MUST-READS

• Women Driving
  Young, smart and driving for change in Saudi Arabia

  They may not be taking to public spaces any more, owing to the political and military crackdown on them, but it would be wrong to assume the Arab people, especially the young, are happy about the status quo. After all, they are more educated, entrepreneurial, cosmopolitan, and hyperconnected than any previous generation, and they will not become complacent while being subjected to bad policies.

  • Newsweek - Two Saudi Women Arrested for Defying Driving Ban to Be Sent to Terror Court
• Afghanistan - Pakistan
  Afghan commander orders attacks on insurgents in Pakistan

  The police chief in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar has ordered his forces to attack Pakistani-based Tehrik-i-Taliban insurgents inside Pakistan, adding fuel to rising tensions along the countries’ shared border.

• Libya and ISIS
  Mosul on the Mediterranean? The Islamic State in Libya and U.S. Counterterrorism Dilemmas

  The Islamic State has come to Libya. The very sentence is enough to ring alarm bells that the fractured country—long neglected by Washington—is now a North African “colony” of the jihadist behemoth. A recent article in Newsweek claims that “Libya’s internal fighting could push [it] into the arms of the ever-opportunistic Islamic State.” But will it? And how can the United States prevent this from happening in a way that does not make things worse?

• U.S. - Palestine
  Palestinian Authority’s chief negotiator to meet Kerry in London

  The Palestinian Authority (PA)'s chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said that he will meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in London on Tuesday, a few days before the Palestinians are expected to push for a UN Security Council resolution to set a timetable to end Israeli occupation.

  • Washington Post - Israel, Palestinians gird for showdown over U.N. resolution on withdrawal
• U.S. Anti-ISIS Strategy
  Senate Committee Approves Islamic State AUMF

  Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats on Thursday sent a measure to the floor authorizing military operations in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State. In a straight party line vote, 10-8, the committee approved an authorization of the use of military force (AUMF) crafted by its outgoing chairman, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. The measure would, if enacted in the 113th Congress’ 11th hour, provide legal authorization for the conflict for three years.

  • Guardian - Isis: the inside story
  • Foreign Policy - State Dept: Rebels Are Never Going to Defeat Assad Militarily
  • Reuters - ISIS Suicide Bombers at Syrian Air Base
  • Long War Journal - Islamic State overruns Badr Brigade position near Samarra
  • NYT - A Force to Fight ISIS Has Manpower, but Little Firepower
• Extremism
  GCC to study adopting Saudi, UAE terror lists

  Gulf states are considering adopting the terror lists issued by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait’s Interior Minister Sheikh Mohamed Al-Khalid Al-Sabah said on Wednesday.

• Cabinet Changes
  Opinion: Saudi Arabia’s new faces

  This represents a massive change of the collective face of government’s leadership. The reshuffle includes the appointment of new ministers in ministries affiliated to public services, as well as portfolios responsible for the Kingdom’s intellectual and cultural life. The changes are even more surprising given that they come just days before the announcement of the 2015 national budget.

  • Eurasia Review - Saudi Arabia King Announces Major Cabinet Reshuffle
• Mohammed Bin Nayef
  Mohammed bin Nayef: a king in waiting

  The new king, Salman, kept his late brother Abdullah’s system in place. Abdullah had given his successor the choice to maintain or not maintain the royal decree appointing a deputy crown prince. At the time, the royal decree states that the “king — in the future — should he choose to appoint a deputy crown prince must present his candidates to the members of the Allegiance Council before issuing a royal decree choosing one after the approval of a majority of the Allegiance Council members. With the appointment of Mohammed bin Nayef, the royal family would have practically settled the issue of transition all the way to the second generation.

  • The Atlantic - Opinion: The Dangers of Saudi Succession
• King Abdullah 1924-2015
  Video: Thousands to say farewell to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah

  Thousands are gathering in Riyadh on Friday to say farewell to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a cautious reformer who succeeded in securing broader freedoms in the conservative kingdom but fell short in gaining greater independence for women.

  • Washington Post - Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a king who embraced limited reform, dies
  • NYT (paywall) - King Abdullah, a Shrewd Force who Reshaped Saudi Arabia
• IMF Growth Forecast
  IMF cuts global economic growth forecasts

  The Washington-based fund warns that the boost from lower oil prices is being outweighed by a host of negative factors and it now expects global growth to edge up only slightly from 3.3% last year to 3.5% this year. That is down from a 3.8% forecast for 2015 in its World Economic Outlook published in October. It forecasts growth picking up only slightly next year and cut its 2016 forecasts from 4% to 3.7%.

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