The Times of Oman has an interesting op-ed piece explaining the Russian support for Syria. It touches all the right bases, and one can hardly quarrel with the analysis. But it begs the question: how do the Russians view the end-game in Syria? Surely, they can’t believe that Assad will survive. It is very difficult to determine the Russian interest under these circumstances, particularly since the UN prognosis for increased violence is so grim.
Egyptian politics is about to get a lot more difficult, as the country implements new economic austerity measures to satisfy the demands of the International Monetary Fund. These austerity measures will certainly test the strength of the Morsi government since one can expect the general population to bear the brunt of the burden. IMF austerity programs invariably target government programs that subsidize the consumption patterns of the largest segments of the population–always the poorer groups. We can expect protests similar to the ones we have witnessed in Greece.
The New York review of Books has published a statement written by Nomika Zion, a member of Migvan, an urban kibbutz in Sderot, the Israeli city about a mile from the Gaza Strip border. The statement is a powerful critique of the policies pursued by Prime Minister Netanyahu toward the Gaza Strip. What makes the statement even more remarkable is that it comes from an individual who lives well within the range of the missiles fired by Hamas into Israel.
World Politics News 
Leave a comment