A Vacuum of Leadership in the Middle East

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In The Media

A Vacuum of Leadership in the Middle East

The Arab world is facing a vacuum of leadership. It is a new era, one that still has unknown repercussions.

By Marwan Muasher

Published on Jan 23, 2015

Source: KPCC Airtalk

Speaking on KPCC Airtalk, Carnegie’s Marwan Muasher said that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah is probably the last leader of stature in the Arab world that belongs to the old generation. With his death, the mantle will be passed to a younger generation, one that does not have his leadership qualities, he continued. Today in the Arab world, there is a vacuum of leadership—it is a new era, one that still has unknown repercussions.

With the Houthi takeover of Sanaa, Yemen, the Saudis are particularly concerned with the growing Shia presence. Yemen will also continue to face a number of difficulties, such as the large presence of al-Qaeda, problems between the south and north, and the economy, which has been an issue for quite some time, Muasher added.

In regards to Egypt, he argued that the Egyptians need to realize that they have to rule in a more inclusionist manner, in the way that the Tunisians have done. Sisi will not be as popular as he is now, Muasher said, if he’s not able to address the structural issues in a meaningful way rather than in an ad-hoc manner.

This interview originally aired on KPCC Airtalk.

About the Author

Marwan Muasher

Vice President for Studies

Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications.

Recent Work

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The Myriad Problems With the Iran Ceasefire
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- Marwan Muasher

Political Reform Security Foreign Policy Middle East North Africa Egypt Saudi Arabia Yemen Gulf

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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