Category: Blogs

The State of the Islamic State

By Mona Alami

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has upped this ante this month, conducting a series of attacks in a number of Arab countries. While the operations in Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen pursue the organization’s goal of destabilizing the region, the ISIS escalation also means to display its strength for its supporters.

The IMF’s Very Tough Love for Ukraine

By Yuriy Gorodnichenko

As Kyiv Slashes Spending, the Economy’s Real Shrinkage This Year May Be 10, Not 6, Percent The International Monetary Fund last month threw what looks like a much-improved financial lifeline to Ukraine—and indeed, the new loan program is welcome help for a desperate need. But a check on the math of one prominent IMF realist […]

Joint Arab Military Force: A Force for Stability?

The heads of Arab League countries agreed at a summit in Egypt last month to set up a joint military force. Tarek Radwan, an Associate Director for the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and editor of the MENASource blog, interviewed Atlantic Council analysts who weighed in on these plans.

Top News: Rebels Capture Regime’s Last Border Crossing with Jordan

By MENASource

Syrian rebels and fighters from the Nusra Front have captured the only functioning border crossing with Jordan and three nearby military posts, prompting government bombing raids on the area.

Top News: Over Thirty Killed in Sinai; Egyptians Evacuated from Yemen

By EgyptSource

Fiffteen security personnel and two civilians were killed in attacks on five security checkpoints in North Sinai early Thursday, medical sources said. Security personnel were quick to respond to the attacks, killing fifteen suspected militants, a security source said.

EconSource: UAE Issues New Companies Law to Spur IPOs

By EconSource

The United Arab Emirates has issued a companies law that eases existing rules for initial public offerings (IPOs), paving the way for more listings on the country’s main exchanges. The new law lowers the minimum free float for companies considering an IPO from 55 percent to 30 percent. The previous threshold was a stumbling block […]

The Joint Arab Military Force and Yemen: Stability or Sectarianism?

The conclusion of the Arab League Summit on March 30, 2015 culminated in a grand statement announcing the formation of a joint Arab military force to tackle regional challenges from the Maghreb to Yemen. While significant, particularly given the ongoing military operations and ground force mobilization led by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen, […]

Court Watch: Egypt’s Major Ongoing Trials

By Ali Mohamed

Egypt’s courts have become a flashpoint for major changes in the country’s political landscape. Between multiple charges brought against Islamists, including leading Muslim Brotherhood members among them ousted president Mohamed Morsi, and against secular activists, including leaders from the April 6 Movement, the judiciary has been at the forefront of Egypt’s post-Morsi roadmap. The following […]

UN Official Sees Bright Future for Renewable Energy

Even as oil prices continue their downward spiral, worldwide investment in renewable energy is growing exponentially—confounding experts who said it would never happen—says Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Steiner, a German development expert who has run UNEP since 2006, spoke April 1 at an event sponsored by the Atlantic […]

Syria: Moving Beyond the “International Community”

By Frederic C. Hof

The March 31 Kuwait City words of the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, to the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, were powerful and direct.