Arutz Sheva Will Egypt Go for its Own Nuclear Weapon? President Sisi last week concluded a preliminary agreement with Russia to build a new nuclear reactor for the country. Simultaneously, Egypt's courts issued injunctions declaring Hamas a terrorist organization. Both developments may have a great impact on Israel's security. Zack Gold of the Institute for National Security Studies, currently in Egypt, told Arutz Sheva "The Egyptian reactor is a concept that has been in the works for years," he added "This is just the initial stage of the project. It is not in any way related to the current negotiations with Iran. It is about Egypt's need for energy. Egypt does not have enough gas. They want to diversify their energy market." "In fact, Egypt has always been a regional leader promoting a nuclear-free Middle East. Since 2006, Egypt has pushed as a way to deal with the Iranian program," he added. "Russia wants to stick its thumb at the US and Europe who have imposed sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine. Russia wants to show it is still useful and an international player," he said. Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192092#.VPa1hvnoRZ8 The Wall Street Journal Egypt's Low-Burn Insurgency Islamic State and its jihadist allies are targeting Western-allied governments in the Middle East, and lately they've turned their bombs on Egypt. The low-burn insurgency there isn't an urgent threat to the Cairo government, but it needs watching and perhaps some American help to put down. In the current war raging inside Islam, Mr. Sisi is on the side of the modernizers, urging Muslim clerics in a recent speech to push back against the Islamist radicals. The Middle East is already chaotic and dangerous, and it would only get worse if Egypt descends into an urban civil war à la Algeria in the 1990s. The foremost U.S. interest in Egypt now is to defeat radical Islam and promote the forces of tolerance and moderation. Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/egypts-low-burn-insurgency-1425429029 Bloomberg Business Week Egypt Wades Into Libya Conflict With IS Strikes Egypt is calling for a United Nations resolution permitting international military action in Libya after it bombed targets of the so-called Islamic State group there to avenge the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. The military said the airstrikes on 16 February targeted camps and weapons depots controlled by militants operating in its oil-rich western neighbour. The aerial attacks marked Egypt's first open military action in Libya, where a security collapse and a power struggle between Islamists and the elected government have driven the nation to the brink of chaos. The security vacuum that emerged after Muammar Qaddafi's ousting and killing more than three years ago has only deepened, allowing groups such as Islamic State to take root in the north African nation. Read more: http://businessweekme.com/Bloomberg/newsmid/190/newsid/451#sthash.hklbXxz9.dpuf
