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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

20140224Sisi

MENASource

Feb 24, 2014

Egypt’s Presidential Elections: The Russian Factor [Part III]

By Nader Bakkar

While the Gulf still seems hesitant about Field Marshal Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s presidential candidacy, Russia has extended a warm welcome, perhaps more explicitly than is appropriate. The sentiment is evidenced by Sisi’s latest visit to Moscow, where Russian President Vladimir Putin himself officially welcomed Sisi, in violation of established protocol. This will increase the possibility […]

Elections North Africa

MENASource

Feb 24, 2014

The Week in Egypt – February 24, 2014

By Sarah Saleeb

Catch up on the latest out of Egypt every week, with analysis, news updates, photos, videos, and more.

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 21, 2014

In the Pursuit of Personal Space

By Mohammad Tolba

Having lived in a densely populated nation for decades, Egyptians seem to have come to terms with congestion and overcrowding. This has led to a lack respect for personal space; that physical space no one should dare enter. In Egypt, bold examples of this exist – from the microbus driver, who insists on cramming four […]

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 20, 2014

No Investment Without Labor Reform in Egypt

By MENASource

Egypt’s successive governments have failed to tackle the country’s most pressing economic issues–a stressor that will increasingly threaten the integrity of any new administration and the overall stability of the fragile state.

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 20, 2014

Egypt’s labor dilemma

By Mustansir Barma

“Bread, freedom, and social justice,” is the familiar  slogan chanted across the Middle East and North  Africa since the Arab uprisings erupted in December  2010. Labor issues fit into this trifecta: bread is a symbol of earning a decent living, freedom is tied to  worker rights such as assembly and industrial action,  and social justice […]

North Africa

In the News

Feb 20, 2014

Radwan on Imprisoned Journalists in Egypt

By Tarek Radwan

Tarek Radwan, associate director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, joins Al Jazeera English to discuss freedom of the press in Egypt following the imprisonment of three Al Jazeera journalists in Cairo:

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 19, 2014

Portrait of a Grave Dweller

By Sarah El-Rashidi

Tucked away in Cairo’s colorful Sayida Aisha cemetery, located near the Darb al-Ahmar district, resides 74-year-old ‘Am Amin, a local grave custodian, born and raised in the necropolis. “I have never left the cemetery, I was born and raised here, this is my home,” he says. ‘Am Amin a former carpet weaver by trade and […]

North Africa

MENASource

Feb 18, 2014

Why Egypt Matters to the UAE

By EgyptSource

With the fall of former president Mohamed Morsi in early July, several Gulf countries have propped up Egypt’s failing economy with a stream of cash pledged to the North African country. Mere days after Morsi’s fall, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait together had already pledged $8 billion to Egypt. Of the […]

North Africa The Gulf

MENASource

Feb 18, 2014

Egypt, not Syria, the Main Game for the United Arab Emirates

By Richard LeBaron

When Secretary Kerry met with leaders in Abu Dhabi the evening of February 17, he surely briefed them on the latest US thinking on Syria and Iran. It is also likely that his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) briefed him on their activities in Egypt, which they consider their most important foreign policy […]

North Africa The Gulf

MENASource

Feb 18, 2014

National Security Initiatives Needed to Safeguard Libyan Democracy

By Ayat Mneina

The month of February this year does not only mark the anniversary of the uprising, but it will also be a month of intense debate that will determine Libya’s political future: the drafting of the constitution. While Libya’s leaders will take some major political decisions this month, Libya’s security problems persist and present serious challenges […]

Libya

Experts