Global Security Studies Practicum

(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...

23 November 2011 Dolo (Associated Press ) — Although Somalia is beginning a slow recovery from famine, many Somali women fear re turning home because of hard-line Islamic militants stalking the country, and of being unable to feed themselves and their children. According to a Somali United Nations worker, many of the men at the refugee camps are returning home to plant crops, but many women say they will not join them because of the security that the camps provide. SOURCE: Many Somali Famine Victims Afraid To Return Home http://www.chron.com/news/article/Many-Somali-famine-victims-afraid-to-return-home-2282563.php RELIABILITY : 9

18 November 2011 Johannesburg (Los Angeles Tim es) — Somalia’s hunger crisis has somewhat ceased, with the United Nations announcing that three of six famine regions were technically no longer in famine. These three regions, Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle remain in a critical situation and it is expected that 250,000 people will die in southern Somalia because of the crisis. The other three areas, Middle Shabelle, Afgoye and Mogadishu will remain in famine until at least the end of the year. According to aid agencies, all of southern Somalia is in an acute situation and death rates are still high. Although the global acute nutrition and crude death rates have declined in some areas, malnutrition rates continue to remain above the famine threshold levels in a large part of southern Somalia. Child death rates remain above crisis levels in several areas as well Somalia’s famine is the worst in the world and the worst in Somalia since its last famine in 1991. SOURCE: Expert: Somal...

23 November 2011 President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, November 23, 2011, to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council ’s initiative to transfer his executive power to Vice President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi. The initiative states that Saleh will step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution and will retain his title for the next three months until elections. For the past 10 months anti-government demonstrators have demanded Saleh’s ouster from office and once again clashes between government forces and tribal fighters erupted early Wednesday in Sana , hours after Saleh headed for Saudi Arabia . On Saturday, 400 government troops defected from the Yemeni military because of the violence they have witnessed against unarmed protesters. United Nations envoy Jamal Benomar stated that more work will be necessary after the signing of the agreement since the transitional government will need to rebuild the economy and gain the political support from the youth...

Cairo- A meeting between the Arab League and the agency's chief was prevented by angry Syrian protesters on Wednesday. The protesters accuse members of the delegation of being agents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , not representers of the opposition. The Syrians want the Arab League to freeze Syria 's membership, protect civilians with an international force and a complete change in leadership. Across Syria, 25 people, including two children, were killed in Wednesday's violence, which followed the death of 18 on Tuesday. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , an estimated 3,500 Syrians have been killed since the government crackdown on protesters in mid-March. A newly formed opposition grouped formed in Turkey and compromised of Egyptian activists will begin "a broad political move to urge member states of the Arab League to take a strong and effective position against the Syrian regime." The plan includes visiting or contacti...