Gulf in the News – June 29, 2012

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Mariam Klait

Amir has right to dissolve or reinstate parliament

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah has the sole power to dissolve or reinstate the 2009 parliament, Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said. He underlined that the Constitutional Court ruling on dissolving 2012 parliament and reinstating the former one has to be respected. “The recently-submitted government’s resignation is the first step towards the enforcement of the ruling,” Al-Khorafi said in a press conference at the National Assembly headquarters.

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Crisis Yemen: Going Where?

Posted on June 28, 2012 by NCUSAR

On June 26, 2012, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations, the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee, and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (U.S. Department of Defense/National Defense University) hosted “Crisis Yemen: Going Where?” at the City Club in Washington, DC. Participating specialists were: Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Mr. Gregory Johnsen, Dr. Charles Schmitz, and Mr. Robert Sharp. National Council Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony served as moderator.

Links to a podcast and video recording of the program are available below. The podcast, along with recordings of other National Council programs, is also available through iTunes: http://bit.ly/itunes-ncusar.

“Crisis Yemen: Going Where?” podcast (.mp3)

Gulf in the News – June 27, 2012

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Mariam Klait

Experts to Obama: Yemen Policy Must Change

Source: POMED (Read full story)

On Monday, 27 leading experts on Yemen, U.S. foreign policy, and security signed onto a letter to President Obama urging a fundamental shift in American policy towards Yemen. Coordinated by the Yemen Policy Initiative, the letter argues for a more balanced policy approach that elevates support for long-term economic and political development in Yemen alongside counterterrorism efforts.

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To see the full text of the letter, click here.

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Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations Spring 2012 “NEWSLINES”

Posted on June 26, 2012 by NCUSAR

The Carolinas Committee on U.S.-Arab Relations (CCUSAR), with Dr. Joe P. Dunn serving as Director, is an initiative of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Dr. Dunn is an alumni of the Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies Program, the coordinator of the Southeast Model Arab League, and the faculty advisor heading the Converse College Model Arab League program. CCUSAR recently published its Spring 2012 “NEWSLINES” newsletter, which features Dr. Dunn’s reflections on a recent Malone Fellow visit to Morocco; highlights from the 2012 Southeast, Northeast, and National Model Arab Leagues; the story of the launch of the Mubadara Model Arab League in Dubai; and a book review of Isobel Coleman’s Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East. The full issue of CCUSAR’s Spring 2012 NEWSLINES is available for download through the link immediate below.

DOWNLOAD “CCUSAR NEWSLINES (Spring 2012)” (.pdf file)

Gulf in the News – June 25, 2012

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Mariam Klait

Kuwait government submits resignation

Source: Khaleej Times (Read full story)

The Kuwaiti government submitted its resignation to the country’s ruler on Monday, a government source said, deepening a political crisis in the major oil exporter and US ally.

The government’s move came just days after a court ruling annulled a February parliamentary election and restored the previous assembly.

At least seven governments have stepped down in recent years amid a persistent political deadlock.

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Gulf in the News – June 22, 2012

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Mariam Klait

Yemen army says seizes Qaeda bastion in major advance

Source: Reuters (Read full story)

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At least 23 Islamist fighters were killed during overnight clashes near gas facilities in Belhaf in Shabwa province, one military source said.

Military planes bombed a convoy of vehicles carrying militants fleeing Shaqra, killing about 30 Islamists, said a second.

Tribal sources said a number of chiefs from Shabwa were attempting to persuade the Islamist militants to surrender without a struggle.

Many of the al Qaeda militants and leaders belong to major tribes in Abyan and Shabwa provinces, the sources said.

Yemeni officials said many al Qaeda fighters had fled Shaqra to a mountainous region to the west of it or went to Azzan.

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NCUSAR US Naval Academy Study Visit to the UAE, May 2012

Posted on June 21, 2012 by NCUSAR

The National Council, in coordination with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, organized and led a May 11-20, 2012 study visit to the United Arab Emirates for twelve Midshipmen and two faculty members from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Gulf in the News – June 20, 2012

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Mariam Klait

The Ghalib al-Zayadi Problem

Source: Gregory Johnsen, Waq al Waq (Read full story)

Over the past few years as I’ve thought about al-Qaeda, Yemen and US policy I have returned time and time again to what I have termed “the Ghalib al-Zayadi problem.”

Basically, this is the idea that just because someone in Yemen has a beard, carries a gun and talks about Islamic law doesn’t mean that he is a member of al-Qaeda.

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