North Africa

January 31, 2019 | Romany Shaker, Tzvi Kahn

Midterm Assessment: Libya

January 29, 2019 | Thomas Joscelyn |

ODNI releases annual overview of Islamic State and al Qaeda networks

The ODNI’s map highlights the Islamic State’s and al Qaeda’s global footprint, though the jihadists are not a major force in some of the countries depicted. The ODNI’s map recognizes the presence...

January 11, 2019 | Romany Shaker

U.S. Balanced Approach on Libya: A Good Step Forward But Not Enough

For years, the United States has distanced itself from the national reconciliation process in Libya, adopting a ...

January 4, 2019 | Benjamin Weinthal |

German Official Deletes Antisemitic Tweet Equating Jesus with the Palestinians

The director of Germany’s Near and Middle East department at the foreign ministry deleted a tweet widely criticized as antisemitic because it compared the repression of Jesus to the Palestinians.

October 5, 2018 | Romany Shaker |

Iran’s Controversial Cultural Attaché Leaves Algeria

On September 22, Iran’s cultural attaché in Algeria Amir Mousavi announced he would leave his position after almost four years in the country. The announcement followed accusations by Algerian activists and former officials against the Iranian diplomat over his alleged role in recruiting thousands of Shiite Muslims in Algeria on behalf of Iran. Mousavi’s departure highlights Iran’s persistent and unwelcome attempts to expand its influence in North Africa.

August 29, 2018 | David May

FIFA Punishment for Palestinians is Insufficient

FIFA handed Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), a...

August 29, 2018 | Benjamin Weinthal

Human Rights Groups Slam Iran for Prison Terms of Christians and Dervishes

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch blasted the Islamic Republic of Iran for its sweeping violent crackdown on Christians and Dervishes, including imposing lengthy prison terms on the me...

July 25, 2018 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Call to release Algerian blogger imprisoned for interviewing Israeli MF

Human Rights Watch urged Algeria on Sunday to release a blogger who launched a hunger strike on July 8 to protest his seven-year prison term he received after interviewing an Israeli Foreign Mini...

July 17, 2018 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Group of men attacks German Jew wearing Israeli pin and kippa

A large group of men attacked a 17-year-old German Jew who wore an Israeli pin and kippah on Friday night in what the police believe was an antisemitic attack. Media in the German city...

June 7, 2018 | Romany Shaker, Boris Zilberman

Russia and Egypt are Growing Closer

As Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi begins his second term, a new chapter in Egyptian-Russian relations is being written. Disappointed by U.S. policy, Cairo has strengthened its ties with...

March 14, 2018 | Clifford D. May

A pope and a grand imam

Pope Tawadros II had planned to spend last week on retreat in a monastery near Alexandria. But then Mohammed bin Salman, on a three-day visit to Egypt, asked to see him. The Saudi Crown...

February 28, 2018 | Clifford D. May

Black lives in Africa

No nation in Africa is receiving more attention right now than Wakanda. And why not since, as Anthony Lane writes in The New Yorker, Wakanda is “a model of serenity,” that also is &ld...

February 21, 2018 | Thomas Joscelyn

Not So Fast

On January 19, the Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy. The second paragraph of the 14-page declassified summary painted a dire picture. “Today, we are emerging from a perio...

December 20, 2017 | Clifford D. May

Reimagining a more realistic “peace process”

“The peace process” is the name we’ve given to decades of attempts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The reality: These diplomatic efforts have never made meaningful...

December 15, 2017 | Reuel Marc Gerecht, Mark Dubowitz

Deceptive Deja Vu

In France, all right-thinking people know instinctively what the pensée unique is—the socially acceptable view on any subject that ensures a Parisian won’t get axed from the be...

December 7, 2017 |

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Relies On Drugs, Human Trafficking to Fund Terror Activities

Washington, D.C., December 7, 2017 – As the Trump Administration...

November 21, 2017 |

FDD launches national security and foreign policy podcast “Foreign Podicy”

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 21, 2017 – Focused on the most consequential foreign policy and national security issues facing the United States today, Foundation for Def...

August 23, 2017 | Clifford D. May

Replacing patriotism with tribalism

Just after last week’s terrorist attack in Barcelona, a pro-Islamic State website posted video from the scene along with a message in Arabic saying, “Terror is filling the hearts of t...

July 27, 2017 | Tyler Stapleton |

Congress Moves to Reassert Itself in Iran Policy Oversight

This week, Congress moved to sanction Iran, North Korea, and Russia in an attempt to reestablish the utility of financial restraints as a means of challenging the malign behavior of hostile regim...

July 18, 2017 |

Managing Terrorism Financing Risk in Remittances and Money Transfers

Download the full testimony here....