Political Turmoil in the North Africa and the Middle East

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In The Media

Political Turmoil in the North Africa and the Middle East

As protests continue throughout the Middle East and North Africa, the international community is seeking to curb the increasing violence in Syria, continue military engagement in Libya, and convince Yemen’s President Saleh to step down.

By Michele Dunne

Published on Apr 26, 2011

Source: Diane Rehm Show

The Middle East continues to experience unprecedented upheaval. In Syria, the Assad regime has implemented a violent crackdown on protesters that has drawn strong condemnation from the U.S. government and resulted in the imposition of sanctions against the regime. Speaking on the Diane Rehm Show, Carnegie’s Michele Dunne explained that Obama’s statement condemning the Syrian government was intended to “to show a U.S. audience that the administration is doing something and to show the Syrian people that Assad regime is losing any support it made have had from the U.S.”

International attention is also focused on the unrest occurring in Libya. Dunne argued that while the current situation in Libya is not good for the United States, “it could have been much worse.” She pointed out that Qaddafi was threatening to initiate a violent crackdown on rebels in Benghazi that would have resulted in the loss of thousands of lives.

Turning to Yemen, Dunne said that there seems to be an end in sight. The Gulf Cooperation Council, President Saleh, and the Yemeni opposition parties have agreed on a plan for Saleh to abdicate power. However, she pointed out that this plan has not placated the protesters on the street, who have seen Saleh break promises in the past. The outcome in Yemen, like that in many countries across the region, remains unclear, Dunne concluded.

About the Author

Michele Dunne

Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Recent Work

Research
Islamic Institutions in Arab States: Mapping the Dynamics of Control, Co-option, and Contention
- +6
  Yasmine Farouk, Nathan J. Brown, Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, …
Research
From Hardware to Holism: Rebalancing America’s Security Engagement With Arab States
- +8
  Robert Springborg, Emile Hokayem, Becca Wasser, …

Political Reform Middle East North Africa Libya Syria Yemen Gulf Levant Maghreb

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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