Middle East

Yemen: A Glass Half-Full

By Danya Greenfield

Nearly every news article on Yemen begins with a detailed laundry-list of challenges the country faces on a daily basis (violent separatism in the South, humanitarian crises, unemployment); it is far more difficult to paint a positive picture of progress in a troubled land with deep political cleavages. However, in the world of glass half-empty […]

Overcoming Political Polarization in Libya

By Karim Mezran

Recent developments in Libyan politics demonstrate a remarkable regression in terms of both institution-building and security. Unfortunately, the latest political polarization has the potential to make the situation deteriorate further.

Syria: Kerry’s Opening to the Free Syrian Army

By Frederic C. Hof

Last week in Rome Secretary of State John Kerry turned a page in US policy on Syria by announcing food and medical assistance to elements of Syria’s armed opposition. While critics of administration policy bemoaned the absence of night vision goggles and body armor from the inventory of non-lethal assistance to be provided, Kerry’s breakthrough […]

The Politics of Libya’s Political Isolation Law

By Eric Knecht

Libya’s political isolation law is flawed at best and leaves significant room for improvement. The current draft lists 36 categories of individuals deemed unfit for political office given their ties to the previous regime. Category number 14, for example, includes anyone who “assumed the position of administrative manager, ambassador, or general secretary for [embassies] abroad,” […]

The Saudi Scholarship Program Eight Years In: We Need to Do Better

Through the King Abdullah scholarship program, young Saudi women are seizing new opportunities, Saudi family dynamics are changing, and there is potential for the emergence of a new cadre of leaders in Saudi society.

Laarayedh’s Tunisia Will Continue the Transition to Democracy

By Duncan Pickard

Ali Laarayedh, the prime minister–designate of Tunisia, will enter a more partisan political climate than did his predecessor in December 2011. Hamadi Jebali, the outgoing prime minister, was known to be conciliatory and an avoider of conflict. He took office in the afterglow of democratic elections, in a coalition between Ennahda (his own moderate Islamic […]