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MoroccoProtests and ActivismMorocco at Breaking Point? Drought, Misrule, and the Rise of Gen Z 212
Nov 20, 2025Samia ErrazzoukiFrom late September to mid-October 2025, Moroccans across the country descended into the streets to once again demand change from their government. Under the b…
- Viewpoint
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceEgyptian Democracy Is What Sisi Makes of It
Nov 18, 2025Imad K. HarbEgyptians are currently casting their ballots in parliamentary elections, the final results of which will not be announced before late December 2025. In two ph…
- Policy Analysis
The Horn of AfricaEnergy and EconomicsBitcoin Mining on the Nile? Implications of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam for Egypt and Sudan
Nov 12, 2025Lama ElhatowEthiopia’s highly contested and controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was officially inaugurated on September 9, 2025, marking the completion of…
- Research Paper
LevantEnergy and EconomicsGas and Geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean
Oct 1, 2025Jim KraneThe resource base in the Eastern Mediterranean is of primary interest not because of the size of its reserves but because of its proximity to the EU market, an…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptUS Foreign PolicyThe US-Egypt Relationship Might Face a Reckoning
Sep 11, 2025Charles W. DunneThe relationship between the United States and Egypt has seen many highs and lows over the decades. Under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and now Trump …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsSisi’s Foreign Policy Fails to Obscure Egypt’s Festering Economic Problems
Jul 23, 2025Gregory AftandilianAlthough Egypt’s economy has seen several improvements over the past year, namely a fall in the inflation rate and an infusion of external financing, it is sti…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceRepression and Judicial Struggles in Kais Saied’s Tunisia
Jul 3, 2025The Unit for Political StudiesAlmost four years into President Kais Saied’s imposition of one-man-rule in Tunisia, his effort pivots around a process of “executive aggrandizement” that is d…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionLibya’s Deep Divisions Show No Sign of Abating
Mar 27, 2025Gregory AftandilianLibya has fallen off the international radar screen as other crises in the region—the Israel-Hamas and Israel-Hezbollah wars, the Sudanese civil war, and the c…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptUS Foreign PolicyTrump’s Favorite Dictator Feels the Heat
Feb 28, 2025Imad K. HarbUS President Donald Trump appears to have developed different ideas about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi upon whom he bestowed the moniker “favorite d…
- Viewpoint
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionRecent Arab Moves Deserve Bold Follow-Up
Feb 21, 2025Rami G. KhouriFour key political actors in the Middle East have recently made surprising moves that offered hints of how Arab states and non-state actors can collectively en…
- Intern Corner
EgyptMigrants, Refugees, and IDPsEgypt’s Policies and Rhetoric Target Sudanese Refugees
Jan 24, 2025Ingie GoharThe war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shows no signs of abating since its outbreak in April 2023. The violence has persi…
- Policy Analysis
SyriaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt Remains Cool to the New Syrian Government
Jan 23, 2025Gregory AftandilianThe Egyptian regime of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi looks upon the recent developments in Syria with a good deal of trepidation. That the Islamist rebel armed group, H…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceKais Saied’s Policies and Practices May Lead to an Explosion in Tunisia
Sep 6, 2024Patricia KaramTunisia has experienced a disquieting authoritarian regression over the last few years following promising beginnings as a young democracy after the January 20…
- Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldUS Domestic Politics and ElectionsMiddle East Leaders Prefer Trump’s Victory
Jul 24, 2024Gregory AftandilianDonald J. Trump’s candidacy seems to draw more interest and support from the Middle East than from other areas of the world, particularly from among the ruling…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Limits on Egypt’s Gaza “Containment Strategy”
Jul 1, 2024Daniel BrumbergEgypt has opted to follow a containment strategy in order to manage the fallout from the Israeli war on Gaza, such as the spillover of the conflict into the Si…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya: Despite Talks on a Unified Government, Impasse Remains
Mar 27, 2024Gregory AftandilianTalks last month in Cairo between representatives of Libya’s two rival governments raised hopes over progress in resolving the country’s 10-year political impa…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptConflicts and Conflict ResolutionEgypt, the Gaza War, and Fears of Another Nakba
Feb 7, 2024Charles W. DunneLike most Arab countries, Egypt was stunned by the conflagration ignited by last October’s Hamas attack inside southern Israel and subsequent Israeli onslaught…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and GeopoliticsNormalization Survives Despite the Gaza War
Jan 11, 2024Imad K. HarbThe current Israeli war on Gaza, now well into its fourth deadly month, has cast a calamitous shadow over the lives of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as ov…
- Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldRegional Relations and GeopoliticsImportant Considerations for the Middle East in 2024
Jan 10, 2024Yara M. Asi Daniel Brumberg Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara Kharroub Laurie King Dana El Kurd Yousef MunayyerThe October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip will play a major role in shaping what unfolds in the Middle East in 20…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptConflicts and Conflict ResolutionEgypt Muddles Through the Crisis in Gaza
Dec 6, 2023Imad K. HarbEgypt has considered the Gaza Strip to be a soft underbelly since it ruled it prior to 1967, but also after it regained control of the Sinai Peninsula from Isr…
- Viewpoint
EgyptUS Foreign PolicyThe Menendez Fiasco: Implications for US-Egyptian Relations
Oct 4, 2023Khalil E. JahshanWashington has been abuzz lately over the shocking political intrigue involving the Egyptian government of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the powerful former chairma…
- Policy Analysis
AlgeriaDemocracy and GovernanceIn Algeria, the More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Oct 3, 2023Patricia KaramMore than four years have passed since the Hirak protest movement threatened to upend Algeria’s political and military leadership structure. Since then, the co…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsThe Recent Libya-Israel Debacle Is Symptomatic of Larger Problems
Sep 13, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe controversy and severe public backlash surrounding news of a late-August meeting between the Libyan and Israeli foreign ministers in Rome is symptomatic of…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsEgypt Is in Serious Trouble Seven Decades after Its Free Officers Revolution
Jul 25, 2023Imad K. HarbSeventy-one years after its July 23, 1952 Revolution, organized by the Free Officers Movement, Egypt’s difficult economic conditions threaten to unravel the ve…
- Intern Corner
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceDisinformation as a Tool of Regime Survival in Tunisia
Jul 21, 2023C. Ian DeHavenDisinformation—false information created with the intent to mislead others—swamped the 2019 Tunisian presidential election, creating a confused and volatile po…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaSecurity and DefenseThe Fate of the Wagner Group in Syria, Libya, and Sudan
Jul 18, 2023Gregory AftandilianThe failed mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin has put the fate of his Wagner Group doubt, not only in Ukraine but in several Arab states as well.
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceEgypt’s National Dialogue: A Lost Opportunity for National Salvage
Jul 7, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniThe Egyptian National Dialogue began in May 2023, following a one-year delay since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi suddenly announced plans for it in April 2022…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceRebuilding Tunisia’s Democracy Will Require a Long-Term Strategy
Jun 22, 2023Daniel BrumbergFor now, neither the urban middle class nor the Tunisian General Labor Union seem ready for a full-on collision with the president.
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionDespite Libya’s Progress on Election Laws, Deep Divisions Remain
Jun 13, 2023Gregory AftandilianRecent meetings in Morocco between representatives of Libya’s two main factions, the Government of National Unity (GNU) in the West and the House of Representa…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt and Iran: A Quest for Normalized Ties Amid Significant Obstacles
Jun 9, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniEgypt and Iran appear to be moving toward a closer relationship and a mending of ties. In recent months, officials from both countries have engaged in multiple…
- Policy Analysis
MoroccoDemocracy and GovernanceMorocco’s Concerning Domestic and Foreign Policies
Jun 7, 2023Imad K. HarbAs Morocco works to become a pivotal power in northwest Africa’s security sphere, it continues to suffer from what can be seen as self-inflicted wounds caused …
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceTunisia’s Broken Democracy: A Preliminary Assessment
May 12, 2023Daniel BrumbergWith Tunisia’s slide into autocracy accelerating every day, this hardly seems the best moment to undertake a frank assessment of its democratic experiment. To …
- Policy Analysis
SudanConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Sudan Crisis: How Regional Actors’ Competing Interests Fuel the Conflict
May 11, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniThe outbreak of military clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds and t…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceKais Saied’s Fantasies Are Drowning Tunisia
Apr 27, 2023Daniel BrumbergThe April 18 arrest of Rached Ghannouchi represents a dramatic escalation of Tunisian President Kais Saied’s assault on the political opposition. The leader of…
- Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldGlobal Health and Health PolicyChallenges Facing the Arab World’s Health Care Professionals
Apr 26, 2023Yara M. AsiIn 2022, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate released a shocking report, finding that over 10,000 Egyptian doctors resigned from positions in government hospitals d…
- Viewpoint
EgyptThe War in UkraineThe Fallout of Sisi’s Gambit with Russia
Apr 14, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniA leaked US intelligence document has revealed that Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi allegedly instructed officials to secretly produce and ship rockets,…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionCan Libya’s Stalemate Be Overcome?
Apr 4, 2023Patricia KaramAfter riveting the world in 2011 with a revolution that led to the fall of Muammar Qaddafi, one of the world’s most brutal dictators, Libya has largely receded…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsGeopolitics of Small Islands: The Stalemate of Tiran and Sanafir’s Transfer Impacts Egypt-Saudi Relations
Mar 29, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniIn June 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi consented to ceding sovereignty over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. However, nearly si…
- Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldUS Foreign PolicyUS Middle East Policy: The Trump-Biden Doctrine in Action
Mar 22, 2023Charles W. DunneAll US presidents, it seems, need their own foreign policy “doctrine.” President James Monroe famously started the trend in 1823, and many others—Truman, Eisen…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Success of Tunisian President Kais Saied’s Neofascist Populism
Mar 2, 2023Daniel BrumbergIf there was any doubt that Tunisian President Kais Saied is building a new autocracy on the rubble of Tunisia’s imperfect and short-lived democracy, that doub…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsImpacting Elusive Transitions: Egypt’s Policy Toward Sudan and Libya
Mar 1, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniThe recent political developments in Sudan and Libya have generated some optimism for a potential resolution to the protracted political crises that have plagu…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaClimate and EnvironmentGreen Power Politics in North African Countries: Continuity or Change?
Mar 1, 2023Achref ChibaniIn 2023, environmental and climate issues will again be at the top of the policy agenda in the Middle East and North Africa. The upcoming COP28 climate confere…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt’s Strategic Partnership with China: Opportunities and Implications
Jan 27, 2023Khalil Al-AnaniOn December 8, 2022, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the inaugural China-Ar…
- Policy Analysis
AlgeriaUS Foreign PolicyUS-Algeria Relations Remain Troubled, but Neither Side Wants a Break
Jan 25, 2023Gregory AftandilianRelations between Washington and Algiers have remained at a low point ever since the Trump administration, in its last month in office, recognized Moroccan sov…
- Policy Analysis
TurkeyRegional Relations and GeopoliticsTurkey Faces a Dilemma in its Foreign Policy Toward Libya
Jan 24, 2023Mustafa GurbuzOn January 9, 2023, a Libyan court suspended an energy exploration deal between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) that was or…
- Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldThe War in UkraineArab and Israeli Positions on Ukraine War Continue to Frustrate the US
Jan 18, 2023Charles W. DunneThe positions taken by many governments in the Middle East have proven a notable exception to the global groundswell of support for Kyiv.
- Policy Analysis
The Arab WorldUS Foreign PolicyThe Biden Administration and the Middle East in 2023
Jan 4, 2023Khalil Al-Anani Yara M. Asi Amal Ghazal Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Kristian Coates UlrichsenThe first two years of the Biden administration, although short, have offered insight into the ways in which the reality of governing can clash with declared h…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceOnly Tunisians Can Save Tunisia
Jan 3, 2023Daniel BrumbergWhat if an aspiring autocrat held an election and barely anyone showed up? This question looms large following Tunisia’s December 17 parliamentary election. Wi…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionLibya’s Impasse Continues Amid Mounting Migrant Problems
Dec 21, 2022Gregory AftandilianNearly a year after national elections were supposed to be held in Libya, the country is still not any closer to resolving the deep political and geographical …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptClimate and EnvironmentCOP27 in Egypt: Progress or Stalemate on Climate Justice?
Dec 7, 2022Yara M. AsiSharm el-Sheikh, which just half a century ago was a remote Bedouin fishing village, is now one of Egypt’s premier tourist destinations for visitors from aroun…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsEgypt and the IMF: Greater Foreign Debt and Deeper Economic Decline
Nov 17, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniEgypt reached a new agreement with the IMF to borrow $3 billion over a 46-month period. The Egyptian economy has been struggling over the past couple of years …
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceKais Saied Sets the Stage for Tunisia’s December 17 Elections
Nov 11, 2022Daniel BrumbergAutocrats love elections, so long as they know they will win them, of course. But because they have zero tolerance for uncertainty at the polls, autocratic reg…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human RightsCongress Versus Biden on Foreign Assistance to Egypt
Nov 1, 2022Charles W. DunneThe Egypt Human Rights Caucus would like a word with President Joe Biden. The group, which was formed in January 2021 on the 10th anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 u…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsEgypt-Turkey Relations: Challenges and Future Prospects
Oct 18, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniOver the past two years, several positive signs have emerged in the Egyptian-Turkish relationship that might result in the normalization of diplomatic relation…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsThe Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Limited Options for a Resolution
Sep 16, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniOn August 12, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that his country has now completed the third filling of the reservoir behind its controversial Gran…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionLibya’s Woes Persist in a Fractured Political Landscape
Aug 18, 2022Gregory AftandilianGregory Aftandilian examines the latest developments in Libya following the derailment of parliamentary and presidential elections and the ongoing division and…
- Policy Analysis
MauritaniaJustice, Equality, and Human RightsSlavery in Mauritania: The Long Road to Real Emancipation
Aug 16, 2022Amal GhazalAmal Ghazal discusses the history of slavery in Mauritania, which was officially abolished in 1981, but which regardless remains a political, economic, and soc…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceTunisia’s Three Post-Referendum Political Scenarios
Aug 8, 2022Daniel BrumbergDaniel Brumberg offers three potential political scenarios for Tunisia following the country's July 25 referendum on a new constitution that President Kais Sai…
- Policy Analysis
LevantRegional Relations and GeopoliticsIraq-Jordan-Egypt Entente Moves Ahead Despite the GCC’s Shadow
Jul 19, 2022Gregory AftandilianIn recent years, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan have come together to form a sort of alliance based on shared security, political, and economic interests. Since 2019,…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceTunisia’s New Constitution Will Hasten the Country’s Transition to Autocracy
Jul 14, 2022Daniel BrumbergThe gathering storm provoked by Tunisian President Kais Saied’s attempt to forge a new political system could reach a critical moment on July 25. On that day T…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceEgypt’s National Dialogue: Real Change or Merely a Mirage?
Jul 13, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniSisi’s call for a national dialogue could break through Egypt’s political stasis. However, there are several reasons to believe otherwise.
- Viewpoint
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya’s Belligerent Elites May Doom the Country’s Future
Jul 5, 2022Imad K. HarbOnce again, Libya is falling victim to its political elites’ failure to agree on a long-awaited election mechanism and constitutional provisions that would sec…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptSecurity and DefenseInsurgency in Sinai: Challenges and Prospects
Jun 10, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniIn May 2022, at least 16 Egyptian troops were killed in two separate attacks in the Sinai Peninsula. The attacks were claimed by Wilayat Sinai or Sinai Provinc…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMaghreb-France Relations as Macron Begins Second Term
May 26, 2022Zeidon AlkinaniFor France to remain on good terms with North Africa, it has to be ready to offer concrete assistance and avoid what in many respects have been Macron’s symbol…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelRegional Relations and GeopoliticsMiddle East Leaders Contend with Strains in an Evolving Regional Entente
May 13, 2022Daniel BrumbergIn its unfolding bid to expand ties with Middle East governments, Israel must grapple with a basic challenge: how to ensure that events in the Palestinian-Isra…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptEnergy and EconomicsGulf Countries’ Aid to Egypt: It Is Politics, Not the Economy, Stupid!
May 5, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniOn April 4, 2022, Gulf Arab countries pledged $22 billion to help Egypt avert a currency crisis resulting from the Russian war on Ukraine. The Egyptian pound l…
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernanceKais Saied Continues His Assault on the Tunisian State
Apr 8, 2022Daniel BrumbergIt is difficult to say whether Tunisian President Kais Saied’s March 30 announcement that he is dissolving the country’s parliament represents a turning point …
- Policy Analysis
EgyptThe War in UkraineRussia’s War on Ukraine: Egypt’s Limited Room for Maneuver
Apr 6, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniThe Russian war on Ukraine will have significant impacts on countries in the Middle East, ranging from strategic realignments to energy security and food suppl…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya: A Return to Uncertainty
Mar 16, 2022Imad K. HarbIt appears that all bets are off in Libya. Elections that were scheduled for last December were postponed as competing institutions and individuals interpret p…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptRegional Relations and GeopoliticsSisi Intensifies Arms Imports to Secure External Support for His Policies
Feb 28, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniEgypt has become the third largest arms importer in the world, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The institute’s “Trends i…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human RightsSisi’s Transnational Repression: Silencing Political Dissidents in Exile
Jan 26, 2022Khalil Al-AnaniOn January 6, the FBI arrested Pierre Girgis, an Egyptian American, for spying on critics of Egypt’s president in the United States. According to the US Depart…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya: Political Paralysis and Continued Uncertainty
Jan 11, 2022Gregory AftandilianGregory Aftandilian writes that the postponement of Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections has helped plunge the country into another crisis that thr…













































































