Boasting about one’s weaponry is nothing unusual in war, where there’s little way of confirming the veracity of the claim. In that, Syrian President Bashar Assad was following a long tradition of wartime leaders, when he told …
Libya
Arming Syria’s Rebellion: How Libyan Weapons and Know-How Reach Anti-Assad Fighters
The beefy Libyan revolutionary field commander turned politician rose from the beige couch to greet his new Syrian guest, who pulled up a chair to join the two other Syrian men seated in a semicircle around the couch in the café …
What’s Behind the Bombing at the French Embassy in Tripoli?
A car exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, on Tuesday morning in what was likely a planned attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which wounded two French security guards and …
Muammar Gaddafi’s Daughter Thrown Out of Algeria After Starting Fires in Safe House
Aisha Gaddafi was thrown out of Algeria for repeatedly setting fire to her safe house there, it has emerged
The Missing Journalists of Syria’s War: The Struggle to Save Those Who Bear Witness
Michael Foley just wants his brother back. James Foley, known as “Jim,” is an American freelance reporter who has been unaccounted for inside Syria since November. On Thanksgiving Day, the Foleys were told that James, 39, and …
After Cameron’s Libya Visit, Will the Lockerbie Case Be Re-Opened?
In Tripoli in early 2010, I was driven through farmland past watchtowers to an airy villa outside the Libyan capital, to meet the country’s second most powerful man: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. Although he had paved the way for …
Why Afghan Ghosts Haunt France’s Mali Intervention
Comparisons with Afghanistan are inevitable when any Western country sends its military to war in a Muslim country where al-Qaeda has set up shop — and the comparison may be a particularly uncomfortable one for France’s …
Is Syria’s Civil War Entering Its Final Act, or Poised for a New Phase?
The stern warnings by President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials this week that Syria‘s President Bashar Assad would face “consequences” and be “held accountable” for any use of chemical weapons against his own people, has …
France Recognizes Syria’s Opposition—Will the West Follow Suit?
French President François Hollande becomes the first Western leader to recognize the newly-formed coalition leadership of Syrian rebel forces, and ups pressure on other nations to follow his lead.
Gaddafi’s Ghost: How the Tyrant Haunts Libya a Year After His Death
One year after being cornered and killed by Libyan rebels, fallen dictator Muammar Gaddafi still casts a long shadow from the grave
How Did Gaddafi Die? A Year Later, Unanswered Questions and Bad Blood
A year after Libya’s long-ruling despot Muammar Gaddafi was cornered and killed by rebel forces, questions remain over the nature of his death and its legacy for the fractious, fledgling Libyan state
Why Libya—and Not The Hague—Will Try Gaddafi’s Son
A hearing at the international court appears to indicate that the ICC and the Libyan government see eye-to-eye on the prosecution. But Saif’s defense cries foul
The Benghazi Consulate: Has the Crime Scene Been Contaminated?
Even as the FBI prepares to investigate the incident that led to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, the consulate grounds may have been left unguarded for too long