Middle East

Egypt’s Presidential Elections: The Key Step in Egypt’s Roadmap [Part I]

By Nader Bakkar

With the announcement of the results of Egypt’s 2014 constitutional referendum, the curtains were brought down on the first stage of the July 3 roadmap. According to the consensus on the roadmap, Egyptians should now be readying for parliamentary elections. However, all indicators point to a change in the agreed upon sequence of events, in […]

Getting democracy promotion right in Egypt

By Amy Hawthorne

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, “Getting Democracy Promotion Right in Egypt,” Amy Hawthorne contends that although the near-term prospects for democracy in Egypt are bleak, there is more the United States can do to promote democratic change over the longer term. Hawthorne, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for […]

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 […]