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

Jul 11, 2017

Libya: From intervention to proxy war

By Karim Mezran and Elissa Miller

More than six years after Libya’s 2011 revolution against Muammar al-Qaddafi, the situation in the country is significantly more complex and dangerous. The failure of the 2011 NATO intervention to assist the country with a comprehensive stabilization process led to rapid deterioration on the ground and created an opportunity for external actors to pursue competing […]

Libya Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Jul 9, 2017

Miller in The Arab Weekly: Why Cutting US Assistance to Tunisia is a Mistake

By Elissa Miller

Read the full article here.

North Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 6, 2017

What in the World is Vladimir Putin Up To?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Russia has decisively expanded its global footprint in a way that analysts say challenges the West and will force US President Donald J. Trump to rethink his “America First” strategy. This challenge extends well beyond Russia’s neighborhood—Ukraine, Georgia, and the Baltic States—to Syria, Libya, and even Afghanistan. Western governments and intelligence agencies have also accused […]

Afghanistan Libya

MENASource

Jul 6, 2017

The Tataouine Protests and Political Stability in Tunisia

By Walid Namane

Since mid-March, the governorate of Tataouine in southern Tunisia has witnessed a state of social unrest and a persistent protest movement demanding the right to work and the right to development and equitable distribution of wealth. In Kamour, an important transit point for the oil and gas companies operating in the Tunisian desert, approximately 110 […]

North Africa

In the News

Jun 29, 2017

Mezran Quoted by The Globe Post on Qatar Rift’s Effect on Final Union Deal in Libya

By Karim Mezran

Read the full article here.

Libya The Gulf

In the News

Jun 28, 2017

Hellyer Quoted by Newsweek on Egyptian President’s Crackdown on Dissent in the Face of Upcoming Elections

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here.

North Africa

MENASource

Jun 27, 2017

Al-Azhar’s Role Abroad: Signs of Escalation and Efforts to Undermine

By Belal Abdallah

Last month, the Sheikh of al-Azhar, Dr Ahmed al-Tayeb, visited the German capital Berlin to attend the Protestant Church’s celebration marking five centuries since the start of the reformation. During his visit he met Germany’s president and a number of other ministers. This came after the visit of Pope Francis II to Egypt, on the […]

North Africa

MENASource

Jun 26, 2017

The Potential for Decentralization in Libya

By Karim Mezran, Elissa Miller, and Emelie Chace-Donahue

Libya today is close to being considered a failed state. The political system is stalled and authority is divided between an internationally recognized government, the Presidential Council and Government of National Accord (PC/GNA) in Tripoli and the House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk. Power is fragmented among myriad militias and armed groups, each one controlling […]

Libya

In the News

Jun 26, 2017

Mezran Quoted in Libya Herald on the Origins and Evolution of ISIS in Libya

By Karim Mezran

Read the full article here.

Libya

In the News

Jun 24, 2017

Hellyer Quoted in Reuters on Saudi Arabia’s Acquisition of Red Sea Islands

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here.

North Africa Saudi Arabia

Experts