Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Follow Carnegie
- Search
- Global Resources
Global Centers
Languages
The Arab Spring is revealing the tensions between the ideals espoused by Turkish foreign policy and Ankara’s political, economic, and security interests.
Washington and Riyadh have enjoyed a successful relationship in combating global terror and Saudi Arabia is remarkably effective in containing the terrorist threat—but if the country loses focus on this priority, terrorism could come back with a vengeance.
Given the economic problems facing both sides of the Atlantic, Europe and the United States can best support democratic transitions in Arab countries through enhanced trade agreements that improve market access and maximize job-promoting reforms.
Iran’s influence in the Middle East is threatened by domestic divisions between Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad as well as the continuing upheaval in Syria, which could undermine Tehran’s principal ally in the region.
While it is clear that Egypt’s national press cannot operate as it has in the past, now that it has lost its economic and political base, its future remains uncertain.
The recently proposed constitutional amendments could constitute an important move in the political reform process in Jordan, but they are only a first step in the path to promoting true separation of powers and checks and balances.
The transitional governments in both Egypt and Tunisia must negotiate with their respective political parties and protesters to forge an understanding of what must be done in the next few months and what will have to wait until after elections.
Polarization in Tunisia may prove less divisive when writing a new constitution than many domestic and foreign observers fear.
Any contact between Washington and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is likely to be limited, and officials on both sides should have modest expectations for what the dialogue might accomplish.
The trial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak by Egypt’s regular judiciary underscores the challenges facing the courts. Amid the spectacle of the proceedings, there are several laudable aspects.