Category Archives: Arab Spring

Security Challenges in Libya and the Sahel (CNA Workshop Report)

Over the past two years, the world has witnessed a redrawing of the geopolitical map of the Middle East and North Africa. The responsibility for regional security and stability – which Western governments once relied on the area’s authoritarian regimes to ensure – now falls to the transitional or newly elected governments that replaced the ousted old orders. Although in some countries the new leadership has succeeded in promoting a degree of stability during this transitional period, in Libya the turbulent social and economic forces that drove out the long-lived regime of Muammar Qaddafi have yet to settle. The rise of powerful militias that have filled the security void in Libya challenge the authority of the new government. Absent Qaddafi’s political and economic influence, Libya and its neighbors are at risk of a new wave of civil conflict and economic deterioration.

On October 16, CNA’s Center for Strategic Studies hosted a workshop to explore the repercussions of the Libyan Revolution — for Libya itself and for states in the broader Sahel region, particularly Mali. The workshop brought together noted academics and experts from the United States and abroad. The report summarizing the main themes of the workshop can be found here.

North Africa and the Sahel: Implications of the Arab Awakening (CNA Conference Report)

In February, CNA’s Center for Strategic Studies and McDaniel College co-hosted a conference to examine recent developments in North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and their implications for U.S. policy in that part of the world. The day-long conference included presentations by U.S. government officials and recognized experts on this part of the world from universities, the media, and prominent research organizations. The report summarizing the main themes of the conference can be found here on CNA’s website.