North Africa

Policy Analysis on North Africa

Morocco’s Election Highlights Lingering Protest Grievances

Although the outcome is unlikely to affect core U.S. policy issues such as the Western Sahara dispute and Morocco’s participation in Gaza peacekeeping efforts, Washington should remain vigilant about the potential political impact of widespread disaffection, especially among the kingdom’s younger generations.

Sep 3, 2026

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Sabina Henneberg
Salma Annasse

Articles & Testimony

Who Gets to Shape Sudan’s Political Future?

As the army, the RSF, and civilian forces debate this question, the international Quintet faces growing obstacles to building an inclusive political process.

Aug 26, 2026

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Areig Elhag

Photo of Marco Rubio shaking hands with Sadaam Haftar.

Articles & Testimony

Libya Needs Elections, Not Another Leadership Selection

Libyans are fed up with temporary solutions, but Washington’s current approach is structured to be just that—another transitional phase that lets political elites keep postponing elections and reform.

Aug 21, 2026

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Ben Fishman

Against parliamentary hall backdrop, book cover includes Tunisian flag imagery at top, EU, USA, IMF, World Bank imagery at bottom.

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Why Economic Reform Failed in Tunisia:

Assessing Four Donors and a Country in Transition

International actors, while expressing confidence in the country’s political progress, struggled to adapt to economic resistance from the national labor union, the destabilizing effects of terrorism, and interference from outside actors.

Aug 19, 2026

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Sabina Henneberg

Articles & Testimony

Five Years After Saied’s Power Grab, Tunisia Is Isolated and Unmoored

Even as the country's president shuns outside support, Western actors can use creative methods to engage reformers, support the Tunisian economy, and prevent instability.

Jul 27, 2026

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Sabina Henneberg
Sarah Yerkes

A phosphate mine in Morocco - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

The Phosphate Pivot: Why Morocco and Tunisia Matter to U.S. Food Security

The Maghreb can help counter China’s growing pressure on “critical” fertilizer supply chains, particularly if Washington focuses on mutually beneficial economic partnerships rather than democratic conditionality alone.

Summer 2026

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Ghazi Ben Ahmed
Sabina Henneberg
Mohsine El Ahmadi

Moroccan flags fly in front of a mosque in Rabat - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

How Morocco’s Religious Rehabilitation Model Could Help Gaza

Although local religious and social differences would present some obstacles, the proven exportability of Rabat’s deradicalization machinery and the kingdom’s good working relations with the Israeli government make it an intriguing candidate for inclusion in the wider Gaza stabilization effort.

Jul 1, 2026

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Salma Annasse

A Sudanese army soldier stands near a bombed-out vehicle outside Khartoum - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

RSF Defections: A Turning Point in Sudan’s War?

The balance of power between the army and the militia that controls Darfur may be shifting, but which way is not yet clear.

May 21, 2026

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Areig Elhag

Photo of refugees at the Sudan-Chad border, July 2023.

Articles & Testimony

Grim Anniversary in Sudan’s ‘Forgotten’ War

If the international community lags on the Sudan file or allows local forces to keep treating peace conferences as just another arena for their rivalries, the result will be even more space for bad actors to massacre civilians and loot the country’s wealth.

Apr 3, 2026

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Areig Elhag

A solar field in Morocco - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The Iran War’s Reverberations in North Africa

The crisis will challenge economic and political stability in the Maghreb countries, but they will also have opportunities—with Washington’s help—to fortify their prewar progress by filling gaps in global energy markets and other key sectors affected by the war.

Mar 31, 2026

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Sabina Henneberg

A Western Sahara flag flying in the Sahara - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

A Western Sahara Resolution Requires Meaningful Engagement with Algeria

Longstanding sensitivities between Algiers and Rabat mean that Washington will need to tread delicately in its renewed effort to resolve the dispute.

Feb 24, 2026

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Souhire Medini
Sabina Henneberg

Brief Analysis

Breaking the Deadlock in Sudan

Decisive U.S. leadership is essential to resolve worsening differences between fellow Quad members, neutralize spoilers, and ensure that Sudanese civilians—not just armed factions—shape their country’s future.

Jan 28, 2026

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Donald Booth
Areig Elhag

Photo of Arab officials meeting to discuss the Gaza crisis, February 2024.

Brief Analysis

Egypt’s Tightrope Walk Between Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Cairo will not be able to stand completely above Gulf rivalries, but tactful U.S. diplomacy on economics and regional security issues can help give Egyptian leaders enough space to continue their balancing strategy.

Jan 23, 2026

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Haisam Hassanein

Articles & Testimony

Sudan Stands Between War and an Imposed Peace

Three possible scenarios have emerged for the war-torn country in 2026, but current realities suggest that a ceasefire and formal transition to civilian governance is the least likely.

Jan 20, 2026

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Areig Elhag
Ben Fishman

A Tunisian flag flies at the port of Bizerte - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Tunisia’s Underdevelopment Problem

Democratic backsliding, sluggish trade reforms, and other maladies have left the country's ports insufficiently attractive to investment heavyweights like the United States and China.

Dec 24, 2025

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Sabina Henneberg

Imed Khemiri, a senior official in the Ennahda party and member of the Salvation Front (L) takes part in a protest, demanding the release of imprisoned journalists, activists, opposition figures and setting a date for fair presidential elections in Tunis, Tunisia May 12, 2024 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Tunisia’s Growing Protests Open a Door for Low-Cost U.S. Initiatives

Amid mounting domestic pressure on President Saied, the Trump administration should take modest but useful and forward-looking steps like lifting tariffs, supporting less-politicized trade projects, and otherwise backing the people’s vision for a more prosperous future.

Dec 17, 2025

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Sabina Henneberg

Articles & Testimony

Burhan Is Using Sudan-Israel Normalization to Secure His Power

The process has become less about peace and more about political survival for those spearheading Sudan’s catastrophic war.

Dec 17, 2025

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Areig Elhag

Articles & Testimony

How to Stop Sudan’s Collapse

With President Trump recently pledging to help Saudi Arabia and other regional partners broker a ceasefire, his administration should focus on pressuring the external spoilers who have fueled the fighting.

Nov 21, 2025

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Ben Fishman
Areig Elhag

A Tunisian purchases dollars from a money-changer - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

The Role of the International Community in Supporting Tunisia’s Post-2011 Economic Transition

How can the international community avoid making the same mistakes it did after the revolution, when perceptions that the country’s democratic transition was secure led to economic complacency?

Oct 28, 2025

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Sabina Henneberg

Brief Analysis

An Algeria-Morocco “Peace Deal”? Managing U.S. Diplomacy and Expectations

The Trump administration has been alluding to a potential breakthrough between the two regional rivals, but striking near-term deals on issues like Western Sahara and MINURSO would only be the first step in a necessarily long-term U.S. diplomatic effort.

Oct 23, 2025

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Sabina Henneberg
Souhire Medini

Supported by the

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Robert Satloff

Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a post he assumed in January 1993.

Ben Fishman

Ben Fishman is the Susan and Leonard Feinstein Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on North Africa.

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