North Africa

Government Regulations to Place Mosques under Azhar Control

By Amir Beshay and Nancy Messieh

The Egyptian Ministry of Endowments recently announced that it will stop granting licenses to imams who are not affiliated with al-Azhar. In an unprecedented move, the measure will be applied retroactively, with over 55,000 imams losing their licenses in the process, while all other imam licenses will be revoked if they are not renewed within […]

Libya: Divided They Fail

By Karim Mezran and Lara Talverdian

Attention in Washington to the one-year anniversary of the Benghazi attack that took the lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans gives reason to believe that a commitment still exists to assist Libya as it faces grave challenges in trying to achieve the goals of its revolution.

Echoes of 2011: Media Freedom in Egypt

With former president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster on July 3, Egyptians who took to the streets have bristled at the description of the events as a military coup. They argue that millions called for Morsi’s removal, so it should be described as a popular revolution. The definition of July 3, however, cannot be limited to one […]

Tunisia’s Questionable War on Terror

By Bassem Bouguerra

Tunisia’s democratic transition has been facing numerous obstacles such as a failing economy and the lack of a transitional justice system, but security has been its main impediment.

Nabil Salib Heads Egypt’s Supreme Electoral Commission

By Mohamed Elgohari

Egyptian interim president Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree forming the new Supreme Electoral Commission on September 11. The committee will supervise the post-June 30 referendum, as well as the subsequent presidential and parliamentary elections, to be held according to the July 3 road map announced by Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to the […]

No End in Sight for Libya’s Oil Drama

By Matthew M. Reed

Libyan oil production collapsed this summer after essential facilities were taken over by federalists and disgruntled workers. The country’s economic recovery has been jeopardized as a result. As the Libyan government struggles to control discontent and restore oil output, it reveals how little authority it actually commands.

An Assassination Attempt Widens the Gap between Egyptians

By Fady Salah

Since Mohamed Morsi’s ouster on July 3, comparisons to Algeria have been common, but they have been eclipsed by comparisons to the low-level insurgency Egypt itself witnessed in the nineties. The recent attempt to assassinate the current minister of interior, Mohamed Ibrahim, is a reminder of that past, and begs two questions – why did […]