Great Britain and Germany are pulling all nonessential staff from their embassies in Yemen due to ongoing unrest there,  officials said Thursday. Also, the diplomats at the Yemen Embassy in the U.S. resigned from their posts, except the ambassador, “due to divisions over Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s response to the ongoing protests and riots,” a source close to the Embassy said. Read More

Egypt is the most populous Arab nation and leads the Arab world in cultural innovation, hosting a thriving pop music scene and popular movie studios. They set the tone politically for many of their neighbors, boasting (relatively) close ties with Israel and the US while still maintaining good relations with the rest of their Arab neighbors. And they are the center of Sunni Islam hosting the heart of Sunni teaching, Al-Azhar University, in Cairo. Read More