Most news out of the Middle East these days is dispiriting: the devastating civil war in Syria, the autocratic nature of Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt, continued militia activity in Libya, a coalition collapse in Tunisia. Less discussed, and surprisingly positive, is the political situation in Yemen.

Frederic C. Hof, senior fellow with the Hariri Middle East Center, speaks with Maria Gianniti of Radio Rai 1 (Italian) in Rome about the conflict in Syria and the viability of a political solution.

The sudden arrest of prominent Libyan exiles in Egypt and their swift extradition raises questions about the legitimacy of both the Libyan and Egyptian governments’ behavior. The revolts that swept North Africa brought down some of the most brutal and corrupt autocracies of the world. In their wake, one would expect new democratic political systems to demand higher moral standards in behavior within and between institutions, and between states.

In the wake of the Arab Spring and transitions in Yemen and Libya, instability poses challenges for reforming the existing security apparatus. The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East debated ongoing developments in the security sector in both countries during an event on March 28 featuring Hafez al-Bukari, director of the Yemen Polling Center (YPC) and Fiona Mangan, program officer with the Rule of Law Center at the United States Institute of Peace, with Danya Greenfield moderating.

Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post on US support for the mainstream Syrian opposition.

Michele Dunne, director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, contributed a piece to the New York Times' Room for Debate forum on "What Can Obama Accomplish in the Middle East?"

To most Americans, Syria looks like a mess best left to Syrians and their neighbors to sort out. Yet the conflict that President Bashar al-Assad unleashed against his people threatens to produce a large, ungovernable space, with refugees racing for the borders; terrorists setting up shop; chemical and biological weapons unguarded and available for seizure; and many of Syria’s 22.5 million people targeted for detention, torture, forced displacement and even murder because of sectarian identification.

Now is the right time to reevaluate US policies in Yemen as President Barack Obama begins his second term and while Yemen is at a critical juncture in its political transition. On March 26, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted an event in Washington to assess the Obama administration’s progress in recalibrating its policies toward Yemen, and to discuss the merits of an approach that addresses Yemen’s pressing economic, political, and humanitarian challenges, instead of focusing predominantly on counterterrorism.

Join the Atlantic Council and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) on March 26 for a panel discussion looking at US policy towards Yemen.

Michele Dunne, director of the Hariri Middle East Center, speaks on Al Jazeera (Arabic) about the shortcomings of US policy in Egypt since the revolution, and criticizes the Obama administration for failing to engage with Egyptians more broadly.