Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

Meet the Islamist Political Fixer Who Could Be Egypt's Next President

When Egypt's Presidential Elections Commission disqualified Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat al-Shater from the upcoming elections last week, the Brotherhood was angered, but not surprised. Egyptian law bans criminal convicts from running for president, and though al-Shater's 2007 conviction for belonging to an "illegal organization" -- namely, the Brotherhood --

Apr 27, 2012

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Confronting Damascus: U.S. Policy toward the Evolving Situation in Syria, Part II

Chairman Chabot and Ranking Member Ackerman: Thank you for this opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on the situation in Syria and U.S. government efforts to force President Bashar al-Assad to "step aside," as outlined by President Obama in August 2011. During Part

Apr 25, 2012

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Andrew J. Tabler

Brief Analysis

Libya's Elections Need More U.S. Support

Despite trepidation over Libya's upcoming elections, they offer the best way to solve the country's legitimacy crisis, and Washington should tailor its assistance accordingly.

Apr 24, 2012

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Andrew Engel

Brief Analysis

Implications of Egypt's Gas Cut-Off with Israel

Cairo's otherwise disappointing decision to freeze Israel's gas supplies gives Washington an opportunity to separate its Egypt and Eastern Mediterranean energy policies.

Apr 23, 2012

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Simon Henderson
David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Arab AKPs in the Making?

Can Turkey's experience in the past decade under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government -- blending democracy, close ties with the West, a "Muslim" foreign policy, capitalism and Islamism -- be copied by Arabs, as many claim? Probably not -- except for Tunisia. Although rooted in Turkey's Islamist movement

Apr 23, 2012

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David Pollock
Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

No Brothers in Arms in Egypt

In late May, Egypt will ostensibly hold its first open presidential elections in nearly six decades. But the Muslim Brotherhood suspects treachery. This past Tuesday's disqualification of ten presidential candidates, including Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater, has convinced the group that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which has

Apr 20, 2012

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Eric Trager

Brief Analysis

Assad Must Be Forced to Allow Peaceful Assembly

Videos and reports from Syria over the past week show that Bashar al-Assad's forces continue to violate the ceasefire outlined by UN special representative Kofi Annan on April 12. The regime has neither ended its use of heavy weapons in population centers nor -- an additional obligation -- pulled back

Apr 18, 2012

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Andrew J. Tabler

Brief Analysis

Could the Gulf States Intervene in Syria?

The participation of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the Libyan conflict demonstrated the Gulf Cooperation Council's activism and capability. In recent months, therefore, speculation has focused on possible GCC intervention in the Syrian civil war. On February 27, Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told the Friends

Apr 17, 2012

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

A Crisis of Confidence

From failing European economies to staggering murder rates in Central America, there's no shortage of crises on the agenda as the International Monetary Fund holds its annual spring meeting in Washington this week. Of all the problems within the IMF's purview, however, the ongoing economic deterioration in Egypt may be

Apr 17, 2012

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David Schenker

Articles & Testimony

Back from the Threshold: The Last Chance for Diplomacy to Stop Iran

In this timely and detailed paper, Brig. Gen. Michael Herzog (IDF, Ret.) proposes ways to maximise the chances of success in P5+1 talks to move the Iranians back from their nuclear threshold capacity. Key Points Strong evidence suggests that Iran's nuclear programme is intended to actually construct nuclear weapons, not

Apr 17, 2012

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Michael Herzog

Brief Analysis

Assad Continues Violent Attacks on the Opposition

Data from one of the key Syrian opposition groups, the Local Coordination Committees (LCC), shows a persistent pattern of violent, armed regime actions against the people despite the ceasefire that supposedly went into force last week ( view the Syria Incident Database). The regime has effectively continued its struggle against

Apr 17, 2012

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Jeffrey White

Iraq Update: An Interview

This interview was conducted for Global Politics by Robert Tollast, a graduate of Royal Holloway University of London who has interviewed various diplomats for Small Wars Journal . In March, the Iraqi government imposed tight security restrictions on Baghdad to host the Arab League summit, the first to be held

Apr 13, 2012

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Michael Knights

Video

Brief Analysis

The Free Syrian Army: A Military Assessment

On April 10, 2012, Jeffrey White and Andrew Exum addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. White, a defense fellow at the Institute, previously completed a thirty-four-year career with the Defense Intelligence Agency, serving in a wide variety of senior analytical and leadership positions. Mr. Exum, a senior

Apr 13, 2012

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Jeffrey White
Andrew Exum

Brief Analysis

Assad's Secretive Cyber Force

Cyber bullets are bullets nonetheless.

Apr 12, 2012

Brief Analysis

Bahrain on the Brink Jeopardizes U.S. Interests in the Gulf

The ethnic strife between majority Shiites and the ruling Sunni al-Khalifa family in Bahrain is worsening, with a growing risk that the U.S. naval base there could become contentious.

Apr 12, 2012

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Changed Prospects for Turkish Military Intervention in Syria

Several recent developments have put the possibility of military action in Syria on Turkey's agenda. On April 9, Syrian forces opened fire at a refugee camp on the Turkish side of the border, killing two Syrian refugees and wounding two Turks. The number of such refugees crossing into Turkey has

Apr 12, 2012

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

What Iran Might Gain from a Nuclear Deal

If Iran decides to seriously negotiate during upcoming nuclear talks -- currently scheduled to begin this weekend in Istanbul -- what might it expect to gain from the resultant deal? Probably not much, because even a comprehensive agreement on nuclear issues would not close the profound geostrategic split between Washington

Apr 11, 2012

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Patrick Clawson

Brief Analysis

After the Annan Deadline: Options for U.S. Policy on Syria

Bashar al-Assad's complete disregard for UN special envoy Kofi Annan's April 10 deadline for withdrawal of regime forces from population centers is only the latest sign that Damascus has no intention of implementing the envoy's six-point plan to deal with the Syria crisis. The fact that the regime's armed forces

Apr 11, 2012

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Andrew J. Tabler

Video

Brief Analysis

Iraqi Kurdistan as U.S. Ally and Partner in the Middle East

On April 5, 2012, His Excellency Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, addressed a Policy Forum at The Washington Institute. The following is a rapporteur's summary of his remarks. IRAQ'S INTERNAL POLITICAL CRISIS AND U.S. POLICY Despite a budding national political crisis originating from the consolidation of

Apr 10, 2012

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Masoud Barzani

Articles & Testimony

The Muslim Brotherhood's Mendacious Charm Campaign in Washington

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a Muslim Brotherhood delegation in Washington last week to better understand how the Islamist group will govern Egypt. It was a noble attempt at promoting intercultural political dialogue -- an engagement for which many in the American policy community, as well as academia

Apr 9, 2012

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Eric Trager

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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David Schenker

David Schenker is the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics. He is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Ghaith al-Omari

Ghaith al-Omari is the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute's Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship.

Hanin Ghaddar

Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute's Rubin Family Arab Politics Program, where she focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant.

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