Original essays, research notes, and reports
Geneva-1 was a meeting called by the Peace Envoy Lakdar Brahimi, 14 foreign ministers and heads of intergovernmental organizations attended. At the conclusion of that meeting, they issued a statement, which was then used as the basis for Geneva-2, which brought together, for the fist time, representatives of the Syrian government and representatives of one Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* On January 14, Tunisians will celebrate their revolution, which ignited a wave of protest that swept most of the Arab world. For this third anniversary, the Salvation Front, representing key leaders from political parties and civil society, gave the Tunisian people and the Arab masses a set of rare gifts: Read more
Continue ReadingThe Tunisian National Constituent Assembly issued a draft constitution on Dec. 14, 2012. Civil society representatives in six of Tunisia’s 24 municipalities met with assembly members to discuss the text later that month. The National Constituent Assembly launched the initiative with the United Nations to “enhance citizens’ participation in the debate.” The following is a Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* ISIS fighters executing a civilian On November 14, 2013, Abd al-Kader al-Saleh, commander of the powerful Tawhid Brigades, died. He was injured in an earlier airstrike that killed several of his group’s top leaders. In a matter of days, al-Tawhid Brigades—one of the armed wings of the Muslim Read more
Continue Readingby Ahmed E. Souaiaia* Future of Syria: not bringing this crisis under control now could divide Syria along ethnic and sectarian fault lines. Since 2012, many observers and scholars familiar with the Syrian crisis have advised against arming Syrian rebels and warned about the risks of turning that country into a powder keg, Read more
Continue Reading(Arabic Text) Part 1: The state Article 1 The Arab Republic of Egypt is a sovereign state, united, indivisible and inalienable. Its governance system is democratic and based on citizenship and the rule of law. The Egyptian people are part of the Arab world, work toward its integration and unification. Egypt is a part of Read more
Continue ReadingFull Text of Iran-Powers Nuclear Deal Geneva, 24 November 2013 Joint Plan of Action Preamble The goal for these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful. Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek or develop any nuclear weapons. This comprehensive Read more
Continue Readingby Jacob Havel As the trial for deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi continues, his supporters and Egyptian military forces are both on high alert. Morsi has been charged with inciting violence and murder during large protests outside the presidential palace last December. Brotherhood leaders have called for and received massive protests over the trial, which Read more
Continue ReadingThe Umayyad Syndrome by Ahmed E. Souaiaia* For more than seventy years, Saudi Arabia has cultivated the image of a state run by level-headed, moderate, wise, deliberate, and cool-headed leaders. Publicly, its diplomats gave the impression that the Kingdom would chose dialogue over confrontation, moderation over extremism, and reconciliation over antagonism. Wikileaks unveiled the Read more
Continue Readingby Hassan Masiky* Sahara Behind Spain’s European veil is a country struggling to deal with its painful history. Catalonians’ quest for independence exposes Spaniards’ agony over Franco’s legacy and the destructive historical ramifications of the dictator’s actions in Europe and North Africa. For Moroccans, Madrid’s opposition to Catalans’ rights to self-determination while Spain supports the Read more
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