Middle East

A Friend of my Father: Iran’s Manipulation of Bashar al-Assad

By Bassam Barabandi and Tyler Jess Thompson

In March 2011, just a few days after the uprisings began in Syria, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, made an unannounced visit to Damascus. He came with a clear message: Do not give in to the Arab Spring in Syria.

Podcast: How do Reported Strikes on Libya Impact US-Egypt Relations?

With reports emerging on a possible airstrike carried out by the UAE and Egypt on Islamist positions inside the Libyan border, the story remains murky. The United States has issued contradictory statements in response to the reports, and it remains unclear whether or not the airstrikes were carried out without its prior knowledge.

Podcast: Experts React to Airstrikes in Libya

In the wake of conflicting messages from the United States on reports that the United Arab Emirates and Egypt struck Islamist positions in Libya, MENASource spoke with three Atlantic Council experts to get their reactions to this news.

A Great Deal Lies Between the Black and the White

By Amr Hamzawy

You can reject practices which contravene democracy, the domination of the military and security components of the state over public and private life, violations against rights and freedoms, the violent dispersal of sit-ins and demonstrations, the use of excessive force by the state, and the promulgation of the fascism of collective punishment through executions, imprisonment, […]

Memo on Policy Options Toward Libya

By Karim Mezran

To: The International CommunityFrom: Karim Mezran Background Security in Libya has rapidly deteriorated in the last several weeks, jeopardizing what incremental gains were aspired through new parliamentary elections, a constitution-drafting process, and a national dialogue.

ISIS in Syria: Avoiding Assad’s Ambush

By Frederic C. Hof

President Barack Obama’s decision to authorize aerial surveillance of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions in Syria suggests that airstrikes employing manned and unmanned aircraft may not be far behind.