MEC - Maghreb

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thinking Only About Security Is Not a Long-Term Solution

Richard Youngs — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:30:53 +0000

Without a stable political environment, democracy will not take root in the Middle East and North Africa. But thinking only about security is not a long-term solution either.

An Arab World Without Politics

Lina Khatib — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 09:29:29 +0000

As the Arab Spring approaches its fourth anniversary, the Arab world generally is at risk of heading towards a future without politics.

Mosul on the Mediterranean? The Islamic State in Libya and U.S. Counterterrorism Dilemmas

Frederic Wehrey — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 23:34:23 +0000

Like everything else in the country, the jihadist field in Libya is highly fragmented and hyper-localized. And the rise of the Islamic State has stirred significant debates within this fractured community about how to respond.

Fourth Anniversary of the Influential Tunisian Revolution That Sparked the ‘Arab Spring’

Frederic Wehrey — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 03:08:34 +0000

While the tribal, sectarian, and ethnic mosaic of the region is one aspect of why democracy has not taken hold in the Arab world, more important is the lack of experience in governing institutions.

The Right To Have Rights

Maha Yahya — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 13:15:11 +0000

Universal human rights can provide a framework through which the indivisibility of social, economic, political, and cultural rights may be argued and the struggle for these rights may take place.

Militaries, Civilians, and the Crisis of the Arab State

Yezid Sayigh — Mon, 08 Dec 2014 08:21:09 +0000

The civil-military relationship has proven central to the politics of many Arab countries, both those that underwent transition in 2011 and those that did not.

Tunisia’s Security Challenge

Lina Khatib — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:24:07 +0000

As Tunisia prepares to enter a new phase in its process of democratization, two key challenges face the country’s government: the economy and security.

Are There Lessons to be Learnt From Algeria’s Past?

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 09:01:03 +0000

The tactics of decay and infiltration, used by the Algerian authorities when confronted with the Armed Islamic Group in the 1990s, could prove useful in countering the Islamic State’s threat in Syria and Iraq.

Tunisia’s Elections Triumph Over Security Fears

Lina Khatib — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 18:49:25 +0000

Despite the challenges faced, the 2014 parliamentary elections were a landmark in the history of Tunisia and a step in the right direction as the country embarks on its journey toward democratization.

Tunisia Treads Cautiously Over Energy Reform in Postrevolution Recovery

Carole Nakhle — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:58:34 +0000

Tunisia ignited the Arab Spring nearly four years ago and has developed into a well-functioning society. But it remains in the grip of political instability and its economic recovery is frail.

Is Libya a Proxy War?

Frederic Wehrey — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:01:04 +0000

In many respects, the war of narratives underway in Libya is a mirror of the polarization that is underway in the Gulf itself and in the broader Arab world.

Rabat’s Undoing

Intissar Fakir, Maati Monjib — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 21:57:57 +0000

The Arab Spring–driven 2011 constitutional reforms may be changing Morocco’s political system more than anticipated. Namely, it has allowed Morocco’s governing Islamist party to increase the palace’s political accountability.

U.S.-Arab Counterterrorism Cooperation in a Region Ripe for Extremism

Michele Dunne, Frederic Wehrey — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:40:08 +0000

Many Arab governments are fueling the very extremism they purport to fight and looking for U.S. cover. Washington should play the long game.

Libya’s Legitimacy Crisis

Frederic Wehrey, Wolfram Lacher — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:31:51 +0000

At its core, the fighting in Libya is about two centers of power vying for the mantle of legitimacy in a country devoid of any workable institutions.

IS in Algeria: Serious Threat or Publicity Stunt?

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 07:55:59 +0000

The latest act of violence in Algeria may be part of a pattern of opportunism for the leader of Jund El Khalifa rather than an indication of Islamic State presence.

Ending Libya’s Civil War: Reconciling Politics, Rebuilding Security

Frederic Wehrey — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:06:44 +0000

With a domestic landscape torn apart by competing claims to power and with interference from regional actors serving to entrench divides, restoring stability in Libya and building a unified security structure will be difficult if not impossible without broad-based political reconciliation.

Avoiding Old Mistakes in the New Game of Islamic Politics

Nathan Brown — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 18:14:50 +0000

The U.S. leadership and foreign policy community are ill-equipped to understand the non-military aspects of the struggle against the Islamic State.

The New Arab Wars

Yezid Sayigh — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 13:51:42 +0000

An unprecedented number of Arab countries are in the midst of large-scale armed conflict. The patterns of these Arab wars are revealing new dynamics and impacts.

Women and Jihad

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 08:28:15 +0000

Women, who not only offer moral support, but also combatant support in the field, contribute—directly or indirectly—to an industry of death, as they strive for the inexorable march of jihadism, and the extermination of those they see as “impious” and “apostates.”

Backdrop to an Intervention: Sources of Egyptian-Libyan Border Tension

Frederic Wehrey, David Bishop, Ala’ Alrababa’h — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 22:16:02 +0000

Egypt and its Gulf backers need to end their harmful meddling in Libya’s affairs under the guise of counterterrorism. It is destabilizing both Libya and Egypt.

UAE Airstrike on Libya Without U.S. Approval “a Very Big Deal”

Frederic Wehrey — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 15:12:23 +0000

It is unusual for a U.S. ally to launch airstrikes without informing the United States.