In The News

Guide to Reform the Middle East? Try East Asia

Humphrey Hawksley April 20, 2011
Opposition movements in the Middle East and North Africa enjoyed early successes in Tunisia and Egypt, yet the struggle proves hard in Syria, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. The outcomes – new democracies or brutal crackdowns – could alter the region’s relationships in unimaginable ways. East Asia is a model of what can go wrong then right: US failure to deliver democracy to Vietnam four decades ago...

How African Is the Arab Revolution?

Khaled Diab April 7, 2011
Kenyans closely follow news of the revolts in North Africa, reports journalist Khaled Diab in an essay for the Mail & Guardian, and some question if the unrest could spread to sub-Saharan Africa. Countries across Africa share demographic trends, including masses of young people, high unemployment rates and authoritarian leaders. However, tribal divisions and limits on internet communications...

Jasmine, Mideast and Beyond

Nayan Chanda March 22, 2011
Brutal crackdowns on demonstrators in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain may temporarily quiet the protests, but the anger and yearning for rights have not vanished, contends Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online in an essay for the Times of India. He warns, “the mix of combustibles that fuelled the Middle East fire are still smoldering.” Decades of repressive rule, widening income inequality and high...

Libya: When Bombs Fall and Allies Fall Apart

Dilip Hiro March 21, 2011
Protests in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi, in power for 42 years, began in mid-February. As Gaddafi’s repression turned increasingly brutal, calls emerged within the Middle East, Europe and the US for limited intervention – a no-fly zone to stop his forces from launching aerial attacks against civilians and rebels. Decision-makers were divided: Among the concerns was reinforcing the impression...

How to Get Gaddafi

Niall Ferguson March 18, 2011
“The reality is that very few revolutions, good or bad, succeed without some foreign assistance,” argues historian Niall Ferguson in an essay for Newsweek. The French aided George Washington with the US revolution; the Soviets armed Mao – and since this essay was published, the UN Security Council voted to authorize military action against Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Without foreign support,...

Religion May Not Dominate Post-Revolutionary Middle East

Endy M. Bayuni March 11, 2011
Arabs throughout the Middle East and North Africa long for the basic freedoms taken for granted in the West. With governments overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt and unrest raging elsewhere in the region, analysts worry about religious motivations and how these might influence governance. Such a narrow focus is misdirected, explains Endy M. Bayuni, visiting fellow with the East-West Center. The...

Painful Price of Forging a Democratic Era

Roula Khalaf March 11, 2011
Libyans protesters want to remove a leader in place for more than 40 years, yet unlike Egypt or Tunisia, Libya confronts civil war rather than a peaceful transition, explains Roula Khalaf, Middle East editor for the Financial Times. Muammar Gaddafi unleashes military attacks on his own people, seeking to retain his grip over Libya’s oil and economy. In Tunisia and Egypt, leaders had relatively...