Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

Interview with Professor Alan Dowty

The NATO Council of Canada had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Alan Dowty from the University of Notre Dame. Professor Dowty is a foremost expert on Middle East International Relations and Israeli politics, and recently served his second time as a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford Read More…

Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

The Syrian Uprising: Signs of a Protracted Military Conflict

By: Alexander Corbeil The Syrian crisis has entered into its eleventh and bloodiest month, with roughly 8,000 dead and no end in sight. The Free Syrian Army (FSA), though under heavy barrage in Homs, continues to provide stiff resistance against President Bashir al-Assad. Damascus’s security forces and elements of the military have proven their loyalty Read More…

Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

A “Militiaous” Turn of Events in Libya

By: Alexander Corbeil Clashes in Tripoli last week between rival militias from Zintan and Misrata highlight a disturbing trend in post-Gaddafi Libya. With the powerful tyrant now dead and his forces thwarted by a combined Libyan-NATO effort, a power vacuum has emerged. The National Transition Council’s leader Mustafa Abdel-Jalil warned that Libya faced “bitter options” Read More…

Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

Syria: The Revolution will be Weaponized

By: Alexander Corbeil The Syrian revolution is sliding towards a full fledged civil war as the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has stepped up operations this past week against Syrian security forces. While army units loyal to Bashir al-Assad have cleared the suburbs of Damascus of rebel fighters, the takeover of areas on the regime’s doorstep Read More…

Alexander Corbeil

Pakistan: Between the Gavel and the Gun

By: Alexander Corbeil The land of coups, nuclear warheads, and Islamic extremists has born witness to a tense standoff between the country’s three political powerhouses. President Asif Ali Zardari and his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are currently in a struggle with both the Supreme Court and top military brass of the country. In the shadows Read More…

Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

The Syrian Brief: Week Two

By: Alexander Corbeil Inside Syria Reports by Syrian opposition groups detailed the death of 30 people throughout Syria on Thursday in a widespread and brutal crackdown by Assad’s forces. The continuance of violence comes as a temporary ceasefire has been reached between the Syrian military and rebels in the mountain town of Zabadani, near the Read More…

Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

US-Taliban Negotiations: A Political Office in Qatar?

By: Alexander Corbeil In a dramatic turn of events last week, the spokesman for the Afghani Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, announced that the insurgent group was looking into opening a political office in Qatar. Although no concrete steps have been taken in this direction, the announcement comes as the result of more than two years of Read More…

Alexander Corbeil The Middle East and North Africa

The Syrian Brief: A Weekly Examination of the Syrian Uprising

By: Alexander Corbeil  In a defiant speech Tuesday, President Bashir al-Assad addressed supporters at Damascus University. While promising a multitude of reforms, Assad lashed out at protestors and the international community. The Syrian president promised to restore order by, “hitting terrorists with an iron fist.”  Continuing the regime’s ongoing rhetoric of foreign conspiracy and international Read More…