Middle East

Tunisia’s Promise and Strategic Potential

By Lara Talverdian

After a year of heightened tensions, growing divisions, and two high-profile assassinations, Tunisians launched a national dialogue that culminated in the adoption of a progressive constitution in January 2014.

Corruption in Construction: Egypt’s Failing Infrastructure

By Amira Mikhail

As Egypt’s political failure continues to permeate various sectors—the economy, health system and security—decades of poor management and little accountability have led to the failing of a key sector: Egypt’s real estate market. The recent spate of collapsing buildings reveals an infrastructure that is literally shaking at its core.

Amid Europe’s Crisis, Danger Signs From Egypt

By James Rupert

As the United States and Europe (and the Atlantic Council) grapple with the crisis over Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, danger signs rise like signal flares from the Middle East. The latest reminder at the Council is an essay by Aziz El-Kaissouni, a political analyst and former Reuters correspondent in Cairo.

Egypt’s Terrorism a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

By MENASource

Without a doubt, Egypt faces difficult times with constant attacks on security and military personnel, installations, and outposts. With democratic development on the backburner, the military-backed interim government has turned to increased authoritarian repression to stamp out political dissent and revive the old sense of normalcy—but normalcy in Egypt is not stability.

Yemen: How to Implement National Dialogue Gains as Transition Proceeds?

Two months after Yemen’s National Dialogue Conferences concluded, many questions remain about how the next steps in the transition and the guarantees produced by the Dialogue will be implemented. In a country where half of the population lives below the poverty line, economic issues are of particular concern. On April 8, the Rafik Hariri Center […]

Egypt’s Crackdown May Bring Terror Closer to Home

By Aziz El-Kaissouni

It’s been said that the jails of Arab dictatorships are the birthing ground of militant Islamism. A mere thirteen years after the 9/11 attacks, that grim truism seems to have been largely forgotten or ignored by Western governments still fumbling on how to react to Egypt’s descent into a new and particularly violent authoritarianism.

As it Marks its Anniversary, April 6 Struggles to Find its Voice

By Sarah El Sirgany

As the April 6 Youth Movement debated how to mark its seven year anniversary, its members eventually settled on a press conference at the Lawyer’s Syndicate, followed by a rally on the steps of the nearby Journalists’ Syndicate. Avoiding clashes with the police was crucial. The main objective of the anniversary press conference and protest […]