Middle East

Debating Federalism in Yemen

By Rafat Al-Akhali

The Southern Movement in Yemen, known as Southern Hirak, is closer than ever before to achieving a negotiated resolution that addresses at least some of its demands. Capitalizing on Southern grievances following the 1994 civil war in Yemen, Hirak established itself as a protest movement in 2007 demanding to address many rights-based issues in the […]

The Week in Egypt – October 28, 2013

By Amira Mikhail

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

Working Together to Mitigate the Sinai Threat

By Zack Gold

In the early days of Egypt’s 2011 uprising, the nationwide collapse of the police unleashed in Sinai a volatile mix of disgruntled Bedouin, opportunistic smugglers, and ambitious Salafi-jihadis. In August of that year, the latter carried out a complex cross-border attack against Israeli civilians and soldiers. They killed eight Israelis.  More worrisome, the attack and […]

Syria’s Armed Opposition: Updates from the Field

After a nearly three year conflict, at least 115,000 killed and millions displaced, the Syrian civil war rages, pitting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad against a fragmented armed opposition including the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and others who oppose his rule. Over the last year, the makeup of this armed opposition has shifted to […]

Yemen’s Final Stretch

By Danya Greenfield

“No one wants a real state,” Dr. Mohammed al-Mutawakel intoned, gathering attention from around the table where his family gathered for lunch on the Eid holiday.

Observations on Egypt’s Protest Law

By Yussef Auf

It is probably no exaggeration to say that modern Egyptians are, of all the peoples in the world, the most prone to demonstrating and protests. Through continued demonstrations, Egyptians significantly altered their political reality and brought about significant changes, to the extent that they were able to overthrow two political regimes in less than three […]

It’s Time for a New Strategy in Syria

By Faysal Itani

Advocates of US military action in Syria and substantial support for the armed opposition have lost the argument in Washington. At the very least, they have lost the full attention of President Barack Obama, which they enjoyed briefly after the August 21 chemical weapons attack.

Amr Moussa: Egypt is in a Deep Process of Change

By Julia Fusfeld

In a conversation on the Egyptian constitution with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, Amr Moussa, head of the Egyptian Constituent Assembly, expressed optimism for the future of democracy in Egypt and its constitution, despite the many challenges the country faces as it moves forward. Via Skype, Moussa discussed the drafting […]

A Balancing Act for Iran End Game

By Nicholas Burns

While extremists in Congress were hijacking the government during the shutdown, State Department diplomats were pursuing much more productive work a world away in Geneva. With surprisingly little fanfare, American and Iranian negotiators launched long-awaited talks over Iran’s increasingly advanced nuclear program. They described their first meeting as “substantive and forward-looking.” In diplo-speak, that means […]