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

Nov 19, 2013

Happy Birthday, General

By Lina Attalah

“Where else have you seen Sisi today?” This is the question around which Sisi Fetish, a new contribution to Egypt’s thriving landscape of political satire, was born. The blog sheds light on how the popularity of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, commander in chief of Egypt’s Armed Forces, is expressing itself these days in a variety of quotidian […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 19, 2013

Libya: Enough is Enough

By Karim Mezran

The horrible carnage that ravaged Tripoli over the weekend was the latest in a series of escalating violence. Assassinations, abductions, and other crimes have plagued Libya’s cities over the last two years since the country’s liberation from dictatorship.

Libya

MENASource

Nov 19, 2013

In Memory of Mohamed Mahmoud: Nothing Left to Do but Look

By Wael Eskandar

Even I cannot comprehend it; these ordinary people, extraordinary in their bravery, fighting off the gruesome beasts of an ugly regime that refuses to die. Two years ago, these ordinary people, these protesters took to a street off of Tahrir Square, facing security forces for four days in some of the most brutal clashes the […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 18, 2013

Coopting Mohamed Mahmoud

By Tarek Radwan

Standing in Tahrir Square the evening of November 19, 2011, as protesters set fire to an armored personnel carrier, I watched as a cotton-candy salesman joined the scene to take advantage of the rapidly growing unrest to pitch his wares. This absurdly surreal image came to mind upon hearing another bizarre news item: that of […]

North Africa
US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan after addressing reporters at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on March 13, 2013.

NATOSource

Nov 18, 2013

Libya Needs Urgent Help from International Community

By Anna Lund, MENASource

NATO member states including the United States, Turkey, Italy and the United Kingdom have initiated small-scale military trainings with Libya, all occurring outside the country.

Africa Libya

MENASource

Nov 18, 2013

Mohamed Mahmoud: Remembered Two Years On

By Mohammad Tolba

On November 19, 2011, clashes broke out a stone’s throw from Tahrir Square. Young revolutionaries had rushed to the square, in defense of families of the martyrs, camped out calling for justice from the authorities, but were instead met with abuse. Facing off with security forces, almost fifty people were killed, as protesters demanded an […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 15, 2013

The Russia Factor in the Egyptian-American Relationship

By Mark N. Katz

Many observers see the recent visit of Russian’s foreign and defense ministers to Cairo and news stories about the possibility of a large-scale Russian-Egyptian arms deal as a sign that the new Egyptian government is moving away from Washington and toward Moscow.  Yet even though this high-level Russian-Egyptian interchange has taken place at a time […]

North Africa Russia

MENASource

Nov 15, 2013

Amr Darrag on the Brotherhood’s Mistakes, Sort of

By Jayson Casper

Now that most Brotherhood leaders are in prison or outside Egypt, there is less talk from within the movement about the ‘mistakes’ ousted president Mohamed Morsi made while in power. That is understandable, as few are available to conduct such an internal review, and furthermore, they are forced to protest, not reflect. In an interview […]

North Africa

MENASource

Nov 14, 2013

Translation of Egypt’s Draft Constitution

As the committee of fifty members continues to make amendments to Egypt’s draft constitution, with a referendum expected in late December, International IDEA has prepared a translation of the partial draft, as of November 10. The unofficial translation includes a section on on the ‘State and its Essential Components,’ as well as chapters on ‘Rights, […]

North Africa Political Reform
Rabaa7

MENASource

Nov 14, 2013

Eight Simple Questions on Egypt’s Transition

By Amr Hamzawy

The only way to combat the lack of popular demand for truth, or to fight acts of distortion and false consciousness typically associated with tyrannical regimes, waves of fascism, severe crises in stable democracies, or divergences on the path towards democracy, is to push citizens to gradually search for what has been hidden from them […]

North Africa

Experts