Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

Your Sons Are at Your Service: Tunisia’s Missionaries of Jihad

How did Tunisia, a democratic bright spot of the Arab uprisings with very little history of terrorist violence within its borders before 2011, become one of the largest sources of foreign fighters for the Islamic State? This groundbreaking book presents the first history of the Tunisian jihadi movement and challenges simplified views of jihadism's appeal and success.

Feb 7, 2020

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Idlib and Its Environs:

Narrowing Prospects for a Rebel Holdout

During the war years in Syria, the northwest, specifically Idlib, has become a site of heavy internal displacement. Observers on the ground recognize the green buses traveling to Idlib carrying migrants who have refused reconciliation agreements with the Damascus regime. Since around 2014, a range of jihadist, Islamist, and Salafi

Feb 5, 2020

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Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

Brief Analysis

Continuity vs. Overreach in the Trump Peace Plan (Part 2): Security, Refugees, and Narratives

By granting Israel much more say over the sovereignty of a future Palestinian state and its ability to absorb refugees, the document may undermine the administration’s ability to build an international coalition behind its policies.

Feb 4, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari

Brief Analysis

Centering Iraq Policy on Human Rights and Fair Elections

The surest way to counter Iran’s malign influence is to proactively focus on human rights issues that the new prime minister can actually affect, such as organizing free elections and preventing further violence against protestors.

Feb 4, 2020

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Syria’s Economic Crisis Sparks Rare Protests in Regime Territory

Besides highlighting Assad’s financial mismanagement, the recent unrest gives the international community a genuine opportunity to push for transition while bolstering the more prosperous local administration in the northeast.

Jan 31, 2020

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Oula A. Alrifai

Video

Brief Analysis

Shia Militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon Post-Soleimani

Will the various regional militias once controlled by Qasem Soleimani continue to take sometimes-unwanted direction from Tehran after his death? Read or watch a spirited conversation with three experts.

Jan 30, 2020

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Michael Knights
Phillip Smyth
Hanin Ghaddar

Video

Brief Analysis

The New Status Quo in Northeast Syria: Humanitarian and Security Implications

Three leading experts assess the current balance of power and its potential effects on counterterrorism, refugee resettlement, governance, economics, and other crucial issues.

Jan 29, 2020

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Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Gonul Tol
Dana Stroul

Articles & Testimony

Trump Peace Plan Attracts Some Gulf States, But Not Consensus Backing

Bahrain, Oman, and the UAE have evidently decided that good relations with the White House are more important than echoing Palestinian anger or appeasing Iran.

Jan 29, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Soleimani Is Dead: The Road Ahead for Iranian-Backed Militias in Iraq

Iraqis have expressed broad political, religious, and public support for checking the militias more quickly, so the U.S. government should take several steps toward that end.

Jan 27, 2020

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Palestinian Reactions to the Trump Plan

The PA will likely limit itself to quick diplomatic thrusts in order to preempt Arab support and isolate Washington, but any Israeli annexation moves could trigger more drastic action.

Jan 27, 2020

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Ghaith al-Omari

Articles & Testimony

Here’s How the U.S. Can Pressure Lebanon’s New Government to Tackle Corruption

Designating corrupt businessmen and officials under the Global Magnitsky Act would offer a tangible response to the persistent anti-sectarian demands of Lebanese protesters.

Jan 26, 2020

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Hanin Ghaddar
Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

Remembering the Muslims Murdered at Auschwitz

This modest proposal—to broaden the scope of Holocaust remembrance by including the names of Muslims killed at Auschwitz—appeared this weekend in English and Arabic in Saudi, Egyptian, and Israeli media outlets.

Jan 26, 2020

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

U.S. Do’s and Don’ts in Iraq

To ensure that new protests, new sanctions, and new political leadership wind up helping rather than hindering Iraqi sovereignty, Washington must handle upcoming developments with great care.

Jan 23, 2020

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Iranian Succession and the Impact of Soleimani’s Death

The general’s peerless domestic stature would have served a crucial mediatory role during the eventual transition to Khamenei’s successor, so his death brings significant uncertainty to that process.

Jan 23, 2020

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Mehdi Khalaji

Brief Analysis

Who Is Mohammad Hossein-Zadeh Hejazi, the New Deputy Commander of Iran’s Qods Force?

The general’s background includes often-buried links to the pre-revolutionary MEK, along with a sobering record of transforming the Basij into a fine-tuned engine of domestic repression and organized vigilantism.

Jan 22, 2020

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Ali Alfoneh

Brief Analysis

Making the Most of the Berlin Conference on Libya

If the latest conference is to succeed, the principal actors stoking the civil war must endorse a genuine ceasefire and a return to Libyan internal dialogue.

Jan 17, 2020

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Ben Fishman

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, gestures while speaking

Brief Analysis

Khamenei’s Rare Friday Sermon Reflects Four Pressing Concerns

Public anger is exploding over the regime’s mishandling of the airline tragedy, and the Supreme Leader seems to realize that his normal methods of extinguishing unrest and exploiting election cycles may not suffice.

Jan 16, 2020

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Death of a Sultan: Oman Matters, So Why Such a Slow U.S. Response?

Regional players will likely be testing Muscat in the next few months, so Washington needs to help ensure continuity between reigns.

Jan 14, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Ceasefire or Escalation in Libya?

After the fall of Sirte, Erdogan and Putin’s desired ceasefire can only be achieved with Washington’s support.

Jan 10, 2020

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Ben Fishman

Brief Analysis

Eight Reasons Why the United States and Iraq Still Need Each Other

A host of crucial multilateral interests are baked into the U.S. presence, from keeping the Islamic State down, to protecting vulnerable regional allies, to preventing Iran from taking Iraq's oil revenues.

Jan 9, 2020

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David Pollock

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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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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