Culture
- BBC: Arab sci-fi (Lydia Green, October 9)
- "There are numerous examples of early Islamic sci-fi or fantasy fiction from the Arab world, not least of course, the fabulous Arabian Nights, replete with flying carpets, mystical jinn and even a little intergalactic travel."
Egypt
- BBC: Sinai civilians caught in Egypt's 'war on terror' (Louisa Loveluck, October 10)
- "The security forces in Egypt face a growing crisis in the Sinai peninsula, which has become a base for Islamist militants. The army has responded to a series of attacks by pouring in troops and armoured vehicles, but while it says it is fighting terror, civilians have been caught in the middle."
- Washington Post: Obama's mixed messages on Egypt (Editorial, October 10)
- "The United States seeks the stabilization of Egypt under “an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government based on the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and an open and competitive economy,” the State Department said Wednesday in announcing the new aid policy. The problem is that its mixed appproach leaves it still betting on a regime that is delivering none of those goods."
- Wall Street Journal: US allies fret over shift on aid to Egypt (Julian Barnes, October 9)
- "Cutting aid "can have dismal consequences, way beyond Egypt," a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday. "It's a sign to the whole Middle East that America is stepping back and is not interested anymore. It's going to affect America's position from Morocco to Saudi Arabia."
Libya
- BBC: Libyans want rule by their government, not by militias (Ahmed Maher, October 12)
- "Much of the weaponry of the ousted Gaddafi regime was found and seized by rebel militias, and they are still using it to enforce security in places where the government remains incapable of asserting its authority. The brief kidnapping of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan on 10 October was an emphatic case in point."
- The Sunday Telegraph: Libya's descent into chaos fuelled by rise of militias (Colin Freeman, October 12)
- "With thousands of heavily armed men at his command, it is easy to see why some Libyans view Hisham Bishr as an Islamist warlord. A devout Muslim with a pious air, the stocky, bearded 42-year-old is today the most powerful militiaman in Tripoli, complete with his own private prison."
- The Independent: Ali Zeidan's abduction perfectly illustrates failure of the post-Gaddafi state (Patrick Cockburn, October 10)
- "Seldom has the failure of a state been so openly and humiliatingly confirmed as happened in Libya this morning with the brief kidnapping the Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from his hotel in Tripoli by a militia allied to the government and without a shot being fired. Despite his swift release, the message is very clear: Libya is imploding two years after the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was dragged from a drainage tunnel under a road and summarily shot."
Syria
- LA Times: US fears radical Islamists could take root in Syria (Ken Dilanian & Raja Abdulrahim, October 8)
- "I think Syria is heading toward becoming the next FATA," said a U.S. official regularly briefed on intelligence, referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, where Al Qaeda and its allies plotted attacks against the West until U.S. drone strikes and other counter-terrorism efforts decimated their forces."
- The Guardian: Homs: a tale of two cities (James Harkin, October 12)
- "Once seen as the capital of Syria's revolution, Homs is now caught in a vicious stalemate between regime and rebel forces. James Harkin visits a divided city, where kidnappings are rife and chemical disarmament a low priority."
Turkey
- Wall Street Journal: Turkey's spymaster plots own course on Syria (Adam Entous & Joe Parkinson, October 10)
- "In the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings, Mr. Fidan, little known outside of the Middle East, has emerged as a key architect of a Turkish regional-security strategy that has tilted the interests of the longtime U.S. ally in ways sometimes counter to those of the U.S."