In the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 9, Donald J. Trump crossed the necessary threshold of 270 electoral votes and became the President-elect of the United States of America. At noon on Friday, 20 January 2017, Mr. Trump will take the oath administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the west Read More >
Tunisia
Do African Lives Matter for African Leaders?
Africans have grown accustomed to the West ignoring their suffering. This is hardly a new phenomenon. Consider the fact that Belgian King Leopold II’s atrocities were historically ignored in Europe at the time and barely get a footnote in recent European books on its African colonies. To be clear, 15 million Congolese were murdered and Read More >
The Tumultuous Transition
As Tunisia nears the sixth year of its 2011 popular revolution, the most challenging question is whether these massive protests led to a real change in the lives of the people. Although democratization could not come overnight, the unique successful transition in the Arab World, as it is thought of by many leaders in the Read More >
China is Diving into the Gulf, But For How Long?
It’s getting harder for Beijing to sell the story of non-interference in affairs of sovereign states.Like most other major global powers that have preceded it, China is becoming entangled in the Middle East. A friendlier region to its interests than its own neighborhood in East Asia, China found in the Middle East an attractive zone Read More >
Media and Governance of The Security Sector in Tunisia
The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces(DCAF) launched the 2nd edition of Media and security sector governance in Tunisia. This edition contains the new relevant texts regarding the regulation of media activity in Tunisia adopted since the launch of the first edition at the end 2014. The most important texts focus on: the organic Read More >
Countering Violent Extremism In The MENA Region
According to the Soufan Group’s latest report, between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters (FFs) had travelled to Syria and Iraq as of December 2015. More than half (16,000) come from the MENA region. Five years after the Arab uprisings, these figures contrast with the commitments made by the governments in the region to establish a Read More >
Islamic State and the Coming Global Confrontation – Book Review
This book analyzes the origins and organizational structure of Islamic State (IS), examining its military triumphs and success in securing new recruits via social media. From its base in Iraq and Syria, IS has spread globally with 17 regional affiliates from Indonesia to Nigeria and sleeper cells in at least 60 countries, capable of atrocities Read More >
Inside The Hearts and Minds of Arab Youth
The 8th Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2016 was conducted by international polling firm PSB to explore attitudes among Arab youth in 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. PSB conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews from January 11 to February 22, 2016 with Arab men and women in the age group of 18 Read More >
The Rise of Islamism in Africa
When Hassan al-Turabi, Africa’s leading proponent of political Islam and the man who hosted Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders in Sudan in the 1990s, expresses concern regarding the rise of militant Islam in Africa, the world better pay attention. Interviewed by Yaroslav Trofimov of the Wall Street Journal, Hassan al-Turabi noted that Read More >