North Africa

The ‘New’ Draft Constitution Part I: A Flawed Beginning

By Yussef Auf

As the fifty-member committee tasked with amending the suspended 2012 Constitution has finished its work, criticism of the committee, its formation and its amended text have continued. Undoubtedly, the most significant criticism of the committee is the fact that it was appointed by the July 3 authority responsible of theouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. […]

Anarchy at Door, West Starts to Rebuild Libyan Army

By Patrick Markey, Reuters

Turkey, Italy, and Britain are leading the way with promises to train around 8,000 troops and police in skills from infantry basics to forensics. Other recruits are graduating from programs in Jordan.

US Plan for New, Western-Trained Libyan Force Faces Obstacles

By Abigail Hauslohner and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

At the request of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, the United States, Britain and Italy have agreed to train 5,000 to 8,000 troops, many of whom will be drawn from existing militias.

Rags and Tatters: The Moments Egypt’s Revolution Forgot

Rags and Tatters opens to a scene of shaky cell phone footage inside an Egyptian prison in 2011. You hear the voice of a man saying, “Please film this,” as you prepare to launch into an hour-and-a-half of moments that Egypt’s revolution forgot. 

Is International Mediation the Way Out of Tunisia’s Political Conflict?

By Bassem Bouguerra & Duncan Pickard

Tunisia is in the midst of the most intractable political conflict since the 2011 revolution. The debate pits the ruling Islamic party, Ennahda, against a coalition of secular forces led by Nidaa Tunis, an opposition party founded in 2012.

The Coming Elections: Parliamentary or Presidential First?

By Yussef Auf

With the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, Egypt entered a new transitional phase, the country’s third in recent years. Driven by Morsi’s policies since assuming power, a grassroots movement that eventually swelled to millions calling for his outright removal had in fact begun with a different demand: early presidential elections. Elections, they […]

The Egyptian People Are Not Ready

By Mohammad Tolba

The Egyptian people are not ready. So said Omar Suleiman, when he wanted to strip the Egyptian people of their right to choose who governs them, when they wanted to end the state of humiliation and disgrace they lived in under ousted president Hosni Mubarak.

American Leadership and the Future of the Transatlantic Alliance

By Marco Rubio, Chatham House

We are witnessing an attack on our shared values.

Tunisia: How the Region’s “Best Hope” Needs Help

By Lara Talverdian

Despite signs of an increasingly divided society, the recent stalemate between Tunisia’s ruling Troika (led by Ennahda and two smaller, secular parties) and the opposition will likely be resolved through the national dialogue currently underway. It still faces many difficult hurdles, however, and support from the international community is essential.