Global Security Studies Practicum

Baghdad- Iraq's top diplomat under Saddam Hussein , Tariq Aziz , will be executed next year after US forces leave Iraq . Aziz's lawyer, Badi Arif, claims the decision "will drag this country to the edge of the abyss." Saad Yousif al-Muttalibi, an adviser to Iraq's prime minister, said a new law under consideration requiring death sentences to be ratified by the president within 15 days of their being handed down is favored by the three sectarian groups: Sunnis , Shiites and Kurds . Aziz was captured in April 2003 after the US-led invasion that toppled Hussein and appeared frail during testifying in Hussein's 2006 trial on war crimes charges. In October 2010, Aziz was sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal for his role in eliminating religious parties during Hussein's regime. Amnesty International and The Vatican have opposed the death penalty, preferring other methods of punishment in an attempt to "promote reconciliation and reconstruction...

(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...

Turkey surprised international observers when it supported rebels in recent uprising in Syria. Turkey is harboring insurgents and political opponents of the Assad's regime as it readies unilateral sanctions against Syria . This signals in shift in supporting the various democratic Arab awakenings throughout the Middle East. Turkey’s chasm with Syria reaffirms its commitment to NATO , who had began to question Turkeys role in the alliance. In the face of the Arab Spring , Turkey is reassess its place in the new realities of the Middle East . Turkey had sought to ought new open new markets  and expand its influence in the region through a policy of non-confrontation with its neighbors. It disavowed democratic preconditions with economic partners like Syria and Iran in the past and this caused friction with NATO. Source :http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2011/1103/Turkey-s-bold-about-face-on-Syria Reliability (9) Comments: Turkey’s break from its policy of “zero prob...

Associated Press (Tehran)- Iran has criticized Turkey for allowing NATO to place missile defense systems in Southeast Turkey. President Ahmadinejad of Iran states that the aim of the defense shield is to protect Israel against Iranian missiles in the event of war between Israel and Iran. Earlier in September, Turkey agreed to host NATO’s radar system aimed at countering Iran’s ballistic missiles. However, Turkey claims the missile defense system does not target a specific country and has vowed to block the deal if NATO names Iran as a threat. Turkey is a key Muslim voice in NATO and the missile deployment indicates improving relations with Washington since the 2003 Iraq invasion. Also, Turkey works closely with U.S troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on non-combat roles. Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/04/ap/middleeast/main20115639.shtml Reliability(9) Comment: Turkey is strategically located between Europe and the Middle East is trying to balance its relationsh...