Interview with Indian Ambassador (ret.) Ranjit Gupta: Cairo, Egypt — The First Posting (1965-1968)
Even before I left India for Cairo, I had the impression that there was a special relationship between India and Egypt. Indeed, within a few weeks of my arrival in Cairo, I found tangible manifestations that it was indeed so and discovered many more in due course.
Companies from Asia are beating their European and American rivals in investments in Iraq. Being more prone to risk-taking, they are cashing in on the opportunity to establish businesses that would be profitable in the long-term.
Reconciliation Efforts in Iraq—Reversals and Paradoxes
For the benefits of reconstruction to take hold in today’s Iraq, it is essential to avoid oversimplified arguments that merely “fixing” ethno-sectarian tensions will be sufficient to attain the goal of political stability. A broader approach, which recognizes the country’s current ethno-sectarian polarization as both a symptom and a cause of instability would be a far more appropriate means of addressing the deep-rooted problems faced by Iraqis since 2003.
Migration Agreements between Italy and North Africa: Domestic Imperatives versus International Norms
The upheavals which spread across North Africa in 2011 changed the political map of the region. With the downfall of longstanding rulers, the European Union has sought to re-launch a policy dialogue informed by an awareness of human rights issues and to support the process of democratic transition in its Mediterranean neighbors.
This Opinion was first published on Reuters.com on October 11, 2012
Assertions and opinions in this policy paper are solely those of the above-mentioned author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy.
Introduction to Iraq's Refugees and IDP Crisis: Human Toll and Implications
Originally posted July 2008
In the comparatively short time since the establishment of the Iraqi state in 1920, the country has experienced successive waves of forced migration. Yet the magnitude of the forced displacement of Iraqis from their homes since 2003 is unprecedented. In addition to the still dire humanitarian situation are the potentially far-reaching negative implications of the refugee/IDP crisis for the future of Iraq and the Middle East as a whole.
Iraq’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Scale, Plight, and Prospects
Originally posted July 2008
Over the past several decades, and especially in the past two years, Iraq has suffered from one of the worst displacement crises in the world.
While new displacement has slowed to a trickle in 2008, the conditions of those already displaced continue to deteriorate, and prospects for those returning to their homes are grim. The plight of internally displaced Iraqis and those who have crossed international borders in search of refuge remains largely unknown and unaddressed.
After Benghazi: Diplomacy With a State; War Within
This article was first published by The Huffington Post on October 2, 2012
Assertions and opinions in this publication are solely those of the above-mentioned author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Middle East Institute, which expressly does not take positions on Middle East policy.
Libya, the third largest country in the African continent (1.75 million km²), shares 4,400 km of border with six other countries, four of which are Arab countries. It has a vast coastal area on the Mediterranean (nearly 2,000 km). For such a large country, its population density is very thin — there are barely six million inhabitants.
