Infinity war: Libya’s reoccurring conflict
Libya is trapped in a degenerative cycle of war. Yet Europeans could use the current stalemate in the country to restart an electoral process that would end the cycle.
North Africa
Hedge politics: Turkey’s search for balance in the Middle East
Ankara is trying to normalise its relationships with Middle Eastern governments. The EU needs to adjust to the new Turkey that is emerging from this process.
Clear and president danger: Democracy and the constitution in Tunisia
Tunisia’s new constitution would create an unaccountable presidency. European policymakers should state that it is not genuinely democratic, while continuing to support the country economically.
Never let a good crisis go to waste: How Europe can respond to Libya’s riots
European policymakers should look on current protests in Libya as a rare opportunity to push for change in what has long been a stagnant political environment
Tools of influence: Drone proliferation in the Middle East and North Africa
States in the region increasingly design and produce their own drones. The EU should respond by investing in European drone technology and creating a shared accountability regime for the use of such systems.
The battle for Tunisia’s democracy
Tunisia’s president seems unwilling to compromise with his political opponents. But the EU can help set limits on his behaviour through a combination of financial assistance and public statements.
Endless concessions: Spain’s tilt to Morocco
Spain’s recent move has little to do with peace in Western Sahara and everything to do with its desire to mend ties with Morocco. But, ultimately, Spain has only made itself more vulnerable to Moroccan pressure.
Building security: How Europeans can help reform Libya
Europeans can play a meaningful role in the reform of Libya’s security sector if they adopt a shared strategy and operational principles
The man from Misrata: Why Libya has two prime ministers (again)
If Libya is to avoid the same political dynamics that sparked its long-running civil war, European states that are invested in Libyan diplomacy will need to focus on establishing a new electoral road map
Unsettled: The impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the Middle East and North Africa
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Publications
Hedge politics: Turkey’s search for balance in the Middle East
Ankara is trying to normalise its relationships with Middle Eastern governments. The EU needs to adjust to the new Turkey that is emerging from this process.
Clear and president danger: Democracy and the constitution in Tunisia
Tunisia’s new constitution would create an unaccountable presidency. European policymakers should state that it is not genuinely democratic, while continuing to support the country economically.
Building security: How Europeans can help reform Libya
Europeans can play a meaningful role in the reform of Libya’s security sector if they adopt a shared strategy and operational principles
Burning ambition: Egypt’s return to regional leadership and how Europe should respond
The Egyptian regime has become somewhat more open to discussing matters such as human rights than Western capitals sometimes assume
Back from the brink: A better way for Europe to support Tunisia’s democratic transition
The EU and its member states can assist Tunisian leaders by providing new investment – and thereby reboot the democratic transition
Free to choose: A new plan for peace in Western Sahara
The UN should pursue a “free association” option for Western Sahara – a third way that offers a realistic means of fulfilling Sahrawi self-determination
Power surge: How the European Green Deal can succeed in Morocco and Tunisia
North African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia can help Europe meet its carbon emissions targets and strengthen its position in the face of fierce competition from China
Spoiler alert: How Europe can save diplomacy in Libya
Europeans should provide stabilisation, technical, and diplomatic support to strengthen Libya’s governance and accountability mechanisms to ensure a new government can successfully hold elections in 2021
A return to Africa: Why North African states are looking south
North African countries, each for their own reasons, are increasingly turning their attention towards sub-Saharan Africa
Reform from crisis: How Tunisia can use covid-19 as an opportunity
The government must build on its response to the pandemic to create a compromise that shares the burden of reform between political actors and interest groups
Articles
Infinity war: Libya’s reoccurring conflict
Libya is trapped in a degenerative cycle of war. Yet Europeans could use the current stalemate in the country to restart an electoral process that would end the cycle.
Never let a good crisis go to waste: How Europe can respond to Libya’s riots
European policymakers should look on current protests in Libya as a rare opportunity to push for change in what has long been a stagnant political environment
Tools of influence: Drone proliferation in the Middle East and North Africa
States in the region increasingly design and produce their own drones. The EU should respond by investing in European drone technology and creating a shared accountability regime for the use of such systems.
The battle for Tunisia’s democracy
Tunisia’s president seems unwilling to compromise with his political opponents. But the EU can help set limits on his behaviour through a combination of financial assistance and public statements.
Endless concessions: Spain’s tilt to Morocco
Spain’s recent move has little to do with peace in Western Sahara and everything to do with its desire to mend ties with Morocco. But, ultimately, Spain has only made itself more vulnerable to Moroccan pressure.
The man from Misrata: Why Libya has two prime ministers (again)
If Libya is to avoid the same political dynamics that sparked its long-running civil war, European states that are invested in Libyan diplomacy will need to focus on establishing a new electoral road map
Unsettled: The impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the Middle East and North Africa
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Turkey’s drone diplomacy: Lessons for Europe
Turkey has shown how drones can be a powerful foreign policy asset. The EU and its member states should work with the country to lead the development and regulation of this technology.
Tunisia’s lengthy road map back to democracy
Tunisia’s international partners have responded too leniently to its president’s announced programme of constitutional reform. They risk allowing him to remain over-powerful for years to come.
Tunisia coup: What Europeans can do to save North Africa’s only democracy
Europeans cannot stand apart from the chaos in Tunisia – indeed, active European involvement now can help restore stability to the country
Specials
Part of the problem: A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
European states face accusations of neglecting the matter of human rights in their southern neighbourhood, and even of being complicit. Yet they are failing to maximise the influence they could bring to bear.
Deep sea rivals: Europe, Turkey, and new eastern Mediterranean conflict lines
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria.
Mapping armed groups in Mali and the Sahel
Violence is tearing Mali and the Sahel apart. But who are the armed groups behind the bloodshed? Where are international actors stationed in the region? And what motivates them all?
A quick guide to Libya’s main players
In Libya there are very few truly national actors, the vast majority are local players. This guide explains who the players are and what they control.
Podcasts
The EU and France in the Sahel
What does the end of Operation Barkhane in its current form mean for the Sahel?
Russia’s Syria, Turkey’s Libya?
The attempt of a peace process in Libya is facing several substantial hindrances, where a variety of actors keep on inducing significant upheavals in its…
The Berlin Libya Conference: a moment to shine for European foreign policy?
Anthony Dworkin stands in for our usual host, Mark Leonard, to de-brief the Berlin Conference on Libya. Together with the ECFR’s experts Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Tarek…
Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ?
Podcast de notre BCM du 5 mai « Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ? » en présence de Tarek Megerisi, chercheur…
Protests in Algeria: A fifth term for Bouteflika?
Mark Leonard speaks with Andrew Lebovich, Anthony Dworkin and Chloe Teevan, about what the demonstrators want, and EU-Algeria relations. Bookshelf: La Martingale Algérienne, Réflexions…
The Sahel: A transit region for migration
Mark Leonard speaks with Shoshana Fine and Andrew Lebovich about what is Europe trying to so in the Sahel. Bookshelf: The Good Immigrant by Nico…
Les politiques migratoires et de sécurité de l’Union européenne dans le Sahel
Podcast de notre BCM du 9 octobre : « Les politiques migratoires et de sécurité de l’Union européenne dans le Sahel » avec Giovanni Faleg,…
Russia and the Middle East
Podcast de notre conférence du 1 octobre en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) : « Russia and the Middle East…
Is Libya falling apart again?
Mark Leonard speaks with Julien Barnes-Dacey and Tarek Megerisi about the Libyan conflict, the impact of the Paris summit, and Europe’s fight over migration policies…
The role of France in the Middle East
Is France alone in the desert? ECFR experts Julien Barnes-Dacey and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil discuss how France can lead Europe in the Middle East
Events
13 Dec
Part of the problem? A better European approach to human rights in the Middle East and North Africa
How can Europeans more effectively advance their human rights agenda as part of, and while maintaining, their broader relationships with regional states?
11 Feb
After Berlin: What options for peace in Libya?
A breakfast discussion on the peace options in Libya following the Berlin conference
22 Jan
Après la Conférence de Berlin, des espoirs de paix en Libye ?
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning en présence de Tarek Megerisi, Mary Fitzgerald, Olivier Vallée et Leela Jacinto
4 Nov
European Foreign Policy In An Era Of Great Powers Competition
How can the EU demonstrate resolve and respond to the interests of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi-Arabia?
8 Oct
Security in the Mediterranean basin
Europe's strategy for a secure Mediterranean
2 Oct
Bridging the Divide: How Germany can help stabilise Libya
Roundtable discussion on Germany's role in the Libyan Civil War and what Germany can do to help stabilize the country
9 May
Tunisia in transition
The role of Italy and Europe in Tunisia democratization process
3 May
Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ?
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning, en présence de Tarek Megerisi, Mary Fitzgerald et Virginie Collombier, sur le thème suivant : « Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ? »
12 Feb
Conferencia: Migraciones en el mundo Árabe
Conferencia, celebrada en colaboración con Casa Árabe, para tratar las cuestiones migratorias que conciernen a Europa y al Norte de África
11 Feb
Migration Cooperation across the Mediterranean
Following the launch of Tasnim Abderrahim's paper on migration in the mediterranean, the ECFR Berlin is hosting a lunch time event to discuss European cooperation with North Africa.
In the media
The new government has realized that the Libyan crisis is an endemic one
The only solution is a stabilization of Libya. It is neither easy nor immediate, but it is the only solution that can yield results.
Arturo Varvelli comments on the control of migration flows along the Central Mediterranean route
Italy cannot act alone in Africa. The “Mattei Plan” has to be framed into an EU initiative.
Both parties have interests in fostering this relation and making it work and go further. To do so, they have to remain firm in their commitments and cooperate to reach realistic and sustainable goals
Lorena Stella Martini comments on the strengthening of relations between Italy and Algeria in the framework of Meloni’s visit to Algiers.
The Mattei Plan is an excellent idea that can work very well with Southern Mediterranean countries and with Africa, but up to now it is a rhetorical game that needs to be filled with content
Arturo Varvelli comments on the idea of a “Mattei Plan” to be implemented by Meloni’s government in Africa