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- Policy AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Kais 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 AnalysisThe Arab WorldUS Domestic Politics and Elections
Middle 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 AnalysisEgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisLibyaDemocracy and Governance
Libya: 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 AnalysisEgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Egypt, 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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Normalization 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 AnalysisThe Arab WorldRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Important 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 AnalysisEgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Egypt 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…
- ViewpointEgyptUS Foreign Policy
The 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 AnalysisAlgeriaDemocracy and Governance
In 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 AnalysisLibyaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
The 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 AnalysisEgyptEnergy and Economics
Egypt 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 CornerTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Disinformation 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 AnalysisNorth AfricaSecurity and Defense
The 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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Rebuilding 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 AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Despite 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 AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Egypt 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 AnalysisMoroccoDemocracy and Governance
Morocco’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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Tunisia’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 AnalysisSudanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Kais 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 AnalysisThe Arab WorldGlobal Health and Health Policy
Challenges 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…
- ViewpointEgyptThe War in Ukraine
The 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 AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Can 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 AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Geopolitics 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 AnalysisThe Arab WorldUS Foreign Policy
US 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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Impacting 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 AnalysisNorth AfricaClimate and Environment
Green 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 AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Egypt’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 AnalysisAlgeriaUS Foreign Policy
US-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 AnalysisTurkeyRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Turkey 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 AnalysisThe Arab WorldThe War in Ukraine
Arab 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 AnalysisLevantUS Foreign Policy
The 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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Only 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 AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Libya’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 AnalysisEgyptClimate and Environment
COP27 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 AnalysisEgyptEnergy and Economics
Egypt 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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Kais 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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Congress 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 AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Egypt-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 AnalysisEgyptConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The 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 AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Libya’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 AnalysisMauritaniaJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Slavery 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 AnalysisTunisiaDemocracy and Governance
Tunisia’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 AnalysisLevantRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Iraq-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 AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Tunisia’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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’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.
- ViewpointLibyaDemocracy and Governance
Libya’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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Insurgency 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 AnalysisAlgeriaRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Maghreb-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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Middle 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 AnalysisEgyptEnergy and Economics
Gulf 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 AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Kais 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 AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Russia’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 AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Libya: 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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Sisi 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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Sisi’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 AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Libya: 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…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Can Tunisia’s Leaders Forge a New Democratic Bargain?
Dec 29, 2021Daniel BrumbergNothing captures Tunisia’s crisis of democracy better than this act: the sentencing, in absentia, of former President Moncef Marzouki to four years in prison. …
- Policy AnalysisSudanRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Sudan Coup: The Regional Interference behind a Faltering Transition
Dec 11, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn October 25, 2021, Sudan’s General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan staged a coup, declared a state of emergency, dissolved the power-sharing Sovereign Council, sacked…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptReligion and Politics
Agreements and Tensions in US-Egyptian Relations
Dec 2, 2021Sahar KhamisThe US-Egypt strategic dialogue was held in Washington, DC in early November between Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his American counterpart, Secre…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Is Tunisia Transitioning to a Liberalized Autocracy?
Nov 18, 2021Daniel BrumbergIf in the coming months Tunisia undergoes a transition, given current conditions, it will probably not be along a path back to democracy. Indeed, while Preside…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Uncertainty Overshadows Libya’s Elections
Nov 11, 2021Imad K. HarbThe agreement governing Libya’s advancement toward presidential and legislative elections, which are slated to be held in December, ran into serious trouble th…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Western Sahara Figures Prominently in Algeria-Morocco Tensions
Nov 4, 2021Hasni Abidi Aboubakr JamaiAlgeria’s Reasons for Its Dispute with MoroccoHasni Abidi is Senior Lecturer at Geneva University and Director of the Centre d’Étude et de Recherche sur le Mon…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptReligion and Politics
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Old Problems and New Divisions
Nov 3, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniSince its removal from power in 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt continues to face many problems and challenges. Having always prided itself on being the …
- Policy AnalysisNorth Africa
Saied’s New Decree Deepens Tunisia’s Crisis
Oct 7, 2021Daniel BrumbergTwo telling events unfolded in Tunisia on October 3rd. The first was a demonstration by thousands of flag-waving citizens proclaiming their support for Preside…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptRegional Relations and Geopolitics
Growing Relations between Egypt and Russia: Strategic Alliance or Marriage of Convenience?
Sep 27, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn August 22nd, Egypt’s Minister of Defense and Military Production Mohammad Zaki made a trip to Russia with a high-level military delegation. Zaki attended th…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Arab Women Political Prisoners Jailed by US Middle East Allies
Sep 9, 2021Sahar KhamisWhen President Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20th as the 46th president of the United States, America’s friends in particular hoped that his administration…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Risky Business: Kais Saied’s Regional Alliances
Aug 20, 2021Daniel BrumbergThree weeks after President Kais Saied used Article 80 of the constitution to impose what can be called a ‘state of exceptionalism,’ Tunisians are waiting for …
- Policy AnalysisEgyptClimate and Environment
Will Egypt Live with GERD as a Bitter Reality?
Aug 19, 2021Khalil Al-AnaniOn July 19, Ethiopia announced that it had completed the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). This unilateral step had been rejected b…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Kais Saied Can Either Save or Destroy Tunisia’s Democracy
Jul 27, 2021Daniel BrumbergThe political earthquake that rocked Tunisia July 25th—65 years after the country’s independence from France—seems all too familiar. Declaring that he was dete…