Key takeaways for NATO and the Middle East from the Washington Summit Declaration
At the Washington Summit, NATO member states mostly focused on efforts to counter Russia and to support Ukraine. However, the 2024 summit communiqué also addresses non-Euro-Atlantic risks and opportunities, based on the idea that “conflict, fragility and instability” elsewhere directly affects NATO security.
Wide gap between the Egyptian government’s rosy figures and the economic hardship suffered by millions
For Egyptian officials, June should have been a month to celebrate. And yet none of the seeming macroeconomic successes that the government recorded brought much reassurance to the average Egyptian, who has continued to experience currency shortages, an unreliable energy grid, and fears of a resurgent spike in inflation.
الناتو وشمال أفريقيا والساحل: تسوية مثلث انعدام الأمن
مع احتفال حلف الناتو بمرور 75 عامًا على تأسيسه، سيجتمع أعضاء الحلف في واشنطن العاصمة في الفترة من 9 إلى 11 يوليو لعقد قمة تاريخية. ومن بين القضايا الرئيسية على جدول الأعمال معالجة التهديدات الحادة الناشئة عن منطقة البحر الأسود واعتماد نهج استراتيجي تجاه الشرق الأوسط وأفريقيا.
On the Eve of the Washington Summit: Shoring up NATO’s Vulnerable Flanks
On July 9-11, Washington will host the leaders of NATO’s 32 member states for a special anniversary summit, celebrating 75 years since the Alliance’s founding. But the NATO heads of state and government are unlikely to spend much time reminiscing. Their agenda will be full, spanning from Ukraine, Russia, wars in the Middle East, China, terrorism, cyber threats, NATO enlargement, boosting Allied capabilities, freedom of navigation around the world, nuclear deterrence, and more.
New EU aid and investment in Egypt linked to migration control
On June 29, at an aid and investment conference in Cairo, Egypt and the EU reached a €1 billion investment deal, and over 20 MoUs, collectively worth approximately €40 billion in private investment, were signed on the sidelines. Little mention has been made of migration in the new European agreement with Egypt, but there is little doubt that it is a pivotal factor.
While the Washington Summit is unlikely to deliver any ground-breaking outcome, it certainly offers the opportunity to articulate the nexus between security in Europe and the Mediterranean-African region. NATO also has the opportunity to renew and streamline its partnerships with Middle Eastern and North African countries while strengthening its outreach to Africa.
ليبيا تظل مفتاح الناتو لمواجهة الأنشطة الروسية الخبيثة في أفريقيا
قبل ثماني سنوات، لم يكن أحد يتوقع أن روسيا ستتوسع في أفريقيا بهذه السرعة والشمولية. واليوم، هناك إدراك واسع النطاق للتهديد الذي يشكله التوسع الروسي المزعزع للاستقرار في أفريقيا على حلف الناتو وأعضائه والمنطقة الأفريقية.
New US pier off Gaza holds opportunities beyond humanitarian aid
The new U.S. pier off Gaza is back in operational mode, after breaking apart and undergoing a week of repairs. Despite the rocky start, this American initiative could serve as a steppingstone towards a new, more peaceful, post-war Israeli-Palestinian reality. But for this to happen, the U.S. will need to leverage opportunities, address regional skepticism and bring the Palestinians on board.
Migration in North Africa: EU Engagement & Policies
MEI’s North Africa & the Sahel Program Director Intissar Fakir and Guillaume Soto-Mayor discuss Soto-Mayor’s paper “Libya, Tunisia, and Niger as Case Studies for Counter-Productive Anti-Migration Policies” – including how EU policies reinforce criminal patterns and empower illicit networks in these areas.
To assist government policymakers faced with a plethora of “day after” plans for Gaza, the following proposes a framework for how to consider and decide among such proposals.
