Middle East

Although reform movements have been prominent in varying degrees in most Middle Eastern countries for some time, the recent cascade of events has generated new pressures for democratization    More >

As a young widow with two boys to raise, Horia El-Gharib struggled to reconcile tradition and change. She dared to take on a man's role in commerce and trade to protect the future of her    More >

The 18-day revolt that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30 years of rule marked a historic turning point in the political fortunes not only of Egypt, but of the entire Middle East. While the impact    More >

Islamism is often portrayed as a reaction against, or at best a belated accommodation to, modernization. Refuting this dismissive opinion, Bjørn Utvik explores the movement through    More >

Smuggling and trafficking activities have intensified throughout North Africa in recent years, threatening both fragile economies and human security. The authors of The Mediterranean    More >

The Arab-Israeli conflict in general and the Palestinian intifada in particular have given rise to a wave of critical reappraisals of the Israeli experience—reappraisals that    More >

Why did human rights claims have such a limited impact on the authoritarian status quo in the Middle East prior to the Arab Spring—and why are they so often thwarted now? What factors    More >

In the wake of September 11, the European Union proclaimed a new commitment to encouraging processes of political liberalization in the Middle East, and a plethora of initiatives were    More >