Julian Pecquet
Tuesday, October 18, 2016 - 07:29
The Barack Obama administration shifted more than $100 million earmarked for Egypt to other countries earlier this year amid growing frustration with Cairo, Al-Monitor has learned. The previously undisclosed reallocation is a signal of Washington's impatience with the Egyptian government's refusal to work with U.S. aid organizations.
Thursday, September 15, 2016 - 07:22
Current and pending defense authorization legislation prohibits US military assistance for Iraq if it risks falling into the hands of Iran-backed groups, many of which have contributed heavily to the country's ongoing fight against ISIS.
Monday, September 12, 2016 - 06:58
The Obama administration has offered to sell Saudi Arabia a record $115 billion in weapons. Does the Sept. 9 vote to allow the families of terrorist victims to sue the kingdom mean an end to business as usual?
Thursday, May 19, 2016 - 06:41
The United Nations' readiness to lift the international arms embargo on Libya landed with a thud in Congress, where lawmakers were either blindsided by the announcement or downright skeptical.
Friday, May 13, 2016 - 06:37
The Egyptian government is hindering Washington's ability to track billions of dollars worth of anti-aircraft missiles and other US weapons, the US government watchdog said in a blistering report just as Congress gets ready to renew the annual $1.3 billion request.
Friday, April 29, 2016 - 06:27
The promotion of democracy and human rights has taken a back seat to military support for autocracies that are in the midst of an unprecedented crackdown on civil society, according to an analysis of the State Department's budget request for the 2017 fiscal year by the nonprofit Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED).
Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 07:36
Turkey is finally starting to get through to US lawmakers about its concerns with American support for the Syrian Kurds, with potential repercussions for the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - 07:17
The threat of a US aid cut is particularly concerning for Middle East nations such as Tunisia and Jordan — and, to a lesser extent, Morocco — that receive millions in US aid every year. The bill would also authorize the Department of Homeland Security to provide them with “excess nonlethal equipment and supplies.”
Thursday, December 3, 2015 - 06:10
Lawmakers of both parties have run out of patience with Shiite sectarianism that is seen as a major obstacle preventing more Sunni tribes from turning against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). Their frustration boiled over at a Dec. 1 hearing of the House Armed Services panel during which legislators demanded that the Obama administration turn the screws on Baghdad.
Thursday, October 8, 2015 - 06:38
Democrats on a key Senate panel are holding up bomb sales for the Saudi air campaign in Yemen amid growing concerns over the rising death toll, Al-Monitor has learned.