On May 8, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a private roundtable with FRIDE Director Richard Youngs, Kawa Hassan of Hivos, and Aboubakr Jamaï of the Robert Bosch Foundation.

US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Moscow produced a surprising result: a US-Russian agreement to convene an international conference as soon as this month, one that would "bring representatives of the [Syrian] government and the opposition together" to determine how to implement the Syrian political transition agreement reached at Geneva on June 30, 2012 by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. What was particularly surprising—and pleasantly so if true—was Kerry's observation that Washington and Moscow have a "very similar" understanding of what was actually agreed nearly a year ago in Geneva.

The swirling controversy over chemical weapons, red lines, and leaks that the administration is reconsidering giving lethal aid to the Syrian opposition threatens to blur that which should be clear: American objectives in Syria and how to achieve them.

Yemen’s National Dialogue, which began on March 18, has been criticized for its lack of inclusiveness but has also received praise for successfully bringing together Yemenis to work through a number of issues. In order to examine the differing perspectives on the Dialogue, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a roundtable luncheon with National Dialogue delegate and former Human Rights Minister Amat Al Alim Alsoswa.

The next few weeks in Libya will be extremely critical for the government of Prime Minister Ali Zidan. Passage of the so-called political isolation law is a clear sign that the offensive organized against the prime minister by a coalition of opponents has been successful.

Deborah Jones is scheduled to appear Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committeeon her nomination as the new U.S. ambassador to Libya. This will present a stark reminder of the events that took the life of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.

Hariri Center Director Michele Dunne discusses recent Israeli airstrikes outside Damascus, the potential broadening of the conflict regionally, and the prospects for greater US involvement in the conflict.

Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani comments on the conflict in Syria on CTV News following an Israeli airstrike on a military complex outside Damascus, and a proposed bill in US Congress to provide arms to vetted rebels.

Last week's attack on the French Embassy in Tripoli was the first significant terrorist attack against foreign interests in the Libyan capital since the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi. More crucially, it marks an escalation in the covert war being waged to determine the future orientation, institutions, constitution, and very soul of the new Libya.

In a hostile and unstable region, the Gulf Arab states have had to compensate for their limited capacity and appetite for military action. Using immense oil wealth and tight control of policymaking, the ruling families of the Gulf have refined aid and investment into sophisticated foreign policy tools. Gulf aid is likely to impact significantly on the Arab transition countries, helping them meet immediate financial obligations, but often at the expense of their long-term interests.