Crossroads: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States is a public snapshot report of a summer 2021 dialogue as significant events occured.

In 2021 the Center hosted experts, civil society representatives, and officials to discuss the emergence of Islamic civil society in Central Asia.

How can smart and sustainable cities create fairer urban environments for all? Read the latest snapshot report.

The rise of new media has altered how we consume information and news throughout the world. Read our snapshot report on the new landscape in MENA.

Some countries in the GCC face a harsh economic outlook due to unemployment, high debt levels, and strained financial markets. In addition they face climate change and mounting geopolitical and security concerns. A need exists for inter-GCC dialogue and coordination with international partners like the US and the European Union.

Food security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is viewed as one contributing factor in catalyzing conflicts in the region as well as perpetuating multiple humanitarian crises. The MENA region is the largest importer of food in the world, accounting for nearly 1/3rd of global cereal imports. Rising prices in staple foods […]

The political landscape of the Middle East and North Africa in 2018 is a terrain deeply hostile to nurturing the seeds of democracy planted so spectacularly just seven years prior during the momentous events of the Arab Uprisings. The region today seems characterized above all by violence, instability, social tension, renewed authoritarianism, and humanitarian crisis. […]

The Middle East and North Africa region urgently needs ethical and sustainable solutions for the plethora of challenges it faces, including the pressure of displaced populations, growing unemployment, armed conflict, environmental concerns, and lack of food or water security. Multiple previous Hollings Center dialogue programs have noted the important need for sustainable economic growth and […]

Africa in recent years has attracted the attention of new global actors such as Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf states, due to its growing markets, vast natural resources, and geostrategic importance. Non-state actors from the Middle East have also taken an interest in Africa by establishing religious and […]

Numerous studies and efforts seek to understand the conditions in which Da’esh ideology and message spreads, in other words the “root causes” of extremism. Despite these efforts, there is room for more dialogue regarding how communities, civil society, and state apparatuses deal with these root causes. Looking at community-based, local solutions to radicalization as well […]