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

Issue Brief

Oct 11, 2012

Economic policies in Egypt: populism or reforms?

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

The Arab Spring that swept the Middle East last year dramatically altered the political landscape of the region but also generated considerable uncertainty over the future of economic policies and economic reforms in the Arab world, according to a new report released by the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Arab countries […]

North Africa

MENASource

Oct 11, 2012

The Dismissal of Abushagur and Libya’s Leadership Crisis

By Karim Mezran

The dismissal of prime minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur by the General National Congress (GNC) on October 7 came as a shock. Just days earlier, the prime minister had revealed his much-delayed list of cabinet nominees – an unwieldy twenty-five in total – to the congress and public at large. The proposed government was widely scorned, and […]

Libya

MENASource

Oct 5, 2012

The Case for an Interim Constitution in Libya

By Duncan Pickard

Who is in charge of Libya? Muhammad Magarief, the president of the General National Congress (GNC), spoke at the UN General Assembly as de facto head of state. Mustafa Abushughur, the prime minister–elect, is another good bet. An argument could even be made for the ghost of the disbanded National Transitional Council (NTC), whose 2011 […]

Libya

MENASource

Oct 4, 2012

Parliament Remade: Egypt’s Shifting Political Forces

By Tarek Radwan

“Liberal parties have struggled to find their footing in Egypt’s post-revolution political atmosphere due to inadequate time to form a loyal constituency,” said Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East’s Visiting Fellow, Magdy Samaan, during a roundtable discussion moderated by Hariri Center Director, Michele Dunne, held on October 1. Elijah Zarwan, Senior Fellow for the […]

North Africa

Event Recap

Oct 1, 2012

Parliament Remade: Egypt’s Shifting Political Forces

By Jason Harmala

“Liberal parties have struggled to find their footing in Egypt’s post-revolution political atmosphere due to inadequate time to form a loyal constituency,” said Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East’s Visiting Fellow, Magdy Samaan, during a roundtable discussion moderated by Hariri Center Director, Michele Dunne, held on October 1.

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Sep 27, 2012

A Yankee Spring in the Middle East

By Sarwar Kashmeri

The United States has earned the thanks of a freer Arab people, but has yet to earn their respect, and for good reason. For over 30 years American taxpayers shelled out over $60 billion in aid to the authoritarian Hosni Mubarak regime in Egypt that jailed its opponents and stifled dissent to keep the country […]

Middle East North Africa

MENASource

Sep 26, 2012

Embassy Attacks Set the Stage for Moderation or Extremist Momentum

By Karim Mezran and Sarah Wade

The violence and protests taking place across the Middle East have largely been attributed to rage over the anti-Islamic film The Innocence of Muslims, but their impact on the transition and ongoing political power struggle between moderates and extremists may hold broader implications for Western policy. The embassy attacks in Libya and Tunisia are causing […]

Libya North Africa

Event Recap

Sep 18, 2012

Roundtable with Nigerien minister of justice on crisis in the Sahel

By Africa Center

The Michael S. Ansari Africa Center hosted a roundtable today on the crisis in the Sahel with H.E. Marou Amadou, minister of justice, guardian of seals, and spokesperson of the government the Republic of Niger. The minister, who is in Washington for meetings with US officials before traveling to New York to represent his country […]

Africa Conflict

Event Recap

Sep 13, 2012

Security Challenges to Libya’s Quest for Democracy

By Jason Harmala

Libya’s quest for democracy is threatened by several serious security challenges, and the recent attack on the US embassy in Benghazi only reinforces Libya’s need to confront the deteriorating security situation.

Libya

New Atlanticist

Sep 13, 2012

Foreign Service and Ambassador Stevens

By Ross Wilson

The death in Benghazi of US Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three other staff members of the US mission in Libya is a chilling reminder of the risks that American diplomats and American diplomacy face at a time of violence and uncertainty in the Middle East and the world. 

Libya

Experts