Al Qaeda in Yemen Claims Responsibility for Charlie Hebdo Attack

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Yemen’s al Qaeda branch, formally claimed responsibility on Wednesday for last week’s attack in Paris on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The assault began three days of violence that killed 17 people. AQAP posted a video on YouTube and its official publication arm, Al Malahem, released a statement saying the attack was in retaliation for Charlie Hebdo’s frequent caricatures insulting the Prophet Muhammad. According to the statement, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri had ordered the attack. Charlie Hebdo released its first edition since last week’s attacks on Wednesday, which quickly sold out at most newsstands, with a cartoon of Muhammad on its cover.

Syria

Meeting on Wednesday with U.N. Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed support for a Russian initiative for Syrian peace negotiations, saying he hoped it “could be helpful.” However, several leading Syrian opposition figures have said they would not attend the talks in Moscow, set to begin Jan. 26. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged the countries “concerned with fighting terrorism” to share intelligence.

Headlines

• The United Nations plans to begin peace talks Wednesday in Geneva between rival Libyan factions even though the Tripoli-based parliament has not confirmed participation.
• A U.S. trial began Tuesday over the role of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority in six attacks in Israel from 2002 to 2004 that killed 33 people.
• An Israeli ultra-Orthodox newspaper, HaMevaser, altered a picture of Sunday’s Unity March in Paris removing German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other women.

Arguments and Analysis

‘Russia Cannot Fix Syria Alone’ (Aron Lund, Syria in Crisis)

“Whatever the ulterior motives behind the Russian gambit, for Moscow to make room for Syrian-Syrian dialogue is an entirely laudable proposition. If no one else does it, why shouldn’t Russia?

But there is of course no escaping the international context. Russia is a key ally of Assad and is viewed as an enemy state by millions of Syrians. And of course, the Kremlin’s decision to assume sole responsibility for the process, without inviting other actors to share the bill, does suggest a desire to shape its outcome—if not now, then at a later stage. The unilateral nature of the Russian initiative has therefore discredited the talks in rebel eyes even before they begin, and it has served to invite obstruction from anyone unwilling to see Russia take the lead in a Syrian peace process.”

‘Egypt-Gulf Ties and a Changing Balance of Regional Security’ (Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Cairo Review of Global Affairs)

“The maelstrom of post-transition politics in Egypt provides a case study of Gulf states’ emergence as assertive regional powers. Their growth as visible participants in regional and even international politics predated the Arab Spring but accelerated and acquired a forceful new dimension once the initial shock of the 2011 upheavals had subsided. GCC states took the lead in responding to the initially wide-ranging political and economic challenges triggered by the Arab Spring. The scope and scale of Gulf assistance to Egypt provides a clear example of the practical and policy implications of this process. It also highlights how Gulf actors were far from impartial actors in picking sides and distributing aid. Gulf support differed significantly from more conventional forms of international assistance by being linked indelibly to particular political currents rather than being tied to outcomes, such as reforms to governance or improvements in transparency.”

‘Be Afraid. Be A Little Afraid: The Threat of Terrorism from Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq’ (Daniel L. Byman and Jeremy Shapiro, The Brookings Institution)

“Despite these fears and the real danger that motivates them, the Syrian and Iraqi foreign fighter threat can easily be exaggerated. Previous cases and information emerging from Syria suggest several mitigating effects that may reduce—but hardly eliminate—the potential terrorist threat from foreign fighters who have gone to Syria.”

— Mary Casey-Baker

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