Surf Arab States

Arab States Weekly Review July 14th – 20th 2012

A bomb attack on Syria’s national security headquarters in Damascus killed several high-ranking officials, including the defense minister and the brother-in-law of President Assad. The UN Security Council pondered a new resolution, however with Russia being resistant to any proposal that might undermine the Assad regime.

The National Forces Alliance, a broad secular party led by former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, won 39 of the 80 seats in Libya’s first election in four decades. An Islamist party won 17, while the remaining 120 are reserved for individuals without party affiliations.