Middle East

Yesterday an Enemy, Today a Friend?

By Amira Mikhail

The nuanced, complicated-nature, and symbolic defeat of a theological state that came with June 30 has left most Christians in Egypt ironically and dangerously excited, hopeful, and confident in the current government and more precisely, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Opportunity Arises to Test a New US Strategy in Syria

By Faysal Itani

Residents of Douma, a rebel-held city of 350,000 in the Ghouta suburbs east of Damascus, have elected a new civilian council. Against great odds—August 2013 chemical weapons attacks, and an ongoing regime siege—a civic culture has somehow survived in Douma.

Lebanon’s Neutrality Toward the Syrian Conflict

After weeks of debate that nearly collapsed the government, Lebanon’s cabinet approved a policy statement on March 14, 2014. The debate focused on Lebanon’s position on the conflict in Syria and the role and future of Hezbollah’s armed militia, over which the March 8 and March 14 alliances disagree. The conclusion of the debate and […]

Egypt’s Prospects for Economic Growth [Video]

By EgyptSource

Following the release of The Economic Consequences of the Arab Spring, Mohsin Khan, senior fellow with the Rafik Hariri Middle East Center, speaks on Egypt’s prospects for economic growth. Khan gives a somewhat optimistic outlook for Egypt’s economic growth due to financing coming from the Gulf countries, which Khan says, is helping the nation stabilize its […]

Libya: A Tanker, a Fallen Prime Minister, and a Transition in Question

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Months of political wrangling in Libya between an enfeebled government and a fractured legislature culminated this week in a vote by the General National Congress (GNC) to remove Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from office. Zeidan spent much of his tenure on the defensive, accumulating political baggage that stifled any chance of relegitimizing the state. 

Working Group on Defense Industrialization in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Saudi Arabia, which spends more on defense than any other nation in the Middle East (up to 10 per cent of its GDP, which amounts to $21 billion), is the world’s seventh biggest spender in military terms. The United Arab Emirates, the world’s fourth largest arms importer, fields an increasingly capable military, is a regional leader […]

Briefing with Gary Lewis

On Thursday, March 13, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center hosted Gary Lewis for a private briefing. Drawing on his experiences of over 26 years at the United Nations, most notably as the current United Nations resident coordinator in Iran, Lewis spoke on a range of issues including but not limited to the ongoing nuclear […]

The Gulf’s Geoeconomic Interests in Egypt

By EgyptSource

Mohsin Khan, a resident senior fellow in the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East focusing on the economic dimensions of transition in the Middle East and North Africa, argues in his latest article for the Atlantic Council’s MENASource that the Gulf states “have started using their vast  resources to shape the region, direct political developments, […]