Despite a recent orientation toward great power competition with China and Russia, the United States continues to play a major role in the Middle East and North Africa. The U.S. provides vast resources – military aid, economic assistance, arms transfers, political support – to the region’s leaders, nearly all of whom have presided over years of human rights abuse in their countries. Yet, U.S. influence in the region is waning, and new poles are emerging, including around Israel and the Gulf. This discussion will explore America’s role in the Middle East and North Africa and its impact on the repression of human rights.

Our speaker, Allison McManus, is the managing director of the Freedom Initiative, a Washington D.C.-based organization dedicated to ending abusive detention practices in the Middle East and North Africa. She previously served as the research director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.

Register to attend.

Photo: Palestinian rights activist Ramy Shaath was arbitrarily detained by Egyptian authorities for two years and was freed after an international campaign for his release.  Openverse/ Hossam el-Hamalawy