Middle East

Geneva Talks on Iran: A New Beginning?

On October 18, 2013 the Atlantic Council held a members’ conference call entitled “Geneva Talks on Iran: A New Beginning?” with R. Nicholas Burns, professor of the practice of diplomacy and international politics at the Kennedy School. The call was moderated by Atlantic Council President and CEO Fred Kempe. Download the Transcript

The Rationale Behind European Union Efforts in Egypt

By Fady Salah

The European Union (EU) has been heavily engaged in ongoing events in Egypt over the past few months. As political unrest has prevailed, several EU officials visited Egypt to meet with government representatives, both of the current and former regimes, as well as party officials from across the political spectrum. The most notable EU official […]

Iran Nuclear Talks in Geneva Get Down to Details

By Barbara Slavin

From the European venue to the power point presentation in English, this week’s nuclear negotiations with Iran showed a new seriousness that bodes well for a future agreement, even if it does not guarantee one. Iranian officials from US-educated Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on down spoke in English, dispensing with time-consuming translations, and outlined […]

Protest Law Awaiting Presidential Approval Receives Mixed Reactions

By EgyptSource

With Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawy’s cabinet finalizing a new protest law that has been passed on to interim president, Adly Mansour, for his approval, reactions to the draft have varied. From within the cabinet itself, Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa-Eldin fought the law/ Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that a verbal altercation took place between Bahaa-Eldin and […]

Syria: Geneva at What Price?

By Frederic C. Hof

The leader of the Syrian National Council, Mr. George Sabra, has announced that his group will leave the opposition Syrian National Coalition if the latter takes part in a Geneva peace conference under conditions currently prevailing in Syria.

Another Coup, a Salafi Hope

By Jayson Casper

In order to reverse a coup d’état, Egypt needs a coup d’état. This, in brief, is the solution to Egypt’s crisis offered by Hani Fawzi, general secretary of the Cairo-based Salafi Asala Party. It must be prompted, however, by massive protests. No longer simply the domain of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis, the anti-coup movement […]

Tunisia’s Ambitious Roadmap

By Naim Ameur

After weeks of negotiations and accusations traded between Tunisia’s political parties, Ennahda finally signed a political agreement dubbed the “quartet’s initiative” with twenty other parties last Saturday.

US Decision to Withhold Military Aid Receives Mixed Reactions as Egyptians Lash Out

By EgyptSource

As the United States announced its decision to halt deliveries of large-scale military systems, and withhold $260 million in cash aid to Egypt, reactions to the decision, both domestically and internationally have been varied. The overriding sentiment in Egypt, whether among political parties or the general population, is that the aid has been used as […]

Iran Nuclear Talks Return to Geneva with Better Prospects

By Barbara Slavin

There’s an element of déjà vu about next week’s planned talks in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear program.   Four years ago, the United States and Iran reached a tentative agreement on a confidence building measure that would have sent out most of Iran’s stockpile of lightly enriched uranium in return for fuel for a reactor […]