Middle East

The Struggle for Public Space in Egypt

While many hoped that the public space in Egypt for non-state sectors, such as political parties, the media, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), would widen following Egypt’s 2011 revolution, such an expansion has yet to materialize. Rather, over three years and two presidents later, Egypt’s political climate remains stifled. On July 22, 2014, The Atlantic Council’s […]

Inside Assad’s Playbook: Time and Terror

By Bassam Barabandi and Tyler Jess Thompson

Early in my career as a Syrian diplomat, I learned to respect the strategic planning of the Assads. One clear memory is from 2007, during a visit from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. I remember sitting behind a two-way mirror in a room adjacent to the banquet hall at the Four Seasons Damascus.

Is Iraq Backsliding Toward Another Civil War?

By Omar al-Dulimi

Iraqi politicians are gathering today to elect a new president, in their continuing struggle to take a small but vital step toward ending political deadlock and creating a power-sharing government.

Salvaging What Remains of the Nation State: The Missing Example of Egyptian Democracy

By Amr Hamzawy

Contrary to regimes in other Arab states in the Levant and the Gulf, the Egyptian government has never undermined Arab identity by spreading ideas of a dichotomy between Sunni and Shiite, of a conflict between Sunni-dominated areas and those living in the Shiite crescent, or of a conflict between Arabs and non-Arabs living in the […]

YemenSource | Ceasefire reached in Jawf

By YemenSource

On July 20, the committee tasked with ending the violence between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni army in Jawf reached a ceasefire agreement just days after Houthi rebels took over two military bases in the area.

Which Way Now For US Policy Toward Syria?

By Frederic C. Hof

Is American policy toward Syria now at a turning point? Has the eruption of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) from bases in Syria into Iraq convinced President Barack Obama to change course? If so, in which direction?