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Sep 8, 2017

Turkey’s fighter pilot problems

By Aaron Stein

The failed coup-attempt on July 15, 2016 upended the Turkish Air Force and prompted the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to purge pilots and air crews from the military. The Air Force played a central part in the failed coup attempt. Although only some two-dozen F-16 pilots took part in the coup in eleven […]

NATO Partnerships Turkey

MENASource

Sep 1, 2017

Sisi and Trump’s good relations don’t define US policy

By Hatem Maher

When President Donald Trump won the US presidential election late last year, Egyptian media coverage praising his stunning rise to power suggested that Egypt was embarking on a new era of much improved relations with its long-time ally. Trump and his Egypt counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi exchanged words of praise on many occasions, and the media […]

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 23, 2017

Erratic Consistency—Trump’s Uncertain Egypt Strategy

By Dr. H.A. Hellyer

August is usually a quiet month in the DC Beltway. Of course, that has not been the case at all this year, with President Donald Trump’s comments over Charlottesville and the aftermath; the crisis with North Korea; Pakistan and Afghanistan; and yet others. On Tuesday, another issue was thrown into the mix, though far less […]

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 15, 2017

Reaching Agreement on al-Qaeda: An Option for the US and Turkey

By Aaron Stein

The United States does not have a Turkey policy. The current US approach to its NATO ally is subordinate to the needs of the war against the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh), and the need for an effective local ground force to partner with US special operations forces. The result: the United States military […]

Turkey

MENASource

Aug 3, 2017

A Constitution That Doesn’t Protect Rights and Freedoms: Libya Writes Its Constitution

By Ragab Saad

On July 29, forty-three members among a sixty-member Constituent Assembly in Libya, voted in support of the Libyan constitution draft. This voting has concluded a long and complicated process of debate that has been continued for more than three years to write a constitution that has the support of a two-thirds plus one majority among […]

Libya

MENASource

Jul 31, 2017

The Failure of Libya’s EU-Backed Coastguard

By Hadeel Elaradi

On May 25, a Libyan coastguard unit opened fire on Europe-bound boats full of refugees while rescue attempts were under way. Two Libyan coastguards were also accused of looting the boats, taking phones, money, and other belongings from the passengers. The incident raised serious concern over the basic rights of migrants and refugees and the […]

Libya

MENASource

Jul 28, 2017

France, Italy, and Libya’s Crisis

By Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller

In a major development in Libya’s ongoing conflict, head of the internationally recognized Libyan government Fayez al-Serraj and strongman Khalifa Haftar met in Paris this week, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, to discuss a way out of the country’s current crisis. The meeting between Serraj and Haftar is the second in three months and […]

Libya

MENASource

Jul 28, 2017

Religious Tensions Underlying the GCC Rift

By H. A. Hellyer

The speed at which poor relations between Qatar and several Gulf Co-operation Council states escalated was astonishing. It was only a few weeks ago that the Qatari Emir had been invited to Riyadh as part of the grand “Arab-Islamic-American Summit.” But in the space of a few days, the GCC has faced the largest set […]

Saudi Arabia The Gulf

MENASource

Jul 26, 2017

Fifty Years On, a Defeat at Israel’s Hands Haunts Egyptian Military Veterans

By Farid Farid

Staggering and confused from the heat and the rapid capitulation of the Egyptian army during the short lived Six Day War, Ibrahim El Sayed was dumbfounded when the Israeli soldier who was to capture him as a prisoner of war spoke to him flawlessly in an Egyptian Arabic accent.

Israel North Africa

MENASource

Jul 24, 2017

America’s Disconnect on the Qatar Crisis

By Sam Fouad

One of the more overlooked effects of the souring of relations between Qatar and many of its neighbors is the potential for the diminishing of America’s military prowess in the region, and the hindrance of its fight against the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh). This is magnified due to the presence of the al-Udeid airbase […]

The Gulf