North Africa

The North Africa region, sometimes called the Maghreb, holds strategic and political importance for the United States and Europe with its geographic crossroad between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Destabilized by the tumultuous uprisings of the Arab Spring, the developments in these countries are reasons for concern as well as hope, as different political, security, and economic conditions take shape in each country.

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

MENASource
May 27, 2025

Beyond ceasefires: Reimagining stability and engagement in Libya

By
Karim Mezran and Roberta Maggi

With all major political institutions mired in crisis, a renewed approach to peace enforcement is pivotal to building stability.

Libya
Middle East

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

MENASource
May 14, 2025

Choppy waters: Egypt’s waning patience with President Trump

By
Shahira Amin

The US president’s Suez Canal demands signal “a shift in US-Egyptian relations” which experts describe as “at their lowest ebb in decades.”

Middle East
North Africa

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

EnergySource
Mar 11, 2025

The Mediterranean must work collectively to harness the power of renewables

By
Karim Elgendy

The EU Commission’s recent release of its Clean Industrial Deal underscored regional commitment to decarbonization. To capitalize on this momentum, the Mediterranean must engage in cross-border collaboration to overcome geopolitical tension and limited finance to achieve its renewables goals.

Energy & Environment
Energy Markets & Governance

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.

EXPLORE THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL’S MIDDLE EAST PROGRAMS

Libya

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

MENASource
May 16, 2025

The killing of Abdul Ghani al-Kikli may be a turning point for Libya

By
Karim Mezran and Dario Cristiani

The killing is considered to be part of a push to eliminate influential militia leaders and consolidate GNU loyalist control over Tripoli.

Libya
Middle East

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

MENASource
Apr 30, 2025

From Tripoli to Tehran: Lessons from Libya in US-Iran nuclear talks

By
Yaseen Rashed

Twenty-one years later, the nuclear disarmament of Libya serves as a model for the United States in current nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Iran
Libya

Egypt and Yemen, Take Two

MENASource
Apr 16, 2025

Solving Libya’s economic collapse will require confrontation—not consensus

By
Emadeddin Badi

If the status quo continues, the next phase of Libya’s crisis will not be quiet erosion. It will be public revolt.

Africa
Economy & Business

Read More on Libya

Content

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

MENASource

Apr 2, 2015

Expert Opinion: Egypt’s Role in a Joint Arab Military Force and Yemen

By EgyptSource

In the past weeks, Egypt has been a key player pushing for the formation of a joint Arab military force, and a vital ally in the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen. As reports emerge of a possible ground invasion in Yemen—likely Egyptian troops supported by a Saudi air campaign—a joint regional […]

North Africa Yemen

New Atlanticist

Apr 2, 2015

Joint Arab Military Force: A Force for Stability?

The heads of Arab League countries agreed at a summit in Egypt last month to set up a joint military force. Tarek Radwan, an Associate Director for the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and editor of the MENASource blog, interviewed Atlantic Council analysts who weighed in on these plans.

Iraq North Africa
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Experts

Millennium fellow

Ramzi Abunemreh

Architectural Manager, Consolidated Contractors Company

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Asia Economy & Business

Fellow

Perrihan Al-Riffai

Nonresident Senior Fellow

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Economy & Business

Millennium fellow

Kirk Allen

Digital Communications Lead, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Millennium Leadership Program

Middle East NATO Partnerships

Fellow

Shahira Amin

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Economy & Business

Fellow

Alia Brahimi

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Arabic Civil Society

Fellow

Giangiacomo Calovini

Nonresident Senior Fellow, North Africa Program

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

English Europe & Eurasia
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