'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Tunisia (pronounced al-Jumhūriyya at-Tūnisiyya), is the northernmost country in Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 165,000 km², with an estimated population of just over 10.3 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the north-east. - Source: Wikipedia
The Arab Spring that prompted the ouster of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya also led to the rise of Islamists who are bent on creating Islamic states that adhere to Shariah law — and that fate could await Syria after dictator Bashar Assad falls.
The Ansar al Sharia Brigade, the Islamist terror group linked to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, continues to operate freely in that Libyan city, according to U.S. military officials.
PResident Obama last year counted on a quick ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad — an outcome that seems less certain today as the White House searches for another strategy that might give weapons to rebels.
Libya has been declared safe to host World Cup qualifying matches, the first national team games on home ground since the uprising that ousted Moammar Gadhafi.
FIFA authorized Libya to host World Cup qualifying matches, saying the country is safe enough for its first international home games since the uprising that ousted Moammar Gadhafi.
After attacks by religious extremists, the assassination of an opposition politician and the resignation of the prime minister, Tunisia is now being assailed by... an Internet dance craze.
The Obama administration and other Western governments ignored early warnings about small arms and explosives being smuggled out of Libya — weapons that now have fallen into the hands of al Qaeda-linked militants waging war across North Africa.
The optimism surrounding the Arab Spring is giving way to fears of the next revolution. Daily, people around the world watch the triumph of bringing down Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak descend into pitched battles between secular protesters and an increasingly alienated government run by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood.
One hardline Muslim cleric on an Egyptian TV station justified sexual assaults on women protesters. Others issued religious edicts saying opposition leaders must be killed.
As Egypt continues its tumultuous transition to democracy two years after the Arab Spring swept strongman President Hosni Mubarak from power, Washington must weigh its next moves carefully.
France's military intervention into Mali, with varying degrees of British and American support, to save its former colony from an Islamist rebel takeover could easily escalate into an unmanageable situation and cost a lot of blood and treasure. Violent African-based groups are not easily tamed.
On Wednesday, departing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally testified before Congress on the Benghazi attacks. Her procrastination was in sharp contradiction to her showy assumption of responsibility. Mrs. Clinton’s testimony was demanded by a report that attributed the attacks to “profoundly weak security” at the U.S. Consulate that resulted from “systemic failures” and a “lack of proactive senior leadership.”
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb infiltrated Mali's northern frontier in 2003, after a 10-year civil war to overthrow the Algerian government. This desert region has become a safe haven for numerous Islamists linked to al Qaeda.
The Islamist militants who attacked a natural-gas plant in the Sahara included two Canadians and a team of explosives experts who had memorized the layout of the sprawling complex and were ready to blow the place sky-high, Algeria's prime minister said Monday.
A Tunisian judge's decision to release the only man arrested in connection with the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has angered congressional Republicans, with one lawmaker demanding that the U.S. cut off millions of dollars in aid to newly democratic Tunisia.
