All in-depth research & reports

Report

Nov 18, 2022

Mali: West out, Russia in, and then?

By Petr Tůma

Unlike with violent upheavals and wars that have recently shaken the broader Middle East and North African region, in Mali, the West—specifically Europe led by France—decided to mitigate the crisis through a long-term military engagement, though not as extensive as in Afghanistan or Iraq.

North & West Africa Russia

Report

Nov 18, 2022

Reviving diplomacy: A new strategy for the Yemen conflict?

By Gerald M. Feierstein

The fundamental challenge in achieving a sustainable resolution of the current conflict in Yemen is that the issues at stake are fundamental to Yemen’s identity and history.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Nov 18, 2022

The EU, NATO and the Libya crisis: Scaling ambitions down?

By Stefano Marcuzzi

In March 2011, a coalition of countries under the United Nations (UN) umbrella led militarily by NATO launched an air campaign in support of a series of revolts against the regime of Muammar al-Qaddafi in Libya, ostensibly to stop Qaddafi’s reprisals on civilians.

Libya Middle East

Report

Nov 18, 2022

“Conflict management” à-la-Russe in the Middle East and Africa

By Chiara Lovotti

Over the past 10 years, much has been said about Russia’s interventions in conflicts in the wide region stretching from the Middle East to central Africa, encompassing North Africa and the Sahel.

Middle East Russia

Report

Nov 18, 2022

Conflict management in the MENA: Different approaches for different actors

By Chiara Lovotti and Alissa Pavia

The region encompassing the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel is studded with complex and multi-layered conflicts in which local and international dynamics interact.

Conflict Middle East

Report

Nov 16, 2022

KRI positioned in prominent role in global gas markets

By Ahmed Tabaqchali

A new report, The Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s Gas-Export Potential: Deja Vu All Over Again, authored by Atlantic Council senior fellow Ahmed Tabaqchali, considers the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s (KRI) proven and probable gas reserves having the potential to nearly triple production by 2030 and more than sextuple by 2040.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Report

Nov 3, 2022

Optimizing and aligning the US-Iraq relationship

By C. Anthony Pfaff

This report considers US-Iraq relations’ need for an approach that relies less on directly confronting corrupt and malign actors and more on creating better alternatives so that individuals and groups do not choose to engage in corrupt and malign activities in the first place.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

Issue Brief

Oct 12, 2022

Fulfilling the requirements: Israel’s entry into the US Visa Waiver Program

By Ruth Marks Eglash and Scott Lasensky

A little-discussed, yet far-reaching issue on the US-Israel bilateral agenda is Israel’s long-running quest to join the United States’ Visa Waiver Program (VWP). In his first year and a half in office, US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has elevated the issue, and efforts to achieve Israel’s entry are gaining momentum after remaining stagnant during the Trump presidency.

Israel Middle East

Report

Oct 7, 2022

How the Ukraine war has affected the MENA region’s pursuit of governance reforms

By Alissa Pavia and Lorenzo Fruganti

The geopolitical transformations of the last decade, combined with knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine, are impacting Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries’ respective domestic efforts to implement socioeconomic reforms.

Middle East North Africa

Report

Oct 7, 2022

Tunisia: The populist drift of Saied and the looming socioeconomic crisis

By Alessia Melcangi

Even before the conflict in Ukraine, the liberal state model looked much less attractive for the broader Middle East region than it had only a decade earlier, at the height of the Arab Spring.

Middle East North Africa