الديمقراطية والإصلاح

Policy Analysis on الديمقراطية والإصلاح

Between ISIS and Iran: Bahrain Tweaks Washington

Amid electoral boycotts and continued concerns about ISIS and Iran, King Hamad has reappointed a prime minister whom Washington regards as an impediment to political progress.

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Tunisians Elect a President

Regardless of who enters Carthage Palace in January, a free and fair election will represent an achievement worthy of international recognition.

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Sarah Feuer

In-Depth Reports

Libya as a Failed State:

Causes, Consequences, Options

Is post-Qadhafi Libya destined to become a "Somalia on the Mediterranean"? Analyst Andrew Engel studies the causative factors in Libya's failed transition to democracy.

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Andrew Engel

In-Depth Reports

The Iraq Troop-Basing Question and the New Middle East

An examination of allegations that the Obama administration’s failure to secure a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq after 2011 was the "original sin" that led to the ascendance of ISIS.

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James Jeffrey

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

Reflections on Islamism: From the Muslim Brotherhood to the Islamic State

2014 Zeev Schiff Memorial Lecture

Israel's former ambassador to Egypt and Jordan discusses the changing face of Islamism for the Institute's annual lecture in honor of the late Zeev Schiff.

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Shimon Shamir

◆ Zeev Schiff Memorial Lectures

Articles & Testimony

President Sisi's Worldview

A former senior official at the U.S. embassy in Cairo describes how Sisi's background is shaping his approach to domestic politics, counterterrorism, Israel, and other issues.

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Marc Sievers

Brief Analysis

Bahrain's Ban on Main Opposition Prompts U.S. Policy Dilemma

Washington faces a stark choice between pressing for political reconciliation or jeopardizing the anti-ISIS coalition and access to important military facilities.

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Lessons from Versailles for Today's Middle East

The discontent and chaos in the Middle East are rooted in treaties drafted at the close of World War I.

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Fast-Tracking the Arab Spring in Yemen

The quick fall of Yemen's capital could push the country toward the Syrian model of sectarian strife, but it also presents an opportunity for reform led by a new political player.

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Abdul-Ghani al-Iryani

Brief Analysis

Elections in Tunisia: Steps Toward Democratic Consolidation

Tunisia will need U.S. support for its continuing, fragile transition away from authoritarianism.

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Sarah Feuer

Articles & Testimony

The Druze Balancing Act

Druze communities in Syria and Lebanon cannot afford to be on the losing side of the ongoing war, and their cautious approach to local tensions reflects that imperative.

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Noam Raydan

Articles & Testimony

Lessons Learned from Maliki's Iraq

The most crucial first steps for the new government in Baghdad are to fill the security ministries with competent, broadly accepted officials, address the oil revenue issue with the Kurds, and build on recent gestures toward political rapprochement.

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Marc Sievers

Brief Analysis

The Politics of Rebuilding Gaza

Calculating the actual costs of reconstruction is important, but the most crucial question is whether the PA is truly ready to supplant Hamas and assume effective control over Gaza.

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Neri Zilber

Articles & Testimony

This Photo Explains the United States' Relationship with Saudi Arabia

The kingdom's existential struggle with Iran could have drastic implications for the Middle East.

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Islamists Are Not Our Friends

Despite tensions stemming from their domestic policies, non-Islamist actors such as Egypt and the Gulf monarchies are America's natural partners in the region because they favor stability and the free flow of oil and gas while opposing terrorism.

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

Is Islamism Compatible with Democracy?

Despite the authoritarian impulses of Turkey's long-governing AKP, the country's civil society has become too diverse for President Erdogan or any other single leader to control entirely.

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James Jeffrey
Soner Cagaptay

In-Depth Reports

Khalifa Haftar: Rebuilding Libya from the Top Down

As a leading Libyan military figure carries out a comprehensive campaign to uproot extremism in his country, Washington and its allies will have to find a way to balance his efforts against the need to curb growing violence and nurture a pluralistic state.

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Barak Barfi

Brief Analysis

Helping Iraq's Next Prime Minister Seize the Moment

As Abadi's ratification approaches, Washington should encourage him to swiftly signal his commitment to decentralization, security reform for the Sunnis, and a revenue-sharing deal with the Kurds.

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Maliki's Inevitable Demise

The naming of a new prime minister should give Iraq's various constituencies another chance -- perhaps their last chance -- to unite under one flag and one government.

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Gary Grappo

Articles & Testimony

How Maliki Broke Iraq

Under circumstances analogous to America's Civil War, Iraqis of all stripes are still trying to make their Western liberal constitution work, so Maliki's final duty is to withdraw gracefully.

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James Jeffrey

Supported by the

Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

Fikra n. [Arabic] "Idea"

The Washington Institute's Project Fikra is a multiyear program of research, publication, and network-building designed to generate policy ideas for promoting positive change and countering the spread of extremism in the Middle East.

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