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Middle East Programs

Working with our 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.

Libya

Content

In the News

Aug 21, 2015

Slavin Hosts Issues in the News

By Barbara Slavin

South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin joins Voice of America’s Issues in the News to discuss ISIS violence in Syria, the explosions in Cairo, the Iran deal, and US politics:

Iran North Africa

MENASource

Aug 20, 2015

The Republic of Fear

By Amr Hamzawy

The Egyptian government issued a decree in July placing regulatory and independent agencies under the auspices of the president of the country, authorizing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to replace the agencies’ leaders. This move effectively puts an end to the agencies’ independent regulatory role by threatening their ability to both ensure the executive authority does […]

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 19, 2015

Release of Islamist Leader Sends Mixed Signals

By Khaled Dawoud

Since his 2013 arrest, shortly after the army’s removal of former president Mohamed Morsi, Abul Ela Madi’s name has topped the lists of people whose release has been called for, even by critics of political Islamic groups. Two long years later, and Madi finally walked free from a police station on August 12, two days […]

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 17, 2015

Q&A: Key Information on Egypt’s Upcoming Parliamentary Elections

By Suzanne Gaber

After much speculation, Egypt’s long-awaited parliamentary elections are reportedly slated for September of this year. The election will allow for the formation of the first parliament under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and the second since the 2011 ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.

Elections North Africa

In the News

Aug 17, 2015

Al-Ghwell on Airstrikes in Libya

By Hafed Al-Ghwell

Radio France Internationale quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Hafed Al-Ghwell on the effectiveness of airstrikes on ISIS-controlled positions in Libya: 

Libya

MENASource

Aug 14, 2015

Deaths in Egypt Prisons Renew Debate on Deteriorating Conditions

By Khaled Dawoud

In a statement about the death of al-Jama’a al-Islamiya’s Essam Derbala at maximum security Aqrab Prison on August 8, the ministry of interior declared the cause of death was “natural.”Derbala, the statement said, was taken to hospital after complaining of fatigue, where he died as a result of circulatory collapse. 

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Aug 13, 2015

Combating Inaction in Europe’s Migrant ‘Crisis’

By Alexa Lipke

The tragedy on August 6, when hundreds of migrants drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya, is eerily familiar. It parallels the story of the 800 deaths in April that brought the migrant crisis to the forefront of the political debate in Europe. While media and public interest has ebbed and flowed […]

Europe & Eurasia European Union

MENASource

Aug 13, 2015

Egypt and Saudi Arabia Mending Fences?

By MENASource

Ever since Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud assumed the throne from his late predecessor, relations between Egypt and the Kingdom saw a rise in tension as new Saudi priorities diverged from previously agreed upon mutual interests.

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 12, 2015

Libya: Half an Agreement is Better than No Agreement

By Karim Mezran

The situation in Libya has reached a point of utmost gravity. The suffering of the population and the instability resulting from the actions of rival militias, terrorist groups, and criminal organizations have rendered the situation unsustainable.

Libya

MENASource

Aug 11, 2015

Egypt’s Startups Starting to Grow Up

By Rachel Williamson

Four years ago Egypt’s January 25 revolution lit a bonfire under the nation’s political imagination and heralded in the age of the Silicon Valley-esque tech entrepreneur. Today, for many, those bourgeoning political hopes have been dashed, but the country’s growing entrepreneur class is still moving from strength to strength and they’ve reached a stage where […]

North Africa

Experts