Persian Posturing: Relating Religious History to Current Disputes in the Middle East

Military maneuvering and Iran are related topics. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway that connects 40 percent of oil tanker traffic through the Persian Gulf. Since 1980, Iran has threatened to mine the waterway, but the American Navy’s Fifth Fleet patrols the region from its base in Bahrain and vows to stop threats to maritime traffic.

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No End in Sight for Algerian Presidential Protests

Protests continue to rock Algeria, an energy-rich country in northern Africa that hasn’t seen demonstrations this large since the 2011 Arab Spring. The protests follow the decision of the sitting president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, which he has since regressed from, to run for a fifth term and continue his two-decade-long rule.

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