Middle East

Eroding Civil Liberties in Kuwait

By Mary Ann Tetreault

The sentencing of popular Kuwaiti opposition leader Musallem al-Barrak on April 15 for insulting the amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is part of a pattern of deteriorating civil liberties in Kuwait. Although the roots of the current conflict can be traced back to a 2006 social movement whose aim was to change the election […]

Roundtable on Egypt’s Changing Political Scene

The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a roundtable discussion with former MP Dr. Amr Hamzawy and Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies Director Mr. Bahey el Din Hassan on the emerging politics and the unsettling human rights environment in Egypt.

Syria and Geneva: No Precondition, but a Certain Result

By Frederic C. Hof

US President Barack Obama’s Syria-related objective remains one of negotiated political transition consistent with what the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (P5) decided in Geneva in June 2012. It is important, therefore, to understand what was actually agreed.

Libya’s Constitutional Process: Moving Forward?

By Karim Mezran and Duncan Pickard

The General National Congress (GNC) on April 10 finally issued a constitutional amendment declaring that Libya’s constitution-drafting committee would be elected directly, rather than appointed by the GNC. While this puts to rest a longstanding debate that has held up much of the assembly’s—and the country’s—other work, the GNC has now officially set the stage […]

A New Deal: Reforming US Defense Cooperation with Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia

By George Casey and Jim Kolbe

Former US Army Chief George Casey and Congressman Jim Kolbe argue that the transitions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia will be reversible unless and until their security agencies are better equipped to carry out their functions without abusing citizen rights or interfering in politics. A New Deal: Reforming US Defense Cooperation with Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia […]