Can UN-led Talks Bring Together a Fractured Libya?

An old article posted on the Global Observatory website. An excerpt: 

"A new round of peace talks between Libya's competing factions is taking place this week in Geneva, hosted by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). This is the second round of talks in the Swiss city this month after an initial meeting on January 14, and the Geneva process follows largely unproductive talks in Libya's northwestern border town of Ghadames in September 2014. For now, representatives of one of the two competing parliaments in the country—the Islamist-dominated General National Congress (GNC)—have declined to join any talks outside of Libya. Nonetheless, UNSMIL has stated that a future round of negotiations is expected in Libya at some point, which would include the GNC. There are also indications that pressure from the European Union, a major trading partner of Libya and end destination of Libyan oil, and the GNC's primary international supporters, Turkey and Qatar, could lead the GNC to send a delegation to talks abroad in the near future."

For the full article visit this link http://theglobalobservatory.org/2015/01/un-talks-fractured-libya-dialogue/

Hezbollah-Israel Skirmish: A Brewing Conflict or Political Stagecraft?

An article I wrote for the Global Obaservatory. An excerpt:

"Hezbollah fighters ambushed an Israel Defense Force (IDF) convoy in the disputed Shebaa Farms area near the Golan Heights on January 28. The attack left two IDF soldiers dead and seven others wounded. During the subsequent skirmish in the area, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper stationed in the Ghajar area was also hit and later died. The violence followed a period of heightened tensions in the region following an Israeli air strike against a Hezbollah and Iranian military convoy in Syria's southern Quneitra governorate on January 18 and subsequent threats by senior Hezbollah and Iranian officials to retaliate against Israel. Tensions escalated further on January 27 when the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery position in response to a rocket attack from Syria into Israel-controlled territory in the Golan Heights earlier in the day."

For the full article visit http://theglobalobservatory.org/2015/02/hezbollah-israel-border-skirmish-standoff/

Sisi’s Military Maintains Power in a Fragmented Egypt

My latest article for the Global Observatory. An excerpt:

"Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has a clear political philosophy. He wants to strengthen the state and eliminate its opponents. For many Egyptians, this openly nationalistic rhetoric is welcome. Political contestation and associated civil unrest, the threat of terrorism, and a severe economic downturn have severely affected the Egyptian polity in recent years and increased the public's demand for leadership capable of meeting the country's multifaceted challenges. This basic dynamic of modern day Egypt is portrayed regularly through state-run, and some foreign, media outlets. Yet if one delves deeper, there is clearly more at play."

For the full article, visit http://theglobalobservatory.org/2015/02/sisi-military-power-egypt/