Content

MENASource

May 5, 2015

A US Defense Treaty with the Gulf States: Why Values Matter

By Richard LeBaron

In an Atlantic Council report and subsequent article in The National Interest, my colleagues Barry Pavel and Bilal Saab at the Brent Scowcroft Center of the Atlantic Council have made a case for a formal alliance with US security partners in the Gulf.

Iran Saudi Arabia

MENASource

May 1, 2015

Yemen: A View from Marib

By Nadwa Al-Dawsari

It has now been more than a year since Ahmed Ashulaif, a distinguished fifty year-old businessman and tribal leader from Marib, put his business on hold. Since then, he has fought to stop the Houthis, a Zaydi-Shia rebel group that took control of Yemen’s capital and ousted its government in September 2014.

Iran Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Apr 21, 2015

The Obama Doctrine and the Middle East: Problems and Prospects

By Nabeel Khoury

President Barack Obama, in his interview with Tom Friedman on April 5, was at his intellectual best. He convincingly explained the framework agreement with Iran while stressing serious strategic disagreement with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamene’i. Tom Friedman, in turn, was at his diplomatic best, trying to nudge the President into crafting an Obama doctrine […]

Iran Middle East

MENASource

Apr 17, 2015

Why Did Abadi Criticize Saudi Arabia?

By Ramzy Mardini

During his first visit to the White House as the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi surprised Washington when he criticized the Saudi Arabian-led air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Iran Iraq

In the News

Apr 10, 2015

Khoury on Saudi Arabia’s Objectives in Yemen

By Nabeel Khoury

US News and World Report quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Nabeel Khoury on how Saudi Arabia’s rivalry with Iran is playing out in Yemen:

Saudi Arabia Yemen

In the News

Apr 9, 2015

Khoury on the Saudi Intervention in Yemen

By Nabeel Khoury

Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Nabeel Khoury joins Sky News to discuss what can be done in regard to the Houthis taking control of the city of Aden in Yemen and Saudi Arabia’s position on the situation:

Saudi Arabia Yemen

MENASource

Apr 8, 2015

Egypt and Yemen 53 Years Later

By Yasmine Farouk

Fifty-three years after Gamal Abdel Nasser’s failed adventure in Yemen, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is rallying under that same banner of pan-Arabism, and Egypt is once again involved in Yemen’s domestic affairs. Unlike under Nasser, however, rather than trying to counter Saudi Arabia’s regional interests, Egypt is jumping on the bandwagon with the kingdom, […]

North Africa Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Apr 8, 2015

US-Iran: Deal or No Deal, This Is Not the Question

By Hanin Ghaddar

The June 30 deadline will make or break the US-Iran nuclear deal. Until then, the preliminary accord, its interpretation, and implementation will be the center of attention for all stakeholders. However, less attention will be given to the developments in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Iran Iraq

MENASource

Apr 7, 2015

War in Yemen Could Mean Peace in Libya

By Karim Mezran

With the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) wreaking havoc in the Levant, Syria reeling from a devastating civil war, and a political crisis in Libya devolving into an entrenched armed conflict, ultimately it was the Houthi takeover in Yemen that galvanized a pan-Arab coalition and military intervention.

Libya North Africa

New Atlanticist

Apr 2, 2015

Joint Arab Military Force: A Force for Stability?

The heads of Arab League countries agreed at a summit in Egypt last month to set up a joint military force. Tarek Radwan, an Associate Director for the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center and editor of the MENASource blog, interviewed Atlantic Council analysts who weighed in on these plans.

Iraq North Africa

Experts