Middle East

Wishful Thinking: The Obama Administration’s Rhetoric on Democracy and Human Rights in Egypt

By Amy Hawthorne

By all credible indicators, a democratic Egypt appears more remote than ever, but President Barack Obama’s administration doesn’t seem ready to admit this grim truth.  A review of key statements on Egypt during the past month shows the wishful thinking shaping the discourse as the United States struggles to reconcile its declared support for democracy […]

The Importance of Local Knowledge in Syria

By Faysal Itani

A US policy that does not account for the attitudes and aspirations of Syrians—both civilians and fighters—cannot achieve its goals of sustainable political transition and countering religious extremism. Yet policy-makers have paid little attention to these local factors, preferring a top-down approach to the conflict that focuses on geopolitical calculation and diplomacy.

Syria’s Economic Glory Days are Gone

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

As the Syrian conflict enters its fourth year, the humanitarian costs continue to rise almost exponentially. The reported death toll from the civil war stands at more than 146,000, with more than 6.5 million displaced persons. Children have not been spared in the process.

Ajnad Misr Claims Responsibility for Cairo University Blasts

On Wednesday, three bombs went off at Cairo University, killing at least two, among them a police officer, and wounding five. The consecutive blasts were detonated remotely. Militant group Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement shared on Twitter, as pointed out by the Long War Journal’s David Barnett. 

Can We Ever Move on from the Hostage Crisis?

By Barbara Slavin

After several weeks of consideration, the Barack Obama administration has expressed reservations to Iran about the tentative choice of a middle-aged career diplomat and close associate of President Hassan Rouhani as the country’s next ambassador to the UN. Hamid Aboutalebi, 56, a former Iranian ambassador to Australia, Belgium and Italy who currently serves as Rouhani’s deputy chief of […]