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.

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

Dec 5, 2014

The Difference between Them and Us: On the Predominance of the Executive Authority

By Amr Hamzawy

All over the world, executive authorities constantly seek to exert control over their citizens by undermining their rights and freedoms.  They similarly seek to encroach on civil society by subjecting non-governmental organizations to governmental controls and oversight.  Executive authorities further seek to subjugate the legislative and judicial authorities in their countries, either by controlling them […]

North Africa

MENASource

Dec 3, 2014

Confrontation Escalates Between Brotherhood and Egypt’s Security

By Khaled Dawoud

When heavily armed police men raided on November 20 the home of Mohamed Ali Bishr, the only prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader left outside prison since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi, experts differed on the real reasons behind the move. Many asked whether it marked the end of any possible reconciliation effort between President […]

North Africa

In the News

Dec 2, 2014

Radwan on Dropped Charges Against Former Egyptian President

By Tarek Radwan

Al Jazeera America quotes Rafik Hariri Center Associate Director Tarek Radwan on what the dropped charges against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak mean for the Arab Spring: 

North Africa

MENASource

Dec 2, 2014

Factbox: Everything You Need to Know About the Mubarak Verdict

By EgyptSource

On November 29, Cairo Criminal Court dropped Hosni Mubarak’s charges relating to the killing of protesters in January 2011. It also found him innocent of corruption and graft charges. Former interior minister Habib al-Adly, and Mubarak’s sons Alaa and Gamal Mubarak were also found innocent of charges they faced. Below is a complete breakdown of […]

North Africa

MENASource

Dec 2, 2014

Libya’s Constitutional Crisis

By Naeem Al-Gheriany

On November 6, 2014, in an unexpected decision, and against a backdrop of continuing political and military polarization, the Constitutional Chamber of Libya’s Supreme Court struck down the 7th Amendment to the Constitutional Declaration, the current supreme law of Libya.

Libya

In the News

Dec 1, 2014

Hawthorne on a New Electoral Law in Egypt

By Amy Hawthorne

Good Governance Africa quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Amy Hawthorne on a new electoral law in Egypt:

North Africa

In the News

Dec 1, 2014

Eljarh: Libya’s Last Glimpse of Hope

By Mohamed Eljarh

Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Mohamed Eljarh writes for Foreign Policy on the role Libya’s Constituent Assembly is likely to play in the country’s ongoing conflict:

Libya

MENASource

Dec 1, 2014

Egypt’s Mubarak Trial a Sign of the Times

By MENASource

A judge looking into the case against Egypt’s thirty-year dictator and once reviled enemy of the January 25 revolution, Hosni Mubarak, dropped charges against him related to the deaths of more than 800 protesters during the ten-day uprising that led to his ouster.

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 29, 2014

The Mubarak Verdict: A Firsthand Account [Photo Essay]

By Jonathan Rashad

Three years after an uprising that ousted former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the verdict is in, and the “Mubarak trial” is over for now. The former dictator, facing charges relating to the deaths of over 800 protesters in 2011, could be free to walk. On November 29, the judge presiding over the case dropped the […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 26, 2014

The Unpredictability of the November 28 Protests

By Sarah El Sirgany

What initially started out as a call to protest that not many took notice of, the Salafi Front’s plans for mass protests on November 28, has slowly attracted more attention. This is in some part due to official warnings and vows of forceful confrontations, and is fueling concerns about violence on Egypt’s streets on Friday.

North Africa

Experts