Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa Please submit all media inquiries to amrani@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Issandr El Amrani oversees Crisis Group's North Africa Project. Prior to joining Crisis Group, he was a writer and consultant on Middle Eastern affairs based in Cairo. His reporting and commentary on the region has appeared in The Economist, London Review of Books, Financial Times, The National, The Guardian, Time and other publications. He has also advised leading investment firms and NGOs on the region. He is the founder of The Arabist, one of the longest-running and most-read blogs on Arab politics culture, and the co-founder of Cairo magazine. He is also a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Issandr, who is Moroccan-American, has lived in the region since 2000, mostly in Cairo, and currently resides in Rabat. Areas of Expertise Islamism & Islamist movements in North Africa Domestic politics of North Africa Geopolitics of the Arab Spring & its aftermath Egyptian domestic politics & foreign policy Egypt & the Israeli-Palestinian conflict US & EU policies towards the Arab world Professional Background Independent consultant and journalist 2009-2013 North Africa analyst, International Crisis Group, 2007-2009 Independent journalist, 2000-2007 Co-founder and editor, Cairo Editor, Cairo Times Languages English French Arabic In The News 20 Mar 2017 The focus in the last few months has been on Morocco’s entry into the African Union…and now there’s a little urgency in trying to get a government back on its feet. Quartz Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa 16 Mar 2017 [The western Sahara issue] is the No. 1 strategic priority at the end of the day for Morocco. It dominates everything in Morocco’s diplomacy. World Politics Review Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa 8 Mar 2017 The [Justice and Development Party in Morocco] is in a less of a strong position than it was in 2011 and the palace has more cards to push for its dilution. Reuters Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa 16 Feb 2017 The deep state is not official institutions rebelling [but] shadowy networks within those institutions, and within business, who are conspiring together and forming parallel state institutions. The New York Times Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa 10 Feb 2017 Morocco wants to become the intersection point between the West and West Africa. Al Monitor Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa 1 Nov 2016 The relationship [between Egypt and Saudi Arabia] is based on a kind of asymmetric, passive-aggressive, perpetual renegotiation. The New York Times Issandr El Amrani Project Director, North Africa Latest Updates Open Letter / Middle East & North Africa 1 March 2017 Open Letter to Chancellor Merkel Uncritical engagement with Egypt will not promote European interests, says European Working Group on Egypt ahead of Chancellor Merkel's visit to Cairo. Commentary / Middle East & North Africa 14 December 2016 Oil Zone Fighting Threatens Libya with Economic Collapse New clashes over Libya’s oilfields could wreck the fragile remains of the country’s economy. Beyond security help, international actors must support compromises on state financing between the opposing factions and help pull Libya back from the brink. Also available in العربية Open Letter / Middle East & North Africa 15 April 2016 Open Letter on Egypt to European Leaders and Policymakers Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 11 March 2016 Un’alternativa per la pace in Libia Originally published in Internazionale Op-Ed / Middle East & North Africa 1 March 2016 Intervention ist keine Lösung Originally published in Internationale Politik Load more