now. Also significant were the first demonstrations in the Druze

ims the opposition is either too HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_023470 --- PAGE BREAK --- 14 divided to form a government, or might fall under the domination of the Muslim Brotherhood. Pro-democracy activists reject those claims. They tell me that they've been trying to establish formal contacts with both the US and EU to help the

n Egyptian party could emerge between himself and the Muslim Brotherhood. That way, Mubarak could come to Washington once

March 2009. A political and economic alliance was forged with Turkey (and visas abolished), which allowed trade to grow along that border, benefiting Aleppo. The Old City of Damascus was revitalised, ancient courtyard houses restored and hotels and restaurants opened to cater for the growing number of tou

al leadership also sought by Iran. In Egypt, too, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist forces look set to reap an ele

oms and Latakia for some time. Elaraby: When I flew to Syria 10 days after taking office, they also tried to tell me that there had been no riots in Aleppo or Damascus. I was told that gun battles had only occurred in a few towns near the border, because rebels had fired on security forces there. HOUSE_

needs genuine regime change in Egypt. The new regime it needs is not a liberal democracy but one in which Islamist forces supportive of Hamas, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, come to power. At the moment, that is not likely. Egypt's military has retained a remarkable degree of control, its opposition groups are divided be

reful about accepting the narrative that HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031925 --- PAGE BREAK --- 14 the whole of Syria is demanding change. The largest cities of Aleppo and Damascus remain relatively calm, while opinion in western capitals is led by reports generated via opposition movements, often using social media