Middle East

An Eye on Egypt’s Amended Constitution: Identity Articles and the Nour Party

Continuing EgyptSource’s constitutional coverage, in this installment we look at the the projected timeline, statements made about the referendum, debates over whether or not to draft a new constitution or amend the existing one, debates over the identity articles in the constitution, and the Salafi Nour Party’s involvement in the committee. 

Bahrain in Egypt’s Shadow

By Kristin Diwan

The popular movement to overthrow the Mubarak government in Egypt in 2011 served as motivation for a political uprising in Bahrain. Now, after two and a half years of political unrest and social polarization, another Egypt-inspired campaign—Bahrain’s “Tamarod” (Rebellion)—has unwittingly facilitated the expansion of security measures that threaten to curtail the activities of Bahrain’s main […]

An Eye on Egypt’s Amended Constitution: Committees and Bylaws

At the beginning of September, the fifty-member committee tasked with amending the 2012 constitution was announced with a presidential decree. The committee began its work on September 8, tackling the constitution that had been amended by a ten-person legal committee. The ten person committee, formed of six judges and four constitutional law professors, completed their […]

US Non-Recognition of the Syrian Interim Government

By Frederic C. Hof

Things have not been going well for Syrians opposed to the Assad regime, especially those who favor a united, constitutional, non-sectarian Syria. No news here: this has been the case since 1970, and particularly since March 2011.

Egypt’s Minimum Wage Hike: More Populism

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

The installation of the transitional government headed by Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi gave hope to Egyptians that the new technocratic economic team would turn the Egyptian economy around. The Beblawi government, with renowned economists like Finance Minister Ahmed Galal and Planning Minister Ashraf al Araby, was expected to reverse the downward spiral the economy was […]

EADS Head Says EU Lacks Clear Security Policy

By Daniel Michaels, Wall Street Journal

European policy on foreign affairs and security is less coherent now than at any point since the Cold War ended, widening a military gap with the U.S.

NATO Secretary General Holds Talks with Libya, Turkey

By NATO

The Alliance remains open to help the Libyan government rebuild its security sector, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan

NATO Still has Vital Role, Secretary General Says

By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

NATO, the alliance born and bred in the Cold War, has provided good value for the U.S. taxpayer

An Opportunity for Breakthrough Diplomacy

By R. Nicholas Burns

Something important, rare, and very positive happened in the Middle East this week: Iran and the United States agreed to negotiate for the first time in three decades. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Barack Obama signaled in back-to-back UN speeches that they are ready for diplomacy. This doesn’t mean they will succeed or even make […]