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Arab & Islamic Politics

Policy Analysis on Arab & Islamic Politics

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Photo showing the image of a masked nurse projected onto Iran's Azadi Monument.
Video
Brief Analysis
COVID in the Middle East: Assessment on the Eve of Year Three
Leading public health experts take stock of the pandemic's regional outlook, discussing which approaches have been most effective in different jurisdictions while acknowledging the persistent limits of COVID data.
Mar 3, 2022
◆
  • Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis
  • Abraham Flaxman
  • Dr. Kamiar Alaei
A supporter of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda Party protests against the Tunisian president's 2022 coup - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Tunisian Jihadism in the Shadow of a Coup
If the West delays on pressing Saied to resume the democratic transition, it risks undermining the progress made so far in establishing a professional, apolitical counterterrorism infrastructure.
Mar 3, 2022
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
United Nations headquarters building in New York - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The UN Resolution on Ukraine: How Did the Middle East Vote?
A comprehensive record of what regional officials said—or didn’t say—about the emergency wartime vote in the General Assembly.
Mar 2, 2022
Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi speaking in 2021
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Third Cultural Revolution
President Raisi is accelerating Ayatollah Khamenei’s plan to Islamize the university system, with apparently little regard for how previous campaigns sent Iran plummeting down the regional rankings for higher education.
Feb 28, 2022
◆
  • Saeid Golkar
Israeli Prime Minister meets Bahraini foreign minister al-Zayan in Manama - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Bennett’s Bahrain Visit Further Invigorates Israel-Gulf Diplomacy
The trip reflects the diplomatic competition between Manama and Abu Dhabi, and also suggests that a breakthrough with the Saudis could be close.
Feb 14, 2022
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Libyans protest against their parliament's decision to appoint a new prime minister in Tripoli - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Libya’s Renewed Legitimacy Crisis
Washington and Europe need to clearly signal that they will not endorse any new governing arrangements until all local actors peacefully adhere to a negotiated political roadmap.
Feb 14, 2022
◆
  • Ben Fishman
Muslim man praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Brief Analysis
Saudi Arabia Adjusts Its History, Diminishing the Role of Wahhabism
The first celebration of Founding Day, on February 22, could be accompanied by other changes.
Feb 11, 2022
◆
  • Simon Henderson
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan watches the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in Beijing - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Middle East at the Olympics: Six Countries Compete While Great Power Politics on Display
Because regional leaders are treating the games as another stage for balancing historic partnerships with current economic and security interests, Washington should keep drawing clear lines regarding their ties with Beijing.
Feb 9, 2022
◆
  • Carol Silber
Brief Analysis
Hezbollah Leaders Are Dreading the Election—But They Have a Plan
Opposition parties may win enough votes to strip Hezbollah’s parliamentary majority, but the group is already preparing to employ its usual tactics of postponement, paralysis, and street violence if necessary.
Feb 1, 2022
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Robert Satloff
Brief Analysis
“The Holocaust Was an Arab Story Too”: Holocaust Remembrance in the Arab World
المحرقة كانت قصة عربية أيضاً: إحياء ذكرى "الهولوكوست" في العالم العربي
The Washington Institute’s executive director reflects on this year’s wave of remembrance events in the region, including his remarks at two landmark programs in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
Jan 28, 2022
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  • Robert Satloff
Brief Analysis
Saad’s Sad Goodbye: Hariri Leaves Lebanese Politics
Despite seeming more well-intentioned than most of his colleagues in Beirut’s political elite, Hariri ultimately became part of the coterie that has pushed Lebanon to the brink of state failure.
Jan 25, 2022
◆
  • David Schenker
Portraits of Baha'i adherents arrested in Iran on display in Brazil - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Increased Persecution of the Bahai
Targeting the faith’s followers is a longstanding feature of the Islamic Republic but has been escalating of late.
Jan 21, 2022
◆
  • Mehdi Khalaji
A U.S. military helicopter evacuates personnel from the American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan
Articles & Testimony
Trading Places
After two decades of direct U.S. involvement, what went so wrong in Afghanistan compared to the relative successes seen in Iraq?
Jan 7, 2022
◆
  • David Pollock
Lightbulb nighttime Beirut cityscape
In-Depth Reports
Power to the People?
Scrutinizing the U.S.-Arab Effort to Supply Energy to Lebanon via Syria
Residents of the beleaguered country desperately need electricity, but a U.S.-Arab scheme carries complications that could benefit Syria's Assad regime.
Dec 16, 2021
◆
  • Katherine Bauer
  • Ben Fishman
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Simon Henderson
  • David Schenker
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Brief Analysis
Gulf Arab Summit Could Be Overshadowed by Israel-UAE Meeting
Normalization with Israel will be the elephant in the room at the Riyadh summit, though Iran diplomacy and persistent internal rifts bear close watching as well.
Dec 13, 2021
◆
  • Simon Henderson
  • Elana DeLozier
Kurdish woman fighter
In-Depth Reports
Seasoned Skeptics
Why Syrian Kurds Have Resisted Political Islam
The historic role of Sufism, an inclination toward the secular left, and recent repression under extremists have all driven the Kurds away from religiously informed ideology.
Dec 13, 2021
◆
  • Sirwan Kajjo
  • Oula A. Alrifai
President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken host the Summit for Democracy. Source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Summit for Democracy Skips the Arab World
To address the region’s democracy gap, Washington needs to develop consistent messaging on reform objectives and help its partners focus on achievable goals such as protecting free speech, dissidents, and civil society.
Dec 8, 2021
◆
  • Ben Fishman
Articles & Testimony
Lebanon Stands at a Crossroad Between a Painful Revival and a Complete Submission to Iran
The country’s ongoing crises are closely intertwined with Hezbollah’s internal challenges, creating real potential for change if the West stands firmly behind fair elections, judicial accountability, and targeted pressure.
Dec 7, 2021
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Video
Brief Analysis
Popular Protest, Democratic Prospects, and U.S. Policy Dilemmas in the Middle East
Three experts discuss how Washington should shape its regional response to persistent protest movements, economic struggles, and democratic backsliding.
Dec 2, 2021
◆
  • Chiraz Arbi
  • Yasir Zaidan
  • Alberto Fernandez
Brief Analysis
A New Chance at Kingmaking for Iraqi Kurds
With militias on the back foot, the United States should lean on Kurdish and Iraqi leaders to find unity of purpose in confronting the destabilizing actions of pro-Iran groups.
Dec 1, 2021
◆
  • Bilal Wahab

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Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's 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

Ghaith al-Omari
Ghaith al-Omari
Ghaith al-Omari is a senior fellow in The Washington Institute's Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Relationship.
Hanin Ghaddar
Hanin Ghaddar
Hanin Ghaddar is the Friedmann Fellow at The Washington Institute's Geduld Program on Arab Politics, where she focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant.
Mehdi Khalaji
Mehdi Khalaji
Mehdi Khalaji, a Qom-trained Shiite theologian, is the Libitzky Family Fellow at The Washington Institute.
David Pollock
David Pollock
David Pollock is the Bernstein Fellow at The Washington Institute, focusing on regional political dynamics and related issues.
Bilal Wahab
Bilal Wahab
Bilal Wahab is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner fellow at The Washington Institute.
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