Middle East and North Africa

Applying Lessons Learned from Afghanistan Around the World

June 7, 2013 by Ambassador Rick Barton
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The State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations has learned vital lessons from the United States’ experience in Afghanistan, and is implementing them in Syria, Kenya, and other states in turmoil.

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Egypt’s Opposition Must Compete

May 12, 2013 by Scott Williamson
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For the sake of their political fortunes and the future of Egyptian democracy, Egypt’s leading opposition coalition should compete in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.

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Using History to Understand Muslim-Western Relations and the “Arab Spring”

May 1, 2013 by Hans Köchler
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Placing the uprisings of the Middle East and North Africa in historical context is essential in allowing the West to develop meaningful relations with the emerging Islamic governments.

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Undermining Hezbollah’s “Soft Power” in the Arab World

April 19, 2013 by Benjamin Rosenbaum
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As Hezbollah maintains its controversial backing of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria, the United States has an opportunity to undermine the group’s influence in the Arab world.

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The U.S. State Department’s Social Media Balancing Act

April 19, 2013 by Rebecca White
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As the U.S. State Department increases its social media presence abroad, it must strike a balance between giving its embassies the freedom to communicate with local audiences and ensuring a unified foreign policy message.

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“Impediments to Normalized U.S.-Iranian Relations” Revisited: A Response to Dr. Hunter

April 8, 2013 by Christopher Williams
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Editor’s Note: This piece is in response to Dr. Shireen Hunter’s article “Impediments to Normalized U.S.-Iranian Relations,” published by The Fletcher Forum on March 5, 2013. Christopher Williams counters that U.S.-Iranian relations weren’t as stable as Dr. Hunter claims prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In reality, the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup that overthrew the Iranian Prime Minister began a cycle of hostility and distrust between the countries which endures today.

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