Middle East

Reestablishing a US Diplomatic Presence in Iran

Reestablishing an American diplomatic presence in Iran is in the national security interests of the United States and would not constitute a reconciliation with Iran, argues a newly released Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) report, “Reestablishing a US Diplomatic Presence in Iran: Advancing US National Security and serving American Citizens.” This presence, given […]

YemenSource | Houthis, Socialists, Herak, Voice Opposition to Six-region Plan

By YemenSource

After last Monday’s decision to build a six-region state, several groups across Yemen have voiced their opposition to the federal model.

Portrait of a Grave Dweller

By Sarah El-Rashidi

Tucked away in Cairo’s colorful Sayida Aisha cemetery, located near the Darb al-Ahmar district, resides 74-year-old ‘Am Amin, a local grave custodian, born and raised in the necropolis. “I have never left the cemetery, I was born and raised here, this is my home,” he says. ‘Am Amin a former carpet weaver by trade and […]

Why Egypt Matters to the UAE

By EgyptSource

With the fall of former president Mohamed Morsi in early July, several Gulf countries have propped up Egypt’s failing economy with a stream of cash pledged to the North African country. Mere days after Morsi’s fall, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait together had already pledged $8 billion to Egypt. Of the […]

Syria: Back To Basics

By Frederic C. Hof

In his 2014 Munich Security Conference remarks, Henry Kissinger commented that democracies must, in foreign policy, articulate clear objectives within parameters that the public can support. In the specific case of Syria, said Kissinger, the objective has to be about more than the removal of a person. Ideally the Obama administration used the pause offered […]

Egypt, not Syria, the Main Game for the United Arab Emirates

By Richard LeBaron

When Secretary Kerry met with leaders in Abu Dhabi the evening of February 17, he surely briefed them on the latest US thinking on Syria and Iran. It is also likely that his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) briefed him on their activities in Egypt, which they consider their most important foreign policy […]

National Security Initiatives Needed to Safeguard Libyan Democracy

By Ayat Mneina

The month of February this year does not only mark the anniversary of the uprising, but it will also be a month of intense debate that will determine Libya’s political future: the drafting of the constitution. While Libya’s leaders will take some major political decisions this month, Libya’s security problems persist and present serious challenges […]