Global Security Studies Practicum

Cairo- Syria can "avoid the dangers of a foreign intervention" if it agrees to a plan by the Arab League to defuse the current Syrian conflict. The current League plan calls for the Syrian government to allow observers into the country to monitor the government's response to the civil unrest, which the Syrian government has failed to control. Foreign ministers from 19 Arab League countries voted to slap economic sanctions on the Syrian regime, including cutting relations with the nation's central bank, freezing government assets, and prohibiting high-profile officials from visiting Arab countries. Sanctions have been imposed by the US Treasury , the European Union and Turkey . Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said, "We will continue to work closely with our partners in Europe and around the world to hasten a transition to democracy in Syria." There are 17 targeted senior Syrian regime officials banned from ...

1 December 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan- The relationship between the U.S. and Pakistani militaries is deteriorated in results to the NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan’s army Chief General Ashfaq Perves Kayani met with U.S. Marine General John Allen , top commander in Afghanistan, immediately after the incident and concluded that Pakistan will withdraw all intelligence sharing with the U.S. and will stop the support offered to defeat the Afghan Taliban. The U.S. Embassy warned U.S. government personnel in Pakistan of possible retaliation against Americans and further precautions should be taken into consideration. President Barack Obama stated during a press conference that a complete termination in the U.S.-Pakistani relationship is unlikely, but the incident is likely to damage relations and his administration will investigate the circumstances of the airstrikes to clarify misunderstandings. According to Afghan officials, U.S. Special Forces located on the Af...

(11/26/11) (Syria)- Finance ministers from the Arab League have proposed economic sanctions against the Syrian government for its involvement in a bloody, months-long crackdown on civilian demonstrators. Arab League foreign ministers will meet in Cairo to consider whether to adopt the proposition on Sunday. Damascus failed to respond to an Arab League request to allow observers into Syria to monitor the government's response to civil unrest. State-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) has called the move an "unprecedented procedure (that) contradicts the rules of the economic and trade cooperation among the Arab countries and targets the Syrian people." The sanctions proposed in Cairo, opposed by Algeria and Iraq, includes the barring of any private or commercial flights from the league's 22 member states from flying into or out of Syria. Also, all assests belonging to the Syrian government and its officials would be frozen and unaccessible and Syrian officials woul...

(11/19/11) Tripoli, Libya- Saif al-Islam , Moammar Gadhafi 's son, was nabbed after an 18-day stakeout in a desert gunbattle Saturday. According to Senior Libyan military officials, al-Islam may have been the Gadhafi successor and was enroute to neighboring Niger , where a brother, Saadi , has been granted asylum. al-Islam is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and was caught by Revolutionary fighters after being on the run since the fall of Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in the capital in August. Al-Islam, the last of the Gadhafi fugitives, is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, including murder. Officials in Libya would also like to put al-Islam on trial. Even though al-Islam didn't hold a high-level government office, the ICC believed al-Islam was the "unspoken successor and the most influential person with his inner circle...[Saif] exercised control over crucial parts of the state apparatus, including finances and logistics and had the p...

25 November 2011 China and Pakistan have teamed up to put forward their anti-terror efforts. This is due to terrorist groups that dwell along the Afghan border such as the Uyghur’s. The Uyghur militants are present in Taliban parts of northwest Pakistan. China considers this group a threat because they train alongside terrorist from around the world. These groups are aiding separatism in China and plotting terrorist attacks, China must be ready. To prepare for any attack, China and Pakistan are running mock terrorist hideouts and bomb making factories while choppers fly low across the valley. The Pakistan General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani stated “Terrorism is something which is a threat to china, in some ways, and to other countries in the world as well. There is a need to share our experiences with our Chinese friends.” Mock operations are likely to continue. Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/11/25/china-pakistan-boost-anti-terror-cooperation/ Reliability: 8

30 November 2011 Sanaa, Yemen – Taiz , Yemen’s second largest city, has been a hotbed for antigovernment demonstrations opposing President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime. Government forces opened fire Tuesday, November 29, 2011, and continued Wednesday, November 30, 2011, as a response to attacks caused by tribesmen and defected soldiers who support the opposition. Results from the violence included: destroyed shops, three injured persons, one death, and fleeing of thousands of residents. At the same time, thousands of Yemenis gathered in the southern province of Aden to celebrate the 44 th anniversary of independence of South Yemen from Britain while a Special Forces security officer faced a drive by shooting. A security official reported that al-Qaida linked militants opened fire on the officer, who managed to escape, while killing two of his guards. Thousands of demonstrators, in the southern town of Ibb , call for Saleh to go to trial for alleged corruption and killing of proteste...

30 Novemeber 2011 Shoppers stock up on toilet paper and at a supermarket in Caracas. Price controls announced by the Venezuelan government came into effect on 22 November, causing panic buying of regulated goods and leading to shortages of staples like coffee and toilet paper. The recent price cap placed on certain goods has led many to stock their homes and resell the products at a profit in the black market. Authorities announced they will visit stores to ensure availability of regulated products. Source:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-25/chavez-price-caps-spark-panic-buying-of-coffee-toilet-paper.html (Reliability: 8.5) Comment: Price control regulations took effect on 22 November in an attempt to slow Venezuela’s 26.9% inflation rate registered in October 2011, the highest in the Western Hemisphere. A freeze on 18 personal care items ranging from toothpaste to deodorant is expected to last until mid-January. The measure comes less than a year before preside...

23 November 2011  Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu  RAMALLAH – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu froze tax funds to Palestine as retaliation for Palestine seeking statehood with the United Nations.   The funds were unfrozen and transferred to Palestine accordingly.   The unfreezing of the funds will help pay salaries of civil servants and members of security forces.   The Palestinians are still intent on pushing for full UN membership .   They have successfully joined UNESCO as part of their bid for recognition.   The decision to unfreeze funds came from “massive” western diplomat pressure.   There is speculation that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may put bid on hold until the end of January to allow mediation by the “Quartet”.   The Palestinian Authority relies on funding from foreign aid for development projects and operating costs.   Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad took loans from banks to make up for th...

29 November 2011 Al-Qaeda is fundraising money by kidnapping Westerners in North Africa. A local news report stated that the secret service from Algeria has strong suspicions that a branch of al-Qaeda is planning a wave of kidnappings towards Westerners in North Africa. The Department of Investigation and Security declared that the al-Qaeda organization is planning the kidnappings in the Sahel region. Sahel borders the Saharan and Sub-Saharan Africa: parts of the territory of Senegal, Mail, Niger, Nigeria, southern Mauritania , etc. According to authorities and investigations the next kidnappings were scheduled to happen in the Mauritania area by local terrorists. The outcome of this investigation is unknown as well as to how it is being handled. Source: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/11/al-qaeda-in-the-islamic-maghreb-reportedly-planning-wave-of-kidnapping-of-westerners-in-north-africa.html Reliability: 8.5

Cairo - Protestors continued their sit-in in Tahrir Square on Monday, but there was a decrease in the number of participants. The decrease is a result of Egypt’s completion of the first phase of parliamentary elections. Demonstrators will continue their sit-in as a retaliation of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzour’s new cabinet. Amr Wishahi, a new demonstrator and cameraman, claims he chose to join the demonstration after visiting the square during the previous week’s events. Wishahi demands that the military hand over power to civilians even though he does not expect military rule to end. Instead, Wishahi feels that a civilian state with a parliament chosen by election that represents the will of the people would better suit Egypt’s people. Ahmed Hassan, a tourist company employee, demonstrates in honor of tourism , which he wants to restore by giving power to the civilians. Tarek Mansour, a demonstrator, took part in ousting President Mubarak in February and since then he now provides...

30 November 2011 BANGKOK, THAILAND – The death toll continues to climb as Thailand attempts to recover from the worst flooding in more than 50 years. Heavy monsoon rains that began in July that were accompanied by a series of tropical storms proved to be the catalyst for what has turned into extensive amounts of flooding that had ultimately engulfed more that 77 of Thailand’s provinces , over two-thirds of the country. Of these 77 provinces, today 17 still remain inaccessible due to heavy flooding and the Thai government has stated that the majority of deaths were the result of drowning, in what has now passed 600 dead. Thai officials have commented that the four-month long ordeal has seen some improvements, as large clean ups have been organized in several areas where flooding has receded and the recovery process can begin. Despite the recent situational improvements in certain areas, other areas along with their inhabitants remain submerged until the flooding can be dive...

Turkish Foreign minister says Turkey is ready to impose sanctions on Syria after it is discussed with the Prime minister Raccep Erdogan. Turkey is one of the most important trading partners of Syria and the proposed sanction will likely have a significant impact on the Syrian economy. The sanction will target the Syrian government officials and try to limit the impact on ordinary citizens. Hence, the sanctions will  be measured and calculated according the foreign minister. Total trade between Turkey and Syria last year reached $2.4 billion and forecasted to peak at 30% until the uprising in Syria. Turkish economic minister also stated that Turkish businesses have over $1billion in investments in Syria. Turkey’s proposed sanction will differ from the one announced by the Arab league a few days ago. Source :http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204449804577068100208547594.html Reliability (9) Analysis: The proposed sanctions by the Arab league and Turkey will likely b...