Egypt
- New York Times: Egypt’s Islamists Tread Lightly, but Skeptics Squirm (Rod Nordland, 28 July)
- BBC: Egyptian PM Hisham Qandil's Beard: A New Symbol of Power? (Dina Demrdash, 25 July)
- Reuters: In Shift By Egypt, President Meets Hamas Leader (Tom Perry and Nidal al-Mughrabi, July 26)
“…Despite such efforts, Mr. Morsi and his Brotherhood allies have had little luck placating secular and other opponents. The Brotherhood remains reviled and feared by secular activists and many Christians.”
“New Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's facial hair is stirring debate in a nation where beards have traditionally been viewed as a symbol of Islamist hardliners.”
“Mursi's heart is with Hamas but his mind is elsewhere," said Hany al-Masri, a Palestinian political commentator. "He will give them as much as he can but he won't be able to give them much because his powers are restricted.”
Israel/US
- Foreign Policy: Mitt Romney in Israel (Oren Kessler, 25 July)
“Thirty percent of Israelis surveyed think U.S.-Israel relations would improve under Romney, while a mere 8 percent said the same about a second Obama term.”
Saudi Arabia
- Foreign Policy: The Prince and the Revolution (Simon Henderson, 24 July)
“Saudi Arabia is bringing back its most talented operator to manage the Arab Spring. But can Bandar stem the rot in Riyadh?”
- Reuters: Saudi Shi'ite Protests Show Rise Of More Radical Generation (Angus McDowall, 23 July)
“Renewed unrest among minority Shi'ite Muslims in Saudi Arabia have exposed a rift between their traditional leaders and a younger, more radical generation exasperated by what they see as persistent discrimination in the mainly Sunni Muslim kingdom.”
Syria
- As Syrian War Drags On, Jihadists Take Bigger Role (Neil MacFarquhar and Hwaida Saad, 29 July)
- Reuters: Secret Turkish Nerve Center Leads Aid to Syria Rebels (Richard Woods, 27 July)
- Washington Post: In Syria Conflict, U.S. Struggles to Fill Intelligence Gaps (By Greg Miller and Joby Warrick, July 24)
“The past few months have witnessed the emergence of larger, more organized and better armed Syrian militant organizations pushing an agenda based on jihad, the concept that they have a divine mandate to fight. Even less-zealous resistance groups are adopting a pronounced Islamic aura because it attracts more financing.”
“Turkey has set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria's rebels from a city near the border, Gulf sources have told Reuters.”
“The lack of intelligence has complicated the Obama administration’s ability to navigate a crisis that presents an opportunity to remove a longtime U.S. adversary but carries the risk of bolstering insurgents sympathetic to al-Qaeda or militant Islam.”
Yemen
- Christian Science Monitor: Market Shelves Are Stocked, But Yemenis Still Starve (Adam Baron, 26 July)
"According to United Nations estimates, more than 10 million Yemenis don’t have enough to eat, and more than 267,000 children face life threatening levels of malnutrition. But, according to humanitarian workers, there is plenty of food – there's just no money to buy it."
