As many as 41 people – including American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Irish and Austrian nationals – are being held hostage by armed Islamist militants after storming a gas facility in Algeria. The gas production facility attacked on Wednesday by the terrorists is located in the town of In Amenas (near the Libyan border). The […]
Features
AQIM Avenges Foreign Intervention in Mali with Abductions in Algeria
At least eight foreigners, including Britons, Norwegian and Japanese nationals were seized Wednesday in Algeria by Islamist militants in an attack on an oil facility in the south-eastern region of the North African country. The terror attack, which targeted a BP gas plant in the town of In Amenas (near the Libyan border), also claimed […]
Retrial of Mubarak May Spell More Trouble for Egypt
It seems that Egypt is heading for more trouble and showdown between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Liberals as the country braces for the re-trial of the toppled former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. This retrial is a real test of the independence of the judiciary system under the Muslim brotherhood-led government. Mubarak, who was sentenced […]
Egypt’s Constitutional Referendum and the Fiscal Troubles Hampering IMF Loan Negotiations
Egypt’s Central Bank proclaimed their foreign reserves reaching the “critical” levels after it had sold about 75 million USD in its first private auction to banks, Bloomberg reports. Egypt’s foreign reserves are well below the levels prior to 2011 uprising against former President Mubarak, when the Central Bank commenced to support the Egyptian pound by […]
Arab Spring and Burma Transitions: Different Societies but Same Hopes and Aspirations
The transitions away from authoritarian rule in North Africa and Burma (also known as Myanmar) have often been compared to one another, highlighting major challenges but also reasons for hope. When Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of Burmese opposition, addressed the Clinton Global Initiative Conference in New York in 2011, […]
Sinking Susan Rice’s Nomination: What It Could Mean for the U.S. North Africa Policy
When Susan Rice withdrew her name from the consideration for nomination for Secretary of State, she did so largely to save the White House from a costly political fight. Over the previous weeks, Senators John McCain, Kelly Ayotte, and Lindsay Graham had attacked her vigorously for not calling the attack on the US consulate in […]
New Development Project for Southern Provinces, a Contribution to Macro-Regional Stability (CESE members)
The new economic and social development project Morocco is planning to implement in its southern provinces will contribute to stability at the macro-regional level, said Secretary General of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Driss Guerraoui. This regional development project will also raise the local populations’ standards of living and improve cultural cohesion, Guerraoui told […]
The OCP Revolution or Mustapha Terrab’s Success Story
L’Office Chérifien des Phosphates or OCP, the Moroccan State-owned phosphates company, “has come a long way since its founding in 1920. We are proud of this long history, and we look confidently into the future. First of all, at the national level, we are proud of our contributions to the wealth and the well-being of […]
Algeria Takes Military Action against AQIM
Algerian military forces have launched lately a large scale combing campaign targeting Islamist militants groups operating in the Boumerdes-Tizi-Ouzou-Bouira triangle, stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its affiliates. This campaign comes as the international community braces for military action to dislodge the radical Islamist forces occupying northern Mali after a coup in […]
“The Policy Behaviour of China and Saudi Arabia towards Israeli Aggression was Coherent and Relatively Consistent.”
Interview with Dr. Norafidah Ismail, conducted by Jakub Janda, Czech political analyst and project coordinator of the European Values think-tank Mrs. Ismail, you have earned your master degree and Ph.D. in the United Kingdom. Could you compare how it has influenced your views on Middle Eastern issues? Are your views somehow different from those of […]








