Middle East

Backgrounder

Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Author: Jonathan Masters

In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal, a resurgent al-Qaeda in Iraq, allied with jihadist fighters in neighboring Syria, constitutes a considerable threat to regional security, explains this Backgrounder.

See more in Iraq, Terrorism

Ask CFR Experts

What should U.S. policy toward Iran be in order to prevent further development of its nuclear program?

Asked by Aaron Marks, from Staten Island, New York

Since the discovery of illicit Iranian nuclear facilities in 2002, the United States has sought to mobilize an international coalition to address the Iranian nuclear challenge through various coercions and incentives. UN member states agree that Iran is entitled to a civilian nuclear program for purposes of energy generation, but they require assurances that such a program is not going to be misused for military purposes.

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See more in Iran, Arms Control and Disarmament

Must Read

The Atlantic: The Modern King in the Arab Spring

Author: Jeffrey Goldberg

He seems in many ways to be a contradiction—an Arab king who happens to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, evangelizing for liberal, secular, democratic rule. But Abdullah, now nearly a decade and a half into his reign, is, in his own conception, a political and economic reformer. He says he understands that the Hashemite throne, and perhaps Jordan itself, will not survive the coming decades if he does not move his country briskly toward modernity.

See more in Jordan

Article

Challenges to Women’s Security in the MENA Region

Author: Isobel Coleman
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

In response to systemic sexual assaults on women in Egypt, activists have initiated well-organized campaigns to protect women's right to participate in the political sphere and to move in public spaces without fear for their personal safety. Isobel Coleman warns that politically motivated violence against women has still not crested.

See more in North Africa, Middle East, Women

Op-Ed

End the Arab Boycott of Israel

Author: Ed Husain
New York Times

Ed Husain says the Arab boycott of Israel is counterproductive, and that abandoning it would be a positive step for Arab states' involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Primary Sources

Learning from Iraq: Final Report from Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, March 2013

Author: Stuart W. Bowen

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) Stuart Bowen produced this final report for Congress, released March 6, 2013. The report details how much money was spent and which programs it funded over the nine year reconstruction in Iraq, and seven lessons the United States can learn about stabilization and reconstruction efforts. Other quarterly reports to Congress and the legislation that created SIGIR are also available.

See more in Iraq, Wars and Warfare, Nation Building