Truman National Security Project

Nearly six months after President Morsi issued a decree exempting his decisions from judicial review- which touched off a political firestorm in Egypt- the country is still beset with political instability and policy drift. Although Morsi rescinded most of his controversial November 22 edict, it failed to mollify the opposition, which distrusts him and wants him removed [...]

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Truman Project President Rachel Kleinfeld makes an argument for arming the rebels in Syria. Wars are ugly. They are deadly. They have unintended consequences and spillover effects. And yet, sometimes, putting a thumb on the scales of war is the lesser evil. Sometimes, dealing in arms is the right [...]

Writing for Reuters, Peter Apps profiles Qatar’s rising influence in the Middle East and North Africa.  He quotes Truman Project Fellow Ari Ratner. “There is widespread appreciation of the positive role that Qatar has played in the region,” said Ari Ratner, a former advisor on the Middle East at the State Department and now fellow [...]

Truman Fellow Ari Ratner discusses the recent unrest in Egypt for Russia Today’s Cross Talk. Or watch the segment here.

The United Nations has reported that the conflict in Syria has exceeded 60,000 fatalities, with UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay describing the figure as “truly shocking.” The number is indeed harrowing but is not out of line with past civil wars, even those of the post-Cold War era. On average, most civil wars kill [...]