Within the countries of the Arab Spring, the forces unleashed by the sudden opening of political spaces were largely inexperienced, remain fearful and intolerant of each other, and were easily manipulated in regional and global proxy conflicts.
Arab Spring
Tears and terror as Egypt slides towards civil war
The key challenge for the rival factions in Egypt is to learn the right lessons from its so-far disastrous post-Mubarak transition and find the courage to right the wrongs committed by both sides.
West has key role to play amid Yemen’s al-Qaeda resurgence
Western powers can and must play a key role in containing the threat posed by al-Qaeda, if only to to create the space in which local political, religious, civic, and business leaders can eradicate the fertile ground of regime illegitimacy from which al-Qaeda will otherwise, more likely than not, rise and rise again.
Managing Expectations in Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference
Managing expectations inside and outside of Yemen about what the National Dialogue can accomplish will enable broadly acceptable outcomes to be achieved by participants in the conference and their subsequent sustainable implementation by all stakeholders.
International Conflict Management after Libya: the glass (still) half-full?
The international community’s capacity for conflict management remains a potentially highly effective, albeit not flawless, instrument for managing a wide range of security challenges, which, however, will be applied, as it always has, selectively and in line with the national interests of the great powers.
Leadership, Diplomacy, and Institutional Design: A Model for Understanding the Arab Spring?
Three ‘ingredients’ are essential in managing processes such as the Arab Spring and their aftermath successfully: leadership, diplomacy, and institutional design.
Libya’s Arab Spring: What lessons for the EU?
Despite limited engagement so far, the EU’s “skill set” may yet come to be in demand in Libya. If it does, it will be required for the long term.
Developing the National Dialogue in Yemen
The National Dialogue in Yemen is an attractive concept to frame many of the difficult challenges that lie ahead of Yemen but there are also some significant challenges related to it.
Yemen’s transition: Key challenges for the national dialogue
The post-election national dialogue in Yemen faces a multitude of serious challenges and there is a wide range of potential spoilers inside and outside the country, but it is Yemen’s perhaps only chance at negotiating a transition.