Russia would strengthen the North African dimension of its “Ummah Pivot”, complementarily optimize the security dimension of its African Pivot, and become a major powerbroker along the EU’s/NATO’s southern periphery. Bloomberg reported on Sunday that “Putin’s Move to Secure Libya Bases Is New Regional Worry for US”, which cited unnamed …
Read More »Libya’s political crisis runs deeper than Israel debacle
The diplomatic firestorm unfolding in Libya comes as the United States is pushing the North African country to hold long-awaited nationwide elections. WASHINGTON — At first glance, war-ravaged and politically fractured Libya is an unlikely candidate for normalizing relations with Israel’s far-right government. For starters, it’s unclear whether the unelected, …
Read More »How will Israel’s diplomatic snafu with Libya impact the Arab world?
The meeting with Israel may be a controversy that undermines the Tripoli government and contributes to chaos. The fallout from the meeting between Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Libya’s Government of National Unity Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush has been greeted in the Middle East with intense interest and scrutiny. …
Read More »Private Military Companies Continue To Expand In Africa – OpEd
The recent coup in Niger threatens to unleash more private military and security companies on a continent where they have become steadily more powerful in recent decades. In the wake of the July 26 coup in Niger, the world’s spotlight has once again turned to the expansion of private military …
Read More »From Political Islam to Muslim Democracy
The Ennahda Party and the Future of Tunisia Ennahda, one of the most influential political parties in the Arab world and a major force in Tunisia’s emergence as a democracy, recently announced a historic transition. Ennahda has moved beyond its origins as an Islamist party and has fully embraced a …
Read More »Forming a Unity Government May be Libya’s Best Bet for Healing Rift
Libyan politicians have floated a plan to put together an interim government. The UN and other external actors should support this step toward breaking the country’s political deadlock. Libya’s political crisis took a new turn after its House of Representatives, based in the eastern city of Tobruk, approved a plan …
Read More »Libya factions reassess Wagner’s operations in light of mutiny in Russia
The Wagner issue could significantly impact the conflict in Libya and lead to further instability in the country. Recent developments in Russia, and Wagner’s open mutiny against the Kremlin have sparked considerable speculation regarding the potential impact on Wagner’s operations in Libya, a war zone it has heavily invested in …
Read More »In Algeria, Migration Is a Symptom of a Broader Social Tragedy
On March 21, nine Algerian migrants died when the boat taking them to Italy capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. The tragic story, along with countless others like it, highlights the cost of migration, which is not limited to the loss of lives. In fact, the highly publicized reports of migrant …
Read More »Algerian President’s Visit Strengthens Russia-Algeria Strategic Partnership – OpEd
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his delegation visited Russia, from June 14 through 16, to forge strategic partnership between the two countries. He went to Moscow at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This special invitation had been conveyed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his visit to Algiers …
Read More »Can Italy play an effective role in helping stabilize the Mediterranean region?
Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, Europe has struggled to reorient its natural gas supply away from Russia. It has also made efforts to decouple from Russian imports and strengthen cooperation with energy-endowed North African countries in 2022. Thanks to its central geographical position in the Mediterranean Sea and …
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