North Africa

Hunger Strikes: Egypt’s Last Vestige of Dissent

By Khaled Dawoud

After a midnight visit to his father, lying in critical condition at hospital, well-known jailed activist, Alaa Abdel-Fattah announced on August 19 his hunger strike, bringing attention to his demand for release while on trial over charges of organizing an unauthorized protest. His decision renewed a relatively stalled effort calling for the release of dozens […]

Podcast: How do Reported Strikes on Libya Impact US-Egypt Relations?

With reports emerging on a possible airstrike carried out by the UAE and Egypt on Islamist positions inside the Libyan border, the story remains murky. The United States has issued contradictory statements in response to the reports, and it remains unclear whether or not the airstrikes were carried out without its prior knowledge.

Podcast: Experts React to Airstrikes in Libya

In the wake of conflicting messages from the United States on reports that the United Arab Emirates and Egypt struck Islamist positions in Libya, MENASource spoke with three Atlantic Council experts to get their reactions to this news.

A Great Deal Lies Between the Black and the White

By Amr Hamzawy

You can reject practices which contravene democracy, the domination of the military and security components of the state over public and private life, violations against rights and freedoms, the violent dispersal of sit-ins and demonstrations, the use of excessive force by the state, and the promulgation of the fascism of collective punishment through executions, imprisonment, […]

Memo on Policy Options Toward Libya

By Karim Mezran

To: The International CommunityFrom: Karim Mezran Background Security in Libya has rapidly deteriorated in the last several weeks, jeopardizing what incremental gains were aspired through new parliamentary elections, a constitution-drafting process, and a national dialogue.

Egypt Has No Good Choices in Libya

The recent revelation that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt were behind the previously unidentified warplanes that struck Islamist positions in Libya has sparked questions on Egypt’s role and its potential options for protecting its shared border with the troubled country—and the consequences of doing so.

Egypt’s Options in Dealing with the Libyan Crisis (Part I)

By Nader Bakkar

Relations between Cairo and Tripoli went through bouts of political volatility at the beginning of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s rule before improving and taking on a more conciliatory nature during the last two decades under Mubarak and Muammar Qaddafi. With the exception of Qaddafi’s 1977 attempted incursion on the border between the two countries, the […]