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MENASource

Jul 20, 2017

Is Saleh Diplomatically Outmaneuvering the Houthis?

By Anthony Biswell

As the Yemen conflict shows no signs of abating, will former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s recent attempts to reach out to Saudi Arabia be taken seriously? A number of key events suggest that Saleh’s attempts to reach out to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members reveal a change in tactics for the long-standing politician.

Yemen

MENASource

Jul 18, 2017

Tunisia Still Needs Decentralization

By Elissa Miller and Emelie Chace-Donahue

Almost a year into the tenure of Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, little has changed in Tunisia to significantly propel the democratic transition forward. Local elections are a key component of the country’s transition and the 2014 constitution. Devolving power back to municipalities is important in giving more responsibility and accountability to local government officials. […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 17, 2017

The US Can Decide to Worsen Yemen’s Water Crisis or Alleviate it

By Rachel Furlow

Yemen is currently facing the region’s most severe water crisis. More than half of the population does not have access to clean water and the country is withdrawing their renewable water supplies at a rate of 169 percent, meaning that the population is using more water than can be replenished. Analysts predict that Sana’a—Yemen’s capital […]

Yemen

MENASource

Jul 12, 2017

Tension Among Local Yemeni Communities Due to Aid Imbalance

By Ghaidaa Motahar and Mohammed Al-Sabahi

In Yemen, the poorest country in the MENA region, more than two years of an ongoing conflict has resulted in a massive humanitarian catastrophe. Over seventeen million people are not able to adequately feed themselves and are frequently forced to skip meals. Seven million of these are severely food insecure, which means they do not […]

Yemen

MENASource

Jul 11, 2017

A Larger US Role in Libya?

By Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller

As the chaos in Libya continues, recent reports indicate that the United States is considering ramping up its diplomatic and military involvement in Libya.  On July 10, CNN reported that the Trump administration could soon finalize a new policy for Libya to expand US presence in the country. If realized, a new policy for Libya […]

Libya

MENASource

Jul 6, 2017

The Tataouine Protests and Political Stability in Tunisia

By Walid Namane

Since mid-March, the governorate of Tataouine in southern Tunisia has witnessed a state of social unrest and a persistent protest movement demanding the right to work and the right to development and equitable distribution of wealth. In Kamour, an important transit point for the oil and gas companies operating in the Tunisian desert, approximately 110 […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 5, 2017

The Gulf’s Evolving Regional Theater

By Ali Marhoon

A month later and the Saudi-led decision to blockade Qatar is escalating tensions in the Gulf to the detriment of US security interests. Increasingly so, regional actors like Tehran and Ankara are becoming stakeholders in the conflict, and are actively taking steps to shape it in ways that suit their respective interests and regional visions. […]

International Organizations Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Jun 29, 2017

Is the Status Quo Approach to Yemen Insane?

By Abdulwahab Alkebsi

If the definition of insanity is doing something repeatedly and expecting a different result, then the world’s approach to the Yemen conflict amounts to insanity. While the purgatories of the Syrian civil war, global terrorism, and Iraqi sectarianism persist, it is clear that the West has become exhausted with crises in the greater Middle East. […]

Yemen

MENASource

Jun 27, 2017

Al-Azhar’s Role Abroad: Signs of Escalation and Efforts to Undermine

By Belal Abdallah

Last month, the Sheikh of al-Azhar, Dr Ahmed al-Tayeb, visited the German capital Berlin to attend the Protestant Church’s celebration marking five centuries since the start of the reformation. During his visit he met Germany’s president and a number of other ministers. This came after the visit of Pope Francis II to Egypt, on the […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jun 26, 2017

The Potential for Decentralization in Libya

By Karim Mezran, Elissa Miller, and Emelie Chace-Donahue

Libya today is close to being considered a failed state. The political system is stalled and authority is divided between an internationally recognized government, the Presidential Council and Government of National Accord (PC/GNA) in Tripoli and the House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk. Power is fragmented among myriad militias and armed groups, each one controlling […]

Libya