MEC - Security

The Devil is in the Details

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 15:06:38 +0000

Conspiracy theories about the Charlie Hebdo attacks have come to the fore in France, blaming the secret service, Mossad, and the United States.

The Fight for Mosul: Learning From the Past

Renad Mansour — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 21:33:01 +0000

The Islamic State will only be ousted from Iraq’s second largest city if Sunni tribal forces join the fight. That will require rebuilding their trust in Baghdad.

A Dead Hostage is More Valuable to ISIL

Mario Abou Zeid — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 14:02:59 +0000

The value of hostages to the Islamic State depends on the potential for their execution to be exploited.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Role in Syria

Raphaël Lefèvre — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 15:10:00 +0000

The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood had been in exile for a long time, so it had to work very hard to gain a measure of influence on the Syrian uprisings.

The Battle for Libya’s Oil

Frederic Wehrey — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 23:01:48 +0000

Nearly three and a half years after Libyan rebels and a NATO air campaign overthrew Muammar al-Qaddafi, the cohesive political entity known as Libya doesn’t exist. There is no central government, but rather two competing claims on legitimacy and sovereignty.

Mutual Escalation in Egypt

Mokhtar Awad, Nathan Brown — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 18:35:25 +0000

Egypt may be upon a new and deadlier phase in which the extremists on each side fulfill their prophecies of a fight to the death between good and evil.

ISIS Claims American Hostage Killed in Airstrikes

Lina Khatib, Andrew Liepman, Borzou Daragahi, Jeremy Herb — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 10:17:18 +0000

The Islamic State says that a female American hostage in Syria has been killed during a Jordanian airstrike.

Radicalism in the Arab World

Marwan Muasher — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 16:35:34 +0000

Building stability and prosperity is going to take a lot more work than military strikes.

Charlie-Hebdo, France’s Secularism, Islam, and Us All

Joseph Bahout — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:48:33 +0000

In Europe and the West at large, the likes of the Kouachi brothers are the product of a long and sinuous history tying the two shores of the Mediterranean together.

Jordan’s Role in the Fight Against ISIS

Marwan Muasher — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 16:31:32 +0000

A strategy of political openness and economic opportunity must be put hand-in-hand with the military campaign against the Islamic State.

Engaging in Politics, Assad-Style

Yezid Sayigh — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 12:22:56 +0000

The Assad regime’s belief that, by hanging tough, it will compel the United States both to accept its terms and make its regional allies follow suit is a high-risk gamble.

Jordan's Executions of Jihadists Could Backfire

Lina Khatib — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 12:20:18 +0000

Jordan’s revenge marks a major shift in the war against the Islamic State and is likely to change the nature of the actors in the Syrian conflict.

What’s the Future of Jordan’s Involvement in IS Fight?

Lina Khatib — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 10:20:24 +0000

Jordan is currently calling for intensified strikes against the Islamic State in response to the execution of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

Jordan’s War With ISIS

Marwan Muasher — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 21:26:13 +0000

The fight against the Islamic State is an ideological battle as much as it is a military one.

Building a Better Post-Oslo Era

Nathan Brown — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 19:30:20 +0000

The United States and Europe should encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to use international organizations and law as an alternative to violence.

Lebanese Presidential Elections

Mario Abou Zeid — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 16:12:27 +0000

Eight months of continuous presidential vacuum is bad news for the future of Lebanon’s democracy and stability.

Why ISIS Did Not Entirely Lose in Kobane

Lina Khatib — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 12:58:55 +0000

The Kurdish town of Kobane has been declared free of the Islamic State. But despite failing in its endeavor to control Kobane, the Islamic State is not a clear loser in this battle.

One (Difficult) Step to Curbing Extremism

Sarah Chayes — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:19:39 +0000

If Western officials truly mean to curb the underlying drivers of extremism, corruption is a good—and remarkably overlooked—place to start.

Jordan Finds ‘No Compromise Is Possible’ With Islamic State

Marwan Muasher — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:09:48 +0000

The Islamic State needs to be fought militarily, but the underlying causes of frustration and marginalization also have to be addressed.

Libya’s War-Weary Make Peace?

Frederic Wehrey — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 20:36:34 +0000

Misrata offers reasons for guarded optimism when it comes to Libya’s future as a unified state.

Triumph of the Bureaucracy: A Decade of Aborted Social and Political Change in Egypt

Amr Adly — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 12:50:50 +0000

The developing military-backed regime under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signals the triumph of the Egyptian bureaucracy.

Has Egyptian President Sisi’s Approach in Sinai Failed?

Maha Yahya, Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Mohamed Khairat — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 08:05:52 +0000

The heavy crackdown in Sinai is being questioned after repeated attacks by armed groups in the peninsula.

Sarah Chayes’ Extended Interview With Jon Stewart

Sarah Chayes — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 17:53:45 +0000

From the Islamic State in Iraq to Boko Haram in Nigeria, corruption lies at the root of many of today’s international crises.

Obama’s Pivot to Iran

David Rothkopf — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:17:01 +0000

President Obama’s big legacy could be seen as empowering Tehran.

Transitions and Security in North Africa: External and Internal Factors

Laryssa Chomiak, Robert Parks, Yezid Sayigh, Frederic Wehrey — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Four years after efforts to topple authoritarian regimes in North Africa, the road to democratic governance is still incomplete.