Middle East

Iran Nuclear Deal: Three Questions with Ambassador Nick Burns

By Nicholas Burns

Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program on Sunday in exchange for initial sanctions relief. Sounds like good news to many, who say the detente between Tehran and the West could help avoid war in the Middle East. But of course nothing is that easy, and already Israel has called the step a “historic mistake.” Which […]

The Egyptian Compassion Deficit

By Mohamed El Dahshan

Few people, even among their most ardent detractors, would argue with a straight face that Muslim Brotherhood supporters, with all their shortcomings, are being treated fairly right now: an apparent compassion deficit has meant that, despite apparent injustice, Egyptians are largely unlikely to find in themselves any understanding or favorability towards the Islamist group’s supporters. 

Tunisia’s New Political Impasse: Exploring the Challenges and Debating Solutions

Many observers and policymakers consider Tunisia as having the best chance among the Arab transition countries to successfully transition to a democracy. However, the country faces a new political crisis that threatens to delay (or possibly even derail) the adoption of a constitution. On November 22, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle […]

Six Islamist Factions Unite in Largest Syria Rebel Merger

By AFP, BBC, and Reuters

From AFP:  Six key Islamist groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria joined forces on Friday, a spokesman for Aleppo’s biggest rebel force said.

The Morsi Alliance and the Red Line Drawn for Egypt’s Women

By Ahmed Kadry

As the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy (NASL), a coalition of parties and movements supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi, continue to call for protests, they have done so under the guise of various banners.  On November 7, the alliance issued its 128thstatement calling for more protests, this time under the slogan of ‘Egyptian Women are […]

Tunisia’s Stalled Political Transition

By Duncan Pickard

The political transition in Tunisia has stalled. The country’s major political parties and labor unions agreed to a roadmap in October for reaching agreement on the transition’s remaining issues within four weeks.

Advancing the New US-Morocco Strategic Partnership

On the occasion of the meeting between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and President Barack Obama, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center hosted “Advancing the New US-Morocco Strategic Partnership Event,” a discussion with His Excellency Salaheddine Mezouar, minister of foreign affairs and cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco, and other members of the Royal Delegation.

Military Trials for Civilians: Justice Denied

By Mai El-Sadany

With discussions up to the last minute, the fifty-member Constituent Assembly, tasked with re-writing Egypt’s Constitution, has made a final decision on one of the body’s most contentious issues: military trials for civilians.  On November 20, the Assembly voted in favor of maintaining military trials for civilians, despite the significant implications that such a decision […]

Anxiety in the House of Saud

By Rajan Menon

You’d think that Saudi Arabia‘s ruling monarchy would have a lot to be happy about — and you’d be right, in part. The Saudi Kingdom has, barring some exceptions, been remarkably stable. It was left unscathed by the revolutionary wave that demolished longstanding authoritarian regimes from Tunisia to Egypt. The Saudi political system — being consensus-based and […]