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

New Atlanticist

Apr 11, 2012

War and Peace in the Middle East

By Julian Lindley-French

Tolstoy writes in War and Peace; “What is the cause of historical events? Power. What is power? Power is the sum total of wills transferred to one person. On what condition are the wills of the masses transferred to one person? On condition that the person express the will of the whole people. That is, […]

Iran North Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 10, 2012

US Returning to Security Council To Protect Syrians, Says Burns

By Barbara Slavin

Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns is a rare breed in Washington — a career foreign-service officer in a job typically held by political appointees and a man esteemed by both Democrats and Republicans. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who kept Burns on as undersecretary of state and then promoted him to his current job […]

International Organizations North Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 9, 2012

Mideast Imbroglio

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The Egyptian revolution has led to economic bankruptcy, says Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a former U.N. secretary-general. Factories are closed and Egyptian workers are no longer wanted abroad, he lamented. Sub-Saharan Africans and Pakistanis from Baluchistan have replaced Egyptians who once worked in Libya and oil-rich Persian Gulf countries, adding millions to the 12 percent unemployed […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 4, 2012

Scowcroft: NATO Future as UN Security Force

By James Joyner

General Brent Scowcroft argues that NATO’s Libya intervention may point to the future of the military alliance as the go-to enforcer of UN Security Council resolutions.

International Organizations Libya

New Atlanticist

Apr 4, 2012

The Ripple Effect of the Arab Spring and Weapon Proliferation

By Joanna Buckley

The Arab Awakening has advanced democracy through the Middle East and North Africa but the ripple effects created by the leak of military weaponry into surrounding unstable and conflict areas pose long-term national and regional security implications.  This should be a critical factor for the international community when weighing potential intervention.

Libya Syria

Event Recap

Mar 28, 2012

Egypt’s Transition: Military Rule, Human Rights Challenges, and US Policy Choices

By Jason Harmala

On March 28, The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East co-hosted a panel discussion focused on Egypt’s ongoing transition and US policy options.

North Africa United States and Canada

Issue Brief

Mar 22, 2012

Rethinking US relations with a changing Egypt

By Michele Dunne

With Egypt in the midst of a political transition, this is a crucial time to rethink the US’s relationship with Egypt, argues Atlantic Council Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Michele Dunne in this policy brief for the Project on Middle East Democracy. Although the events of the January 2011 revolution […]

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Mar 19, 2012

To Stabilize Libya, Transatlantic Political Engagement Needed

By Alec Simantov

The setbacks to Libya’s internal security and stability are worsening in the run up to scheduled June elections.

Libya

Event Recap

Mar 16, 2012

Task Force on Security Cooperation with the Transitioning Arab Democracies Meeting

By Adrienne Chuck

The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and International Security Program launched a joint initiative on March 16 with the first meeting of the Task Force on Security Cooperation with the Transitioning Arab Democracies.

Libya North Africa

New Atlanticist

Mar 15, 2012

The Tragedy of All or Nothing Interventions

By Bernard Finel

Dan Trombly has a chacteristically thoughtful post on lessons we’ve learned (or not learned) from recent interventions. In it, he writes:

Libya Syria

Experts