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

Apr 13, 2015

Egypt’s Azhar Flexes its Muscles

By Khaled Dawoud

Egypt’s oldest Islamic establishment, Al-Azhar, came out in full force this week against what it claims is an organized plan to undermine its historic role in representing “moderate Islam.” After an initial complaint to the Free Media Zone Authority asking it to ban a controversial television talk show critical of traditional Islamic schools of thought […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 10, 2015

The War on Egypt’s Human Rights Defenders

By Ragab Saad

In his annual report before the latest session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein criticized the flagrant human rights violations in Egypt, particularly the trials of dozens of political activists and human rights advocates.

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 9, 2015

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

By MENASource

The escalation of the conflict in Yemen has mobilized the largest number of Arab forces in the past sixty years. Egypt represents a major partner in the Saudi-led Arab coalition that has conducted regular air strikes against rebel Houthi positions with the stated goal of returning ousted President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

North Africa
Yemen

MENASource

Apr 8, 2015

Egypt and Yemen 53 Years Later

By Yasmine Farouk

Fifty-three years after Gamal Abdel Nasser’s failed adventure in Yemen, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is rallying under that same banner of pan-Arabism, and Egypt is once again involved in Yemen’s domestic affairs. Unlike under Nasser, however, rather than trying to counter Saudi Arabia’s regional interests, Egypt is jumping on the bandwagon with the kingdom, […]

North Africa
Saudi Arabia

Event Recap

Apr 7, 2015

To Vote or Not to Vote: Egypt’s Diverse Electorate

By Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

On March 31, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center hosted a discussion on Egyptian elections, voting behavior, and the country’s political climate. The roundtable discussion entitled “To Vote or Not to Vote: Egypt’s Diverse Electorate,” featured Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Sarah El Sirgany, Associate Professor of Law at Texas A&M University Sahar F. Aziz, and […]

North Africa

MENASource

Apr 7, 2015

War in Yemen Could Mean Peace in Libya

By Karim Mezran

With the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) wreaking havoc in the Levant, Syria reeling from a devastating civil war, and a political crisis in Libya devolving into an entrenched armed conflict, ultimately it was the Houthi takeover in Yemen that galvanized a pan-Arab coalition and military intervention.

Libya
North Africa

MENASource

Apr 6, 2015

Four Paths for Libya’s Future

By Hafed Al Ghwell

UN Special Envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon is still trying to herd the scattered Libyan cats of all political shades around the table in Morocco. Leon hopes to negotiate a peace treaty of sorts, put an end to the fighting, and establish a unity government that can keep the country together and enable it to […]

Libya

MENASource

Apr 6, 2015

A Legal Analysis of Egypt’s Military Judiciary

By Yussef Auf

Since its establishment in the 1960s, the military judiciary in Egypt has caused much controversy. This controversy persisted after the 2011 Revolution, despite substantial legal and constitutional changes on the issue. With acts of violence increasing across Egypt in the past two years, the number of people referred to military trials has increased as well. […]

North Africa

Corporate Strategy Forum

Apr 3, 2015

Rafales, Not Rules

By James Hasik

While Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon and the White House make policy, the Élysée Palace makes sales. King Abdullah wants drones, and 23 US congressmen want to loan Jordan some American Predators for the duration of the war. The Emirates want drones, and my colleague Bilal Saab told the Beirut Daily Star that industry there is getting quite capable making […]

Defense Industry
France

In the News

Apr 3, 2015

Mezran: Solving Libya’s ISIS Problem

By Karim Mezran

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Karim Mezran cowrites for the New York Times on ISIS in Libya and the UN Security Council’s vote to extend the fight against ISIS to Libya:

Libya

Experts