Epstein email to Larry Summers discussing North African unrest and OIC summit (Feb 2013)

From: Jeffrey Epstein [jeevacation@gmail.com] Sent: 2/14/2013 8:45:53 PM To: Larry Summers Tunisia: Tunisia’s transition suffered a terrible blow on February 6" when leftist opposition alliance founder and head of the Democratic Patriots party Chokri Belaid was shot dead outside his home in Tunis. The event drew thousands of protestors to the streets, clamoring against the leading Islamist Ennahda party. The events heighten the Islamist-secular divide that has featured in the Tunisian transition and the Arab Spring at large. Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali described the event as the “assassination of the Tunisian revolution” and promised to dissolve the Islamist-led government and form a technocrat government aimed at promoting national unity at this divisive time. Egypt: The second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution on January 25" was marked less by celebration than it was by violence, culminating in a week of unrest that took the lives of more than 50 people. The week was also marked by the imposition of a curfew, state of emergency, and large military deployment in the cities of Suez, Ismailliya, and Port Said. The events reflect the disillusionment of Egyptians, given the lack of progress on both political and economic fronts, while also revealing the state’s limitations in restoring order and the rule of law to the streets. That the army—the country’s most powerful institution—warned of the “collapse of the state” is a telling and serious message, conveying the institution’s growing frustration with the political impasse. The recent violence has also generated serious economic losses and fuel shortages, and caused yet another delay with the much-needed IMF loan. It will be interesting to see how the recent violence—as well as the general malaise caused by economic woes—affects the Muslim Brotherhood’s performance in the upcoming parliamentary election (which is yet to be scheduled). A recent report issued by the Brotherhood’s political bureau hinted that the party’s popularity has been in decline. Against this backdrop of political and economic turmoil, the 12" summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened in Cairo on February 5“ with a number of key players in the region in attendance— among them President Giil of Turkey, Emir Hamad al-Thani of Qatar, and Saudi Crown Prince Salman. The summit aimed to discuss Syria, Mali, and the Palestinian issue. The spotlight, however, was on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Libya: On January 31“, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton announced the launch of a two- year civil mission to help secure Libya’s 4,000-kilometer border. The announcement was complemented by a surprise visit to Tripoli by David Cameron, who also announced his government’s commitment to helping the Libyan military and police with training and support. Furthermore, a meeting in Paris the week of February 11™ will bring together a number of countries to discuss security cooperation and the future of the Libyan legal system. These initiatives are a telling manifestation of the urgent need to address security in Libya—especially border security—given the Mali crisis, the recent terrorist incident in Algeria, and concerns about security and stability across North Africa. Jordan: The results of the Jordanian parliamentary election came as no surprise: pro-government candidates strengthened their hold, though state television reported that the majority of the 150 seats had been won by independents (an indicator that tribal allegiance is becoming a more important factor than party politics). According to official figures, 56 percent of the country’s 2.3 million registered voters turned out for the ballot, HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_029689