Middle East

Syria: Kicking the Can Down the Road

By Frederic C. Hof

The United Nations Security Council authorized a statement by the Council’s president on August 17 endorsing a new search process for a negotiated political settlement in Syria. “Syrian parties” would be invited to attend “more focused consultations and discussions” in “four thematic working groups.”

The Republic of Fear

By Amr Hamzawy

The Egyptian government issued a decree in July placing regulatory and independent agencies under the auspices of the president of the country, authorizing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to replace the agencies’ leaders. This move effectively puts an end to the agencies’ independent regulatory role by threatening their ability to both ensure the executive authority does […]

Yemen: Calling for a Comprehensive US Strategy to End the Conflict

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee, the primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of UN- and non-UN humanitarian assistance, recently labeled the conflict in Yemen a category 3 emergency—the most severe category in the international system.

Release of Islamist Leader Sends Mixed Signals

By Khaled Dawoud

Since his 2013 arrest, shortly after the army’s removal of former president Mohamed Morsi, Abul Ela Madi’s name has topped the lists of people whose release has been called for, even by critics of political Islamic groups. Two long years later, and Madi finally walked free from a police station on August 12, two days […]

Delicate Negotiations Behind Withdrawal of Patriot Missile Units from Turkey

By New York Times and Reuters

From Eric Schmitt, New York Times:  The United States said Sunday that it would withdraw two Patriot missile-defense batteries from southern Turkey this fall, a sign that the Pentagon believes the risk of Syrian Army missile attacks has eased since the Patriots were deployed in 2013.

Q&A: Key Information on Egypt’s Upcoming Parliamentary Elections

By Suzanne Gaber

After much speculation, Egypt’s long-awaited parliamentary elections are reportedly slated for September of this year. The election will allow for the formation of the first parliament under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and the second since the 2011 ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.