MENASource

Egypt’s Authorities Re-engineer the Public Space

The January 25 revolution brought Egypt nothing more than trouble and turmoil, bringing Egypt to the brink of civil war and collapse–or so the thinking goes among the firmly entrenched authoritarian mindset controlling the country.

Top News: Foreign Minister Says Egypt Won’t be Part of US Alliance against ISIS

By EgyptSource

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday that it is not logical to mobilize international resources to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) when Egypt is prevented from accessing these resources while fighting a similar enemy internally.

The Ongoing Campaign to Restrict Egypt’s Public Space

By Sarah El Sirgany

Today, all TV journalists working in Egypt know that tasreeh—a monthly-renewable permit issued by the interior ministry for accredited journalists to film on the streets—is back. In the wake of the January 25 Revolution, it had disappeared from the bureaucracy, but now police are once again preventing journalists from filming without permission. While some, myself […]

Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

President Barack Obama has faced tremendous pressure to respond to the stunning growth of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS, ISIL, or Islamic State). The group’s videos, showing the beheading of two American journalists, brought the conflict to bear directly on the United States in a way that captured domestic attention as never […]

Top News: Obama Presents ISIS Strategy; Allies Balk at Airstrikes

By MENASource

In a nationally televised address. President Barack Obama on Wednesday laid out his four-point strategy to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS or Islamic State). (Full text here.) While ruling out the deployment of US combat troops, the president has authorized US airstrikes for the first time in Syria. The […]

EconSource: Tunisia–WB to Provide $1 Billion a Year in 2015 and 2016

By EconSource

Follow the latest in economic news and developments about the Arab transition countries. 

A Real Anti-ISIS Coalition Would Not Be Regional, But Local

By Faysal Itani

The United States government has repeatedly called for a regional coalition to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). In reality, such a coalition would be difficult to assemble and is unlikely to destroy the group. This is especially true in Syria, where ISIS can retreat and regroup at will, and where there […]

Egypt’s Options in Dealing with the Libyan Crisis (Part II)

By Nader Bakkar

As was discussed in the first part of this article, Cairo has several choices to consider when determining how to deal with the Libyan crisis, which continues to deteriorate on Egypt’s western border.  Among the options available to Cairo are: direct military intervention, either unilaterally or jointly with other parties; indirect military intervention, either unilaterally […]

Top News: Blast Decimates Ahrar al-Sham Leadership; New Chief Named

By MENASource

An explosion tore through a secret meeting of Ahrar al-Sham, killing nearly fifty of its top leaders, including its head. The blast on Tuesday hit a basement in Idlib Province where the leaders of the group, one of Syria’s strongest and most enduring rebel groups, had collected to plot strategy. It remained unclear who had […]