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Algeria’s elections: conservatives up, Islamists down and women in

Salim Tamani - Mideast Flashpoints - 17/5/2012
The first test of political reforms announced by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in his speech to the nation on April 15, 2011 in the wake of the Arab revolutions, was the parliamentary elections held on May 10, 2012. While foreign media and political observers expected an Islamist wave, as was the case in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Algeria has said no to fatalism...

Assessing NATO's experience in Libya

Jason W. Davidson - Global Issues - 15/5/2012
Recent media reports of a confidential NATO assessment of last year's Libyan air campaign suggest that the operation suffered "crucial flaws" and that the report was "a cold shower" on the Libyan war. The report documents that NATO allies were overly dependent on the US for precision-guided munitions, reconnaissance, and refueling assets...

NATO’s Chicago Summit: how smart is the alliance?

Michele Testoni - Global Issues - 15/5/2012
Is it possible for Western nations to pursue effective defense policies in times of draconian economic austerity? This is the question that NATO leaders will have to answer as they gather in Chicago on May 20th and 21st for the alliance’s 25th summit...

Why Romney can’t move to the center

Ethan Pollack - U.S. and Us - 8/5/2012
After five months of voting, it appears we finally have ourselves a Republican nominee. While Mitt Romney has not officially won the nomination, at this point it is only a formality...

Troubled waters ahead for David Cameron after local elections

Domenico Gullo - Old Continent - 8/5/2012
Local elections in the UK on May 3rd have been characterized by one of the lowest turnouts recorded, a growing anti-political wind and the electoral collapse of the parties of the coalition government. The result will structurally affect British politics in the long run. The severe defeat faced by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats could be described as almost historical...

The race for VP: in search of Romney’s running mate

Valentina Pasquali - U.S. and Us - 7/5/2012
Now that both Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are out of the picture and Mitt Romney is certain to be the Republican nominee for the White House, the Washington chattering class has moved to speculate about the possible identity of the Governor’s future running mate...

Romney’s stealing of the Bush playbook on foreign policy

John C. Hulsman - U.S. and Us - 7/5/2012
Well, the Republican show is at last mercifully over. It was not easy, but unloved Mitt Romney has at last prevailed over a field of others who could ably staff some traveling carnival. For Barack Obama the whole unedifying spectacle was a gift from heaven...

Egypt's economic transition: a new role for the state

Joulan Abdul Khalek - Mideast Flashpoints - 4/5/2012
The Egyptian economy is under great strain as the country is trying to shed the skin of its long standing dictatorship. After the revolution that led to the ousting of Hosni Mubarak and his regime, the country finds itself scurrying to define its new identity...

Creativity and the Arab Spring, conversation with Ammar Alani

Jessica Carter - From the Editors - 2/5/2012
Dr. Ammar Alani, a Syrian musician and filmmaker turned activist during the Arab Spring, has witnessed first hand the importance of art, music and humor in times of revolution...

The London mayoral election, the Olympic Games and the future of Cameron’s government

Domenico Gullo - Old Continent - 27/4/2012
On May 3rd, only three months before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Londoners will be called to vote for a new mayor and the London Assembly. Boris Johnson, the current mayor, is running again for another four-year term...