Middle East

Mezran and Pickard on Libya’s Constitution-Making Process

By MENASource

Libya’s future as a democracy hinges on the constitution-drafting process and the ability of the constituent assembly to consider and adequately address major political and security challenges. The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center released an issue brief today, titled “Negotiating Libya’s Constitution,” authored by senior fellow Karim Mezran and nonresident fellow Duncan Pickard. The brief details […]

Syria: Is there a Constructive Role for Iran?

By Frederic C. Hof

The recent furor over the aborted United Nations invitation of Iran to the Geneva 2 conference on Syria, convening today in Montreux, Switzerland, provided a comic opera distraction from a central reality: the role of Iran in the survival of Syria’s Assad regime is absolutely vital.

Syria Needs a Truce Before Talks About its Future Can Begin

By Frederic C. Hof

Syria’s 23 million people have little to gain from the talks that are scheduled to begin in Switzerland on Wednesday. Until the Assad regime agrees to unimpeded access for UN humanitarian aid workers, there will be no basis for dialogue and compromise.

Negotiating Libya’s Constitution

As Libya embarks on drafting a new constitution and convening a national dialogue, the country faces significant security obstacles which threaten progress on these important milestones. On Wednesday, January 22, 2014, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East launched a new issue brief, “Negotiating Libya’s Constitution,” coauthored by senior fellow Karim Mezran and nonresident […]

NATO Project May Provide Allied Air Forces with ‘Plug and Play’ Precision Munitions

By Julan Hale, Defense News

Development of a NATO standard allowing aircraft from different nations to use precision-guided munitions (PGMs) from various sources and countries could reach a draft memorandum of understanding this year.

Syria Talks Could Clarify an Alternative to Assad

By New Atlanticist

The “Geneva II” peace talks on Syria that begin this week under UN auspices have “absolutely zero” chance of achieving their formal goal – the creation of a transition to a new government – according to Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof. But, Hof told reporters in a briefing at the Council, the talks […]

The Simple Legislative Solution: Presidential Elections First

By Hafsa Halawa

On Sunday evening, interim President Adly Mansour formally ratified Egypt’s second constitution in the transitional period that has followed the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Debate is now rife over which elections the interim president will determine should be held first. However, the answer seems simple: presidential elections will come first. Why? Because […]