Tunisia’s major parties may have ended a months-old stalemate by negotiating a provisional agreement on the country’s future constitution, but the country’s democratic transition faces an overlapping threat from violent jihadists and ultra-conservative Salafists, say analysts.  

“We have overcome …

Egypt’s elected Islamists have locked horns in a struggle with the judiciary that veers between full confrontation and guarded accommodation, writes Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.Islamists’ concerns about the …

Libya’s defense minister Mohammed Al-Barghathi (right) today retracted his decision to resign in protest over the militias’ blockade of government ministries in what he called an “assault on democracy and elected authorities.” 

Libyans believe that the new exclusion law is …

For the Obama administration, “the costs of inaction have started to outweigh the costs of action”, says a leading analyst, warning that Syria’s civil war is “metastasizing” into a wider regional conflict.

“It is spreading to other states …

“Four Saudi activists are under investigation after forming a human rights group on April 3, 2013, and could face prosecution for ‘establishing an illegal organization,’ Human Rights Watch said today:

Saudi authorities should immediately cease harassing the four founding …

Bolivia expelled the U.S. Agency for International Development last week because the agency doesn’t just offer paternalistic aid to the poor, it also advances democracy by promoting their empowerment.

“It was a familiar charge for the State Department’s principal foreign …

“Israel played down weekend air strikes reported to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers close to Damascus, saying they were not aimed at influencing its neighbor’s civil war but only at stopping Iranian missiles reaching Lebanese Hezbollah militants,” Reuters reports…

“Gunmen refused to give up control of two ministries in Libya‘s capital on Monday, even after parliament caved in to their demand and banned any senior official under dictator Muammar Gaddafi from holding government posts,” Reuters reports from Tripoli…

“Muslims around the world express broad support for democracy and for people of other faiths being able to practice their religion freely,” according to a major new survey. “At the same time, many Muslims say religious leaders should influence political …

“It is difficult to pass judgment on the health of democracy today without an assessment of the Arab revolts,” says a prominent democracy expert.

“Despite the stirring images of courageous, sophisticated, and articulate protesters running great personal risk for a …