Featured commentary & analysis

Programs


Perspectives on North Africa

The North Africa Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East analyzes the strategic, political, and economic importance of the region for the United States and its allies. Since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, North Africa has undergone political and economic transformations that have impacted stability and security in the region. With its geographic crossroad between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, North Africa continues to be an integral partner in addressing shared interests and concerns.

Learn more about the Middle East programs

Middle East Programs

Working with our allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

Content

In the News

Mar 17, 2014

Greenfield on US Involvement in Libya

By Danya Greenfield

The Wall Street Journal quotes Rafik Hariri Center Acting Director Danya Greenfield on US involvement in Libya’s political transition:

Libya

MENASource

Mar 13, 2014

Libya: A Tanker, a Fallen Prime Minister, and a Transition in Question

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Months of political wrangling in Libya between an enfeebled government and a fractured legislature culminated this week in a vote by the General National Congress (GNC) to remove Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from office. Zeidan spent much of his tenure on the defensive, accumulating political baggage that stifled any chance of relegitimizing the state. 

Libya

In the News

Mar 13, 2014

Mezran on Why Libya Matters

By Karim Mezran

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Karim Mezran and co-author Mattia Toaldo write for The Hill on why Libya is important to the international community:

Libya

Event Recap

Mar 11, 2014

Three Years On, Arab Transitions Remain Incomplete

Three years after a wave of popular uprisings swept aside long-standing regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen, the future of the region remains uncertain. The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East held a panel discussion on March 11th to discuss the current state of the Arab transitions to look ahead at economic and […]

Libya North Africa

In the News

Mar 11, 2014

Mezran on Attempted Sell of Libyan Oil

By Karim Mezran

Bloomberg Businessweek quotes Senior Fellow Karim Mezran on the attempts of a Libyan militia group to sell oil to North Korea:

Libya

MENASource

Mar 11, 2014

It’s Not Too Late For Libya

By Danya Greenfield

Secretary John Kerry’s attendance at the Rome Ministerial Conference on Libya last Thursday is a positive—and much-needed—signal of renewed US attention to that troubled country.

Libya

MENASource

Mar 7, 2014

Dispatch: Libya’s Rome Conference

By Karim Mezran

Libya’s international partners and allies gathered in Rome yesterday in a show of support for the North African country’s transition to democracy since Qaddafi’s ouster in 2011.

Libya

MENASource

Mar 3, 2014

Libya’s Parallel Tracks Could Avert a Train Wreck

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

For months now, Libya has found itself in a deteriorating security situation that hampers political progress. Since the revolution in 2011, Libyan authorities and their international partners regarded the country’s security challenges as the source of the problem rather than a symptom of deeply rooted political woes. 

Libya
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier

NATOSource

Feb 24, 2014

Foreign Minister Steinmeier on Possible Shift in German Foreign Policy

By Christiane Hoffmann and Ralf Neukirch, Spiegel

Excerpts from interview with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier conducted by Christiane Hoffmann and Ralf Neukirch.

Germany International Organizations

MENASource

Feb 18, 2014

National Security Initiatives Needed to Safeguard Libyan Democracy

By Ayat Mneina

The month of February this year does not only mark the anniversary of the uprising, but it will also be a month of intense debate that will determine Libya’s political future: the drafting of the constitution. While Libya’s leaders will take some major political decisions this month, Libya’s security problems persist and present serious challenges […]

Libya

Experts