After over a decade of division between rival factions in eastern and western Libya, the Trump administration has put forward a plan to unite the two sides through a power-sharing agreement. Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Jonathan M. Winer to unpack the details of this proposal and its potential consequences for the Libyan people. Winer, who served as United States Special Envoy for Libya, offers analysis of the plan’s viability, the response of various actors on the ground, and whether it can stabilize the country and help resolve its deep-seated challenges.
The Far Reach of the Iran War: Food Insecurity from North Africa to the Sahel
Within weeks of the Strait of Hormuz closure, fertilizer prices began to rise sharply. Tanker traffic through the strait, which handles one-third of the global fertilizer trade, fell by 90%. Across North Africa the impacts are multiplying, and this is having ripple effects for the Sahel in the south, adding to food price inflation, migration pressures, and the erosion of state legitimacy. The situation underscores how food security is a governance issue compounded by geopolitical crisis.
Battered but Still Standing, Egypt Tries to Weather the Economic Ravages of the Iran War
While Egypt is not in the direct line of fire in the US-Israeli war with Iran, its economy is acutely vulnerable to the conflict. In addition to the rising energy prices and shortages that have affected much of the world, it also struggled with issues that reflected its economy’s own underlying structural vulnerabilities.
Disease, destruction, flooded fields, and hunger: The far-reaching consequence of the Kakhovka dam collapse in Ukraine
Last week’s collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in Ukraine is one of the largest environmental disaster the Black Sea region and Europe has faced in decades. Its far-reaching environmental, economic, and humanitarian consequences will affect not just Ukraine and the Black Sea region, but also the Middle East and Africa.
Defense Rapid Reaction: Proposed reforms to the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process
In the latest installment of the Defense Rapid Reaction series, experts from MEI’s Defense & Security Program provide their views on what reforms to the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process could or should accomplish and how an improved approach to approving foreign arms sales can strengthen U.S. relations with international partners and allies.
The Risk of Violent Inter-Communal Spillover in West Africa: Realities and Prescriptions
The Sahel region of West Africa suffers from escalating cycles of inter-communal violence that have resulted in countless deaths of innocent people. As this worsening situation continues to spread, it has come to be one of the most prominent threats to security and socio-political stability in the region.
The failure of partner-led, US-enabled policy in the Horn of Africa: The case study of Somalia
Rather than addressing the critical gaps in Somalia’s security, President Hassan Sheikh has chosen to prioritize nation-building over state-building, diverting scarce resources needed to stabilize areas liberated from al-Shabaab. The Biden administration has enabled President Sheikh’s nation-building project through its partner-led, U.S.-enabled approach.
Shifting sentiments in the Sahel: Anti-France or pro-Russia?
In recent months, fervent anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in Burkina Faso and Mali. In February 2023, the Burkinabe army announced the end of the French Sabre Force in the West African country. This came three weeks after the transitional government withdrew from the 2018 defense agreements with France that had previously allowed 400 French troops to be stationed in a cantonment outside of the capital, Ouagadougou.
Navigating complex maritime security challenges in the Black and Mediterranean seas: Insights from the updated EUMSS
Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine helped influence the updated European Maritime Security Strategy’s approach to the Black and Mediterranean seas, with implicit and explicit references to the war dispersed throughout the document. The updated EUMSS showcases the wide array of security issues present in the region, including seaborne UXOs, human and drug trafficking, and threats to critical infrastructure. But security in the Black and Mediterranean seas will require greater cooperation with non-EU countries.
As fighting in Sudan rages, Russia’s primary goal is to ensure authoritarian rule
Although Russia has vested interests in the Burhan-Hemedti conflict, it is unlikely to actively pursue a blanket destabilization strategy in Sudan. Instead, it is likely to balance close ties with both warring parties and continue actively opposing a democratic transition in Sudan.
المؤسسات الحكومية الجديدة في تونس، الشرعية، ومستقبل التحول السياسي
أجرى الرئيس التونسي قيس سعيد إصلاحات في هيكل الحكومة التونسية، مما أثار مخاوف من تراجع الديمقراطية في هذا البلد الشمال أفريقي. وسط الاضطرابات الاقتصادية المستمرة وتفاقم مشكلة الهجرة، يتساءل الكثيرون عما إذا كان لا يزال من الممكن الحفاظ على الديمقراطية في تونس. تنضم شيراز أربي وليليا بليز إلى انتصار فقير، مديرة برنامج شمال إفريقيا والساحل في معهد الشرق الأوسط، لمناقشة الوضع السياسي الحالي ومستقبل تونس.
أثار تصريح الرئيس قيس سعيد خلال خطاب ألقاه في 6 أبريل/نيسان، والذي ادعى فيه رفضه للشروط، أو "الإنفاذ"، كما أسماها، المرتبطة بقرض محتمل من صندوق النقد الدولي، جدلاً واسعاً. ويبدو أن ردود الفعل على الخطاب وكذلك الإجراءات التي اتخذها المسؤولون التونسيون قبله وبعده تتعارض مع مقصده، مما تسبب في إرباك حول ما إذا كانت الصفقة لا تزال قائمة. وفي الوقت نفسه، اعتبر آخرون الخطاب علامة على أن تونس تدرس بجدية إمكانية وجود بدائل لتمويل صندوق النقد الدولي أو حتى إعادة توجيه جيوسياسي.
Getting ahead of the Middle East’s climate refugee conundrum
Over the coming decades, the worsening effects of climate change will increasingly displace many millions of vulnerable people in the Middle East and North Africa, and many of these refugees will attempt to relocate to the Global North. To avert such a monumental looming problem requires pragmatic solutions and their swift implementation.
تُعد المجلة الرئيسية لمعهد الشرق الأوسط أقدم مطبوعة محكّمة مكرّسة لدراسة الشرق الأوسط الحديث، وتغطي المجلة الرئيسية في المعهد السياسة والمجتمع والثقافة في المنطقة.
