By Fahd Makhtul MENA The rulers of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have taken the lead to shore up the new regime in Egypt. The two countries together are to provide nearly $8 billion in the form of goods, grants, and loans. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia ordered an aid package totaling nearly $5 Read more
Continue ReadingTunisia at a crossroads by Genevieve Theodorakis* A primary driver of the Tunisian revolution was the unanimous call for freedom of expression and mass participation in national politics. With the demise of the Ben Ali regime, Tunisians hoped their liberation would remove controls on freedom of speech and freedom of the press and further expand Read more
Continue ReadingHenelito A. Sevilla, Jr The Arab uprisings are redefining the political landscape of the Middle East and North African region. Despite recent transitional political processes being experienced by some Arab countries, chaos, uncertainty, fear, cases of sexual abuses against women, and struggle for power by sectarian groups still describe the general condition of affected countries Read more
Continue Readingby Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr. The complexity of issues surrounding the Syrian civil war requires not only diplomatic negotiations at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) but also through multilevel consultations of many important actors that have significantly contributed to either finding the solution or to worsening of the problem. What we have seen in Read more
Continue Readingby Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr.* Recent development in Iranian presidential election demonstrate that socio-economic forces in the country were invisibly making serious efforts to make sure that a newly- elected president will address the pressing economic hardship being experienced by Iranian people. Such an economic hardship was a result of both Iranian previous government misguided Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Not all observers of Middle East affairs should be surprised by the handover of “Emirship” in Qatar. Although it is refreshing to see an Arab ruler step aside without an act of God (death), a coup, or a Spring. According to Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the transfer is a natural Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* If stability in the Middle East is important for the U.S. national security, and if Iran is a major force in the region, it follows that the U.S. administration ought to diplomatically engage Iran to stabilize the region and decrease the tension that threatens world peace and security. On June 15, Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* After convening his national security team to discuss the crisis in Syria, President Obama decided to officially authorize the transfer of weapons to the Syrian rebels. The decision is a gamble with U.S. credibility. Moreover, the release of information, via anonymous sources, shows the fragility of the U.S. administration’s position and Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* The wide-spreading protest movement in Turkey is bringing up the irresistible analogy: Taksim Square is for Turkey what Tahrir Square is for Egypt. Considering that Tahrir Square events were the extension of the protest movement that started it all from Tunisia, it follows that the turmoil in Turkey is similar to Read more
Continue ReadingBy Noureddine Jebnoun* On May 19, the Tunisian government banned Ansar al- Sharia (Supporters of Sharia), a Salafist group, claiming to be jihadist, from holding its third annual rally in Kairouan – a city located 114 miles south-central of Tunis and which houses the mosque of the general Uqba Ibn Nafa‘a, the “conqueror of Africa” Read more
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