Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

Throughout his tenure as leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas has studiously avoided grooming a successor, instead consolidating his control over numerous Palestinian entities and sidelining officials he perceived as threatening to his rule. When he eventually exits the scene, Abbas will leave many leadership roles to be filled—including in the PLO, Fatah movement, and national security agencies.

May 5, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari
Ehud Yaari

◆ Sudden Succession Essay Series

Brief Analysis

Hezbollah Takes Aim at Lebanon’s Central Bank and Telecom Sector

By exploiting the public’s anti-corruption sentiment, the group's leaders are looking for an excuse to seize control of additional sectors and replace the country’s financial system with their own corrupt, cash-based economy.

May 4, 2020

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Hanin Ghaddar

Video

Brief Analysis

Arab Health Officials Discuss Fighting COVID-19

Three senior officials from Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia share a behind-the-scenes look at each country’s efforts to contain the pandemic.

Apr 30, 2020

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Jaafar Allawi
Saad Jaber
Abdullah Algwizani

Brief Analysis

Saudi Leverage Not Enough to Achieve Peace in Yemen

Riyadh’s negotiation efforts in Yemen’s north and south have faltered, raising questions about its ability to single-handedly shepherd the country toward peace.

Apr 29, 2020

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Elana DeLozier

Articles & Testimony

Covid-19 and Middle East Proxy Wars: The Storm Before the Calm?

Although the pandemic’s full regional consequences remain murky, some early trends are becoming clear, from caution among certain proxy patrons, to escalation among others, and a looming financial crunch for all.

Apr 29, 2020

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David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Eurasian Wager

Many aspects of Iranian engagement with the Eurasian Economic Union seem paltry, but the bloc offers a semblance of assured trade, diplomacy, and counter-Western alignment that could still be meaningful to Tehran amid multiple crises.

Apr 27, 2020

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Kevjn Lim

Brief Analysis

Corona in the Casbah: The Pandemic’s Destabilizing Impact on Algeria

Given that the local economic repercussions of COVID-19 could be severe, Washington should prepare for the prospect of instability erupting in Africa’s largest country.

Apr 22, 2020

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Sarah Feuer

Articles & Testimony

Resilience in Turkey

Despite Erdogan’s pandemic missteps and repressively conservative agenda, Turkey’s problem-solving opposition parties and the secularist youths who support them give hope that democracy will endure.

Apr 22, 2020

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Soner Cagaptay
Deniz Yuksel

Articles & Testimony

Why King Abdullah Is King

His father, King Hussein, had always wanted it that way, he just never told anybody. Except me.

Apr 18, 2020

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Pandemic Could Change Iran’s Model of Supreme Leadership Forever

With the IRGC spearheading the containment effort, the clergy shooting itself in the foot, and the regime widening its cyber-repression, Iran is ripe for an evolution in which Khamenei or his successor give way to de facto military rule.

Apr 17, 2020

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Mehdi Khalaji

Video

Brief Analysis

Iran's Coronavirus Crisis: Implications for U.S. Policy

Read or watch an expert conversation on the immediate and long-term effects of the Islamic Republic’s response to the pandemic. How will Iranian politics change? How much aid can Tehran get under sanctions? How will the global economic slowdown affect daily life there?

Apr 16, 2020

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Amir Afkhami
Mehdi Khalaji
Patrick Clawson
Katherine Bauer

Brief Analysis

Don’t Blame the Mossadeq Coup for Iran’s Anti-Americanism

Close analysis of Iranian history textbooks indicates that not even the regime regards the 1953 coup as a seminal event in souring bilateral relations.

Apr 15, 2020

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Jonathan Sameyach

Articles & Testimony

‘Legitimacy’ Protecting Yemen’s President Complicates Process of Replacing Him

Finding an acceptable process to install a new transitional leader is hard; finding a person with the requisite legitimacy to play that role may be harder still.

Apr 15, 2020

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Elana DeLozier

Brief Analysis

Qaani’s Surprise Visit to Baghdad and the Future of the PMF

The commander’s trip was aimed at uniting Shia militias against the United States and domestic political rivals, but facts on the ground show that the post-Soleimani Qods Force is losing its touch in Iraq.

Apr 10, 2020

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Farzin Nadimi
Hamdi Malik

Brief Analysis

Iraq Goes from Zurfi to Kadhimi: U.S. Policy Implications

If Kadhimi’s nomination goes through, it would be good news for Iraq, but Washington’s troubled relationship with Baghdad still needs a radical strategic reset.

Apr 9, 2020

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

The Coronavirus Pandemic Could Be the Key to Peace in Yemen

After years of failed attempts at talks and ceasefires, COVID-19 may be enough to push the Saudis, Houthis, and Yemeni government to the negotiating table.

Apr 9, 2020

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Elana DeLozier

Articles & Testimony

As Civil War Rages, Diplomacy Fails with Libya’s Haftar

For years, international mediators have insisted that there is no military solution to the war, but it is also time to recognize that there is no diplomatic solution with Khalifa Haftar.

Apr 9, 2020

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Ben Fishman

Brief Analysis

Syria’s Three Governments Confront the Coronavirus

The rebel administration in Idlib and the Kurdish-led government in the northeast have been more proactive and transparent than the Assad regime, but their populations still need urgent, direct international aid—without the UN’s imprimatur if necessary.

Apr 1, 2020

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Aaron Y. Zelin
Oula A. Alrifai

Brief Analysis

Hezbollah’s Corona Quagmire: An Opportunity to Empower the LAF

Now that Hezbollah realizes its efforts to hide virus cases won’t work anymore, Washington should urge Beirut to put LAF medical and border-control personnel to work without resorting to a full state of emergency.

Mar 31, 2020

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Hanin Ghaddar

Articles & Testimony

U.S. Policy in the Middle East Amid Great Power Competition

Viewing regional issues through this broader strategic lens will require Washington to accept painful trade-offs and take a tougher stance with difficult allies.

Mar 30, 2020

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Michael Singh

Supported by the

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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Featured experts

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.

Bilal Wahab

Bilal Wahab was the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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