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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

MENASource

Jun 22, 2017

Defeating ISIS in Libya

By MENASource

While the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) has been routed out of its Libyan stronghold in the city of Sirte, the 2017 Manchester bombing, which was perpetrated by a duel British and Libyan citizen, demonstrated that Libya remains a fertile ground for ISIS and other extremist groups. On June 20, 2017, the Rafik Hariri Center […]

Libya

MENASource

Jun 21, 2017

Expert Commentary on the Appointment of Mohammed bin Salman as Saudi’s New Crown Prince

By MENASource

On June 21, 2017 Saudi Arabia’s king appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince, replacing the king’s nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as first in line to the throne. Bin Salman, who is just 31 years old, is known as an ambitious member of the royal family who wields an unprecedented amount of power […]

Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Jun 21, 2017

Libya: A Political and Economic Trainwreck

By Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran

Libya is in a Catch-22 situation—political agreement cannot be reached without economic improvement and political stability is necessary to revive the economy. Turning the economy around is contingent on oil production and exports coming back on line, at least in its initial phase. In order to produce and export at full capacity, the country requires […]

Libya

MENASource

Jun 19, 2017

Report Summary “Wilting in the Kurdish Sun: The Hopes and Fears of Religious Minorities in Northern Iraq”

By Emelie Chace-Donahue

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom recently published its 2017 report on Iraqi Kurdistan, for which the commission conducted in-field interviews with minority community leaders and spokesmen over several months. The report highlights the successes of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in upholding the freedoms of its religious and ethnic minorities yet also […]

Iraq