Middle East

Maliki’s Last Dance?

By Ramzy Mardini

Iraq’s parliamentarians elected a new president last week, advancing the process of forming a government to the most vexing phase in determining who will become the next prime minister.

The Poor Always Bear the Highest Cost

By Amr Hamzawy

In front of the High Court building, this scene unfolds:  Poor and low-income women, children, and men wait for prisoner transport vehicles to arrive carrying their husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and daughters, who are scheduled to appear before the courts.  They wait to reassure themselves that their loved ones are well.  They wait to be […]

Libya: Update from the Field

Libya’s democratic promise is more precarious than ever. On the one hand, the government recently reached a deal with armed groups to end a year-long blockade of critical oil fields, and the election commission released final results from the recent parliamentary elections. On the other, a political struggle is taking on an increasingly violent dimension, […]