MENASource

As the MENA region continues to be the epicenter of news headlines, the Atlantic Council’s MENASource is a hub for thought-provoking and hard-hitting analyses about the latest trends, ideas, and debates. This online publication provides fast reactions and in-depth commentary on breaking news and key regional topics by a diverse team of experts and contributors.

Content

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

EconSource: Morocco Suspends Contacts with EU Delegation Over Trade Row

By EconSource

Morocco has suspended contacts with the European Union (EU) delegation in Rabat over a trade dispute, a move that could slow multi-million dollar development projects.

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

Five Years On: Egypt’s Minorities

By Elissa Miller

The climate for Egypt’s religious minorities has improved little since the 2011 revolution. Coptic Christians, Shias, Baha’is, and atheists have been subject to discrimination, hate-speech, arrests, and violence under successive governments.

North Africa

MENASource

Jan 29, 2016

Top News: Reuters Says EgyptAir Mechanic Suspected in Russian Plane Crash; Russia, EgyptAir Deny

By EgyptSource

In a report Friday Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, said an EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in Syria is suspected of planting a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger plane in Egypt late October. A senior security official at the airline denied that any of its […]

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Top News: Human Rights Remain in Crisis in Egypt says HRW in Annual Report

By EgyptSource

Human Rights Watch said in its annual review on Wednesday that human rights remained in crisis in Egypt in 2015. In the introduction to the review of over 90 countries, HRW’s Executive Director Kenneth Roth wrote “the spread of terrorist attacks beyond the Middle East…led many governments to curtail rights in misguided efforts to protect […]

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Top News: United States weighs military options in Libya

By MENASource

The United States is weighing potential military options in Libya as Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) extremists expand their influence, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Wednesday.

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Five Years On: Security and Economy

By Elissa Miller

In the past five years, economic demands of the January 25 uprising continue to resound, but have also been joined by another key demand among the Egyptian population: one for stability. From increased militant attacks in the Sinai to assassinations of government and security figures, the Egyptian government has made its war on terror a […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

Yemen’s Image Problem and the Ongoing Conflict

By Jillian Schwedler

Less than a year after Saudi Arabia launched its war to restore former Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi to power, it has retaken enough control of Aden for Prime Minister Khalid Bahah and his cabinet to return after months in exile. Bahah and other cabinet members posted selfies on social media to prove their presence […]

Saudi Arabia Yemen

MENASource

Jan 28, 2016

EconSource: Kuwait Sees Budget Deficit Jumping by 50 Percent in 2016-17

By EconSource

Kuwait’s Finance Ministry said Thursday that the country’s 2016-17 draft budget forecasts a deficit of 12.2 billion dinars ($40.2 billion), an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the previous year.

MENASource

Jan 27, 2016

The Blasphemy Law is Here to Stay

By Jayson Casper

Among the many battlegrounds between liberal and conservative visions for Egypt is the blasphemy law, with Islam al-Beheiry and Fatima Naoot its latest victims.

North Africa

MENASource

Jan 27, 2016

Top News: Egypt’s Top Auditor Geneina Requests New Judge in Contempt of Judiciary Case

By EgyptSource

The head of Egypt’s official corruption watchdog Hisham Geneina has requested a new judge to oversee a probe against him over accusations, dating back to 2014, of contempt of the judiciary and insulting a senior judge. The request by Geneina, the head of the Central Auditing Organization (CAO), alleges a lack of impartiality on the […]