Programs

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

MENASource

Jul 23, 2015

Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments and the Fight Against Extremism

By Tarek Radwan

Since the rapid expansion of the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) into Syria and Iraq, global leaders have struggled to understand the nature of support for extremist groups from local and international youth. ISIS affiliates have sprung up across the Middle East, including in Egypt where the government has waged a low intensity war with […]

North Africa

In the News

Jul 23, 2015

Eljarh on Libya’s Smuggling Network

By Mohamed Eljarh

International Business Times quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Mohamed Eljarh on the threats posed by Libya’s extensive smuggling networks:

Libya

MENASource

Jul 22, 2015

A Win for Women in Egypt’s Courts

By Nancy Messieh and Suzanne Gaber

Last month, Egypt swore in twenty-six new female judges, in the largest appointment of women to the judiciary since 2007. This brings the total number of female judges in Egypt to around eighty. Shortly after his own swearing in, Justice Minister Ahmed al-Zend had announced his intention to appoint a group of female judges in […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 21, 2015

Egypt through the Lens of the State Department’s Terrorism Reports

By Elissa Miller

The Department of State (DOS) recently released its 2014 Country Reports on Terrorism, offering an in-depth look at terrorism around the world and efforts various countries are taking aimed at its eradication. Several trends can be identified from the 2014 reports’ discussion of terrorism and counterterrorism efforts in Egypt, which are especially relevant given a […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 20, 2015

Egypt’s Fight for Independent Journalist Unions

By Miriam Berger

The headquarters for the Independent Union for Egyptian Journalists is a small office shared with a media rights group, just steps away from the Middle East News Agency (MENA), one of the main organs of the Egyptian government’s media machine in downtown Cairo. This way, explained founder Wael Tawfik in April, the syndicate can be close to […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 16, 2015

Is the Skhirat Agreement Libya’s First Step to a Brighter Future?

By Karim Mezran

The agreement signed last Saturday by most Libyan factions in the Moroccan city of Skhirat represents an undoubtedly positive step forward, though not one exempt from possible pitfalls and reversals. The agreement arose from an ongoing Libyan political dialogue, moderated by UN Envoy Bernardino Leon, geared toward reaching national reconciliation among warring factions.

Libya

New Atlanticist

Jul 16, 2015

Libya Needs a Little Help from its Friends

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Atlantic Council’s Karim Mezran says peace deal, even if incomplete, can succeed with strong international support Even if a Tripoli-based faction were to set aside its grievances and sign a UN-brokered peace deal that would not be enough to rescue Libya. What the North African nation needs is an international peacekeeping force with a clear […]

Libya

MENASource

Jul 16, 2015

Recent Congressional Developments on Egypt Aid

By Amy Hawthorne and Elissa Miller

The US Senate and House of Representatives appropriations committees have now each passed their versions of the bills that fund the foreign assistance programs for the new Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 that begins on October 1.

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 10, 2015

Egypt’s New Anti-Terror Law: An In-Depth Reading

By Sonia Farid

The assassination of Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat—the first attempt on a senior official’s life since a bombing targeted the Interior Minister in 2013—came as a shock. With the attack taking place in highly secured area in Cairo —the Military Academy neighborhood—the threat suddenly felt much closer to home for many. One of the government’s first […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jul 10, 2015

A Look at the 2014 State Department Human Rights Report on Egypt

By Amy Hawthorne and Elissa Miller

Four months after the congressionally mandated due date, the US State Department finally released its 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.  The report on Egypt paints a disturbing picture of the human rights crisis afflicting the country since the military ousted former president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood on July 3, 2013, following […]

North Africa

Experts