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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

Issue Brief

Sep 12, 2012

Security challenges to Libya’s quest for democracy

By Karim Mezran and Fadel Lamen

Security challenges threaten to undermine Libya’s political transition as well as its relations with other countries, according to a new issue brief released by the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council. The September 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, resulting in the death of four American diplomats, makes […]

Libya

MENASource

Sep 12, 2012

Picking up the Pieces and Honoring Ambassador Stevens

By Karim Mezran and Danya Greenfield

The violent attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and the tragic deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American embassy staff should provoke a thorough reassessment of priorities by the Libyan and the US governments.

Libya

New Atlanticist

Sep 12, 2012

Free Speech in America Yields Violence in Egypt and Libya

By James Joyner

Dozens of Egyptian protestors climbed the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo Tuesday, stormed the compound and tore down the American flag, replacing it with a black Islamist flag bearing the inscription “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet.” Overnight, violent protests at the American consulate in Benghazi killed at […]

Libya North Africa

MENASource

Aug 31, 2012

The Final Draft Wording of the Articles on Defense and National Security in the New Constitution

By Tarek Radwan

The rapporteur for the Defense and National Security Committee, a subcommittee of the Committee on the System of Government in the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Mohammed Mohieddin, said that “[the Committee] completed the final draft for the articles pertaining to defense and national security. The Committee on the System of Government approved the final draft after […]

North Africa Political Reform

MENASource

Aug 30, 2012

President Mohamed Morsi’s Constitutional Declaration – August 12

By Nancy Messieh

President Mohamed Morsi issued a new Constitutional Declaration on August 12 consisting of four articles. Download the PDF

North Africa Political Reform

New Atlanticist

Aug 29, 2012

Democracy Is Discipline and Self-Restraint

By Odeh Aburdene

The Arab uprisings over the last twenty months have shown that power flows from the bottom up, and people eventually will defy unjust tyranny and oppression. The Arab uprisings are a testament to the power of the powerless.

Libya North Africa

MENASource

Aug 28, 2012

From Militia Violence to Terrorism?

By Karim Mezran and Katherine Mulberger

The internal security crisis in Libya is becoming increasingly dire. The period between August 1st and 28th saw an incredible escalation of violence, particularly car bombings and assassination attempts. The breakdown in security, which included the destruction of several mosques and shrines, prompted the US Department of State to issue a severe travel warning for […]

Libya

MENASource

Aug 20, 2012

Libya’s Choice: National Reconciliation or Chaos

By Karim Mezran

The three bombs that exploded on August 19 in Tripoli should serve as a serious wake up call for the country. It is a miracle that they did not cause more than the two deaths and four injuries than they did. Libyan security forces have no doubt that the sponsors as well as the perpetrators […]

Libya

MENASource

Aug 15, 2012

Lagarde to Visit Egypt: Is an IMF Program in the Offing?

By Mohsin Khan

The announcement on August 15 that IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde will visit Cairo on August 22 has created considerable speculation that an IMF program will be implemented soon.

North Africa

MENASource

Aug 14, 2012

Libya: The Election of Magarief and National Reconciliation

By Karim Mezran

The election of Mohammed Magarief as president of Libya’s General National Congress on August 10 is a sign of the Libyan people’s search for unity and will to continue on the path toward democratization. Despite increasing security problems and the many centrifugal pressures present in the Libyan polity, the Congress managed to elect a president […]

Libya

Experts