Content

Issue Brief

Mar 14, 2016

Why the Congo matters

By Gérard Prunier

With a population of almost 80 million people and unparalleled natural resources, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC or the Congo) is a country of tremendous potential—but only that. One of the most violent places on earth, its people suffer from the brutality of armed groups and political instability. Now, President Joseph Kabila’s […]

Africa Corruption

MENASource

Nov 19, 2015

Tunisia’s Ruling Party Crisis

By Katherine Wolff and Elissa Miller

Nidaa Tounes may have to answer to a jaded constituency in the elections for failing its voters. While the current crisis is unlikely to trigger government collapse, it hampers the party’s ability to serve as a unified countervailing force to Ennahda and underscores the fragile nature of Tunisia’s balance of political power.

Democratic Transitions Middle East

MENASource

Sep 29, 2015

Will Tunisia’s Economic Reconciliation Law “Turn the Page”?

By Elissa Miller and Katherine Wolff

The bill has provoked considerable mistrust at a time when Tunisia, plagued by a spiraling economy and relentless security challenges, desperately needs unity. Trust is needed among the Tunisian people and the country’s political parties as the government prepares to embark on challenging reforms that may be its only hope for economic survival.

Democratic Transitions Middle East

Issue Brief

Jun 23, 2015

Tunisia: From elected government to effective governance

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Tunisia has accomplished significant milestones, from ousting an authoritarian regime in 2011 to ushering in a fully elected government in 2015. Nonetheless, the country is still in a critical phase of its transition, balancing the challenges of governance to address pressing economic and security issues. In their Atlantic Council Issue in Focus, “Tunisia: From Elected […]

Democratic Transitions North Africa

Issue Brief

Apr 21, 2015

Tunisia’s new constitutional court

By Duncan Pickard

January 2014 became a milestone of Arab democracy when Tunisia adopted the first democratic Arab constitution drafted outside the influence of the military or a foreign power. In “Tunisia’s New Constitutional Court,” Duncan Pickard, a Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, takes up the next step for the […]

Democratic Transitions Human Rights

Issue Brief

Feb 17, 2015

False dichotomy: Stability versus reform in the Arab world

By Danya Greenfield and Faysal Itani

To cling to current short-sighted policies and to help sustain dysfunctional states in the Middle East for the sake of short-term security would condemn the region to poverty and further instability, which threaten to have negative consequences for US interests. A new Atlantic Council report rejects the notion that the United States must choose between […]

Democratic Transitions Middle East

Report

May 5, 2014

Libya’s Faustian bargains: Breaking the appeasement cycle

By Karim Mezran, Jason Pack, and Mohamed Eljarh

A new Atlantic Council report examines the threats to Libya’s stability, provides a detailed mapping of the militia landscape, and details policy options for the Libyan government and its international partners. In Libya’s Faustian Bargains: Breaking the Appeasement Cycle, the authors attribute the cycle of violence, intractable political stalemate, and weakened economy to the Libyan […]

Conflict Democratic Transitions

Report

Feb 12, 2014

The state of Arab transitions: Hope resilient despite many unmet demands

By Mirette F. Mabrouk and Stefanie A. Hausheer

Report authors Mirette F. Mabrouk, deputy director for regional programs, and Stefanie A. Hausheer, assistant director, examine the progress in achieving the original demands of protestors and contend that local actors would embrace greater international support to help facilitate genuine transitions. By examining six key themes—political polarization, constitution-drafting processes, transitional justice, economic progress, civil society […]

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

Report

Dec 4, 2013

Yemen’s economic agenda: Beyond short-term survival

By Danya Greenfield

A new Atlantic Council report, Yemen’s Economic Agenda: Beyond Short-Term Survival, argues that if the Yemeni government fails to prioritize progress on the economic front, the country’s democratic transition risks derailment and may witness renewed conflict. Prioritizing the economy has been postponed because of political uncertainty and security problems, but the status quo can no […]

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business
US-EU arab transitions cover

Report

Sep 25, 2013

US and EU: Lack of strategic vision, frustrated efforts toward the Arab transitions

By Danya Greenfield and Amy Hawthorne

A new Atlantic Council report, US and EU: Lack of Strategic Vision, Frustrated Efforts Toward the Arab Transitions, argues the United States and its European allies lack strategic vision in supporting the Arab countries that embarked in 2011 on a democratic path—Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen—and have not lived up to their stated commitments for […]

Democratic Transitions European Union

Experts