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The latest pieces from MENASource:

Through our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

Content

New Atlanticist

Apr 29, 2013

Obama Should Remember Rwanda as He Weighs Action in Syria

By Anne-Marie Slaughter

The Rwanda genocide began in April 1994; within a few weeks, nongovernmental organizations there were estimating that 100,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus had been massacred. Yet two months later, Reuters correspondent Alan Elsner and State Department spokeswoman Christine Shelly had an infamous exchange: Elsner: “How would you describe the events taking place in Rwanda?” Shelly: […]

Syria United States and Canada

Event Recap

Apr 26, 2013

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.

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 25, 2013

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.

Syria

MENASource

Apr 24, 2013

Tunisia: Turning Around Finally

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

The announcement on April 19 by Managing Director Christine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), that the Tunisian government and the IMF had reached agreement on a two-year Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) amounting to $1.78 billion could well prove to be a watershed in Tunisia’s economic recovery. What the announcement means precisely is that the […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 23, 2013

Reform of Energy Subsidies in the Arab Countries

By Svetlana Milbert

Energy subsidies have been an integral part of domestic pricing policies in most Arab countries for decades, but are increasingly unsustainable because of their economic, social, and environmental impact. Out of twenty Middle East and North African (MENA) countries, twelve have energy subsidies amounting to at least 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). A […]

Energy & Environment Middle East

MENASource

Apr 22, 2013

Syria: Defending the Indefensible

By Frederic C. Hof

Recent testimony by US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey illustrated quite nicely one outcome of a troubled interagency national security system: US senators seemed to be more perplexed about American policy toward Syria after the hearing than they were before.

Syria United States and Canada

MENASource

Apr 22, 2013

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 […]

Libya

Report

Apr 19, 2013

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 […]

Libya North Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 18, 2013

How to End the War in Syria

By Rajan Menon

There have been persistent rumors that Jabhat al-Nusra, among the most effective militias fighting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s regime, is linked to Al Qaeda. That connection has now been confirmed. The head of al-Nusra’s Syrian branch, Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, has declared his organization’s “allegiance” to Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s leader.

Russia Syria

Event Recap

Apr 18, 2013

Roundtable on Libya’s Economic Challenges

The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a visiting economic delegation from Libya on Thursday, April 18 for a roundtable discussion on the economic challenges the country faces during its transition process.

Libya

Experts