Fikra Forum

Lebanese Shia, Sunnis, and Christians are increasingly divided on the United States and Russia, while China maintains cross-sectarian favorability and ties with Iran have jumped in importance among Sunnis.

While Arabs polled in March see Russia as responsible for spiking food prices, frustration with prior governance failures and economic challenges are also evident in certain Arab states with struggling economies.

A recent poll indicates that Egyptians see ties with Moscow as more important than ties with the U.S., despite opposition for Putin's war in Ukraine.

A new public opinion poll in Jordan, commissioned by The Washington Institute and conducted in March, documents a surprisingly solid popular rejection of Russia’s “military action” in Ukraine.

Time and again, the professional institutions and legal protections allegedly afforded to Iraqi journalists are failing them.

For high-ranking officials visiting the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, there is a well-established expectation that they will meet separately with three political figures from the same family and party: Masoud, Nechirvan, and Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Political tensions in Iraq have escalated amid ongoing disagreements on government formation as two main political blocs vye for power, with Iraq’s constitutional deadline for electing a president expiring earlier this week.

Hate speech and social dialogue have given rise to increased levels of violence against women in the KRI.

More than two months into the faltering invasion of Ukraine, Russia appears to be recalculating its approach, resorting to a tactic Syrians are all too familiar with: 'Ants Crawl', or a scorched earth policy.

Political and military developments in Syria ensure that the country faces a fragmented future.

While the world reacted with shock to Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine since the February 24 invasion, understanding Russia’s role in Syria makes Putin’s actions in Ukraine look more like a pattern than an anomaly.

Mapping Syrians’ attitudes towards Russia’s presence in the country demonstrates a variety of perspectives, indicating the mixed record of Russia’s soft power efforts.

As Gulf states perceive the repercussions of the Arab Spring, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the potential disintegration of the Egyptian army as existential threats to their regimes, they have sustained the deteriorating Egyptian economy to maintain what they see as the sole guarantor of regional stability.

The Russian war on Ukraine poses challenges for Egypt's economic interests—but Egypt should look to its Western partners to ameliorate these impacts.

The recent saga surrounding the implications of American withdrawal from Afghanistan has not gone unnoticed in Cairo. Egyptian policy circles believe it has opened the door for Islamist and extremist groups to gain momentum across the region, and regime messaging is framing the situation accordingly.

The U.S. should take a stronger position on the ongoing GERD talks to prevent armed conflict, stabilize American interests and support Sudanese democracy.

During 2022, Israel and Turkey have had friendly exchanges that suggest serious steps are being taken towards rapprochement.

Turkey’s continued invasions in the KRI are part of Turkey’s broader regional strategy and expansion.

Examining Turkey's track record on responding to diplomatic crises gives insight into its likely posture regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Reflecting on the first summit of Rabbis in Islamic states, the benefits and necessities of cross-communal collaboration are clear.

For decades, the Iranian government has failed to address the country’s water shortages, causing social unrest that will only intensify if the problems continue.

Understanding the mistakes that led to the Russian invasion offers critical lessons for future Iran policy.

Iran’s conservative administration has threatened to block one of the country’s last standing social media platforms, signaling a shift to more restrictive media censorship.

The recent Ahwaz protests point to broader tensions between the Iranian state and the country’s minorities, and Iraqi influence within Iran.

Russian narratives are increasingly suffusing Arabic social media depictions of the war in Ukraine.

With the war on Ukraine in its fourth week, many features of how the conflict will play out are still unknown. However, with the first wave of Ukrainian refugees already within its borders, European Union policymakers should be looking to learn lessons now from over a decade of conflict in Syria to help address and mitigate the fallout from the war on Ukraine.

The EU’s welcome of Ukrainian refugees has galvanized other migrants trapped in Lithuania to demand equal treatment as refugees of war.

Over the past year, the Ukrainian crisis has reached a boiling point. While there have been few official Arab responses to the Ukrainian crisis, many regional media outlets have extensively covered the crisis and its potential impact on the Middle East.

Internet connectivity should be treated as a basic human right. Yemen urgently needs functional Internet for a variety of reasons, including facilitating humanitarian assistance and supporting economic recovery when the war ends.

Recent Houthi attacks on the UAE shed light on the latest developments in the Yemeni war, and how key actors will maneuver in the coming months.

Yemen's Islah Party and Saudi Arabia have enjoyed a special relationship for over a decade, but now internal politics threaten to tarnish this unique partnership.

Without an exerted international peace effort, the siege on Marib could destroy the possibility of a unified Yemen.

The conflict between the Sadrists and the Shia Coordination Framework signals the potential for a new political order in Iraq and a shift in Iran's influence in the country.

The current stalemate in Iraq may lead to a complete collapse of its political institutions and prompt the international community to intervene if domestic political actors fail.

Calls to reject the results of Iraq's October 10 parliamentary election by the Fateh alliance and other parties affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces that underperformed have garnered much attention. Yet the successful strategies and ideologies of relatively new parties that took seats in the recent election cycle deserve a closer look.

Militias' repeated targeting of Kadhimi, including this week's attack on his home, emphasizes that Kadhimi has done something right in his past two years as Prime Minister of Iraq.

With a sizable number of independents in Iraq’s next parliament, young Iraqi MPs are hoping to push the Iraqi government to finally deliver on their protest demands from 2019.

While Iraq’s new electoral law did have some successes, the reforms it attempted to achieve will only be able to come to fruition if the Iraqi electorate is convinced that elections can make a tangible difference in their lives.