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Democracy and Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy and Reform

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Brief Analysis
Escalation in Iraq: How to Limit the Damage and Reestablish Sovereignty
The Iraqi government’s vociferous condemnations of U.S. defensive strikes may just be rhetorical, but they highlight the stakes involved for a country veering ever closer to perpetual Iranian dominance.
Dec 31, 2019
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  • Bilal Wahab
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Oman After Qaboos: A National and Regional Void Sudden Succession Essay Series
Sudden Succession Essay Series
The Gulf nation of Oman has been ruled by Sultan Qaboos since 1970, when he overthrew his own father. The seventy-nine-year-old leader has enjoyed wide popularity, but he has a history of illness. To ensure national stability and continued progress, his successor will have to enact far-reaching economic reforms, aimed especially at broadening the economy beyond its current oil dependence. At the same time, a new sultan will need to navigate challenges posed by powerful neighbors such as Iran, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Dec 30, 2019
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  • Simon Henderson
Articles & Testimony
The United States Can Offer the People of Lebanon and Iraq Something Tehran Can’t
Congress should offer conditional aid that forces Beirut and Baghdad to respond to their citizens’ grievances, many of which stem from Iranian-sponsored sectarianism, corruption, and violence.
Dec 24, 2019
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  • Dennis Ross
  • Dana Stroul
Articles & Testimony
Saudi Sentences in Khashoggi Murder Will Again Test U.S. Relations
The challenge for the kingdom’s Western allies is how to square Riyadh’s announcement with the CIA and UN conclusion that the crown prince himself sanctioned the crime.
Dec 23, 2019
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  • Simon Henderson
Brief Analysis
Lebanon’s Latest Moves Show the Effectiveness of Targeted International Pressure
By uniting behind the message that financial aid and punishment will be tied to specific courses of action, the United States, France, and the UN may finally be able to push Beirut into establishing a reform-minded government.
Dec 17, 2019
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
Brief Analysis
Round Three in Israel: Domestic Dynamics and Foreign Policy Implications
The top contenders from round two were unwilling to compromise, but new primary challengers, shifts in voting patterns, and potential plea bargains may make their inflexibility a moot point by March.
Dec 17, 2019
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  • David Makovsky
Brief Analysis
Iran’s New Budget Is Tight, But Not Tight Enough
Rouhani has taken a remarkably austere fiscal approach ahead of the looming parliamentary election, but the country’s economic situation is still not sustainable over the long run.
Dec 13, 2019
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  • Patrick Clawson
Articles & Testimony
GCC Security Issues, as Their Publics See Them: A Rare Look at Real Data
Polling results from five Gulf countries show where citizens and their leaders converge and diverge on Iran, U.S. relations, and other crucial foreign policy matters.
Dec 12, 2019
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  • David Pollock
Brief Analysis
Algeria’s Election Is a Make-or-Break Moment
The vote’s outcome will not have much legitimacy in the eyes of the people, so Washington should focus on urging all parties to lay the groundwork for longer-term reforms aimed at breaking the political deadlock.
Dec 10, 2019
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  • Sarah Feuer
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
A Caretaker President Clings to Legitimacy in Yemen Sudden Succession Essay Series
Sudden Succession Essay Series
In 2012, during a moment of national and regional consensus, the reserved, nonthreatening Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi was chosen as temporary president of Yemen. But Hadi, now seventy-four years old, has held onto power ever since, despite lacking a large base of domestic loyalists. Most important for the Yemeni people, the war needs to end with either a transitional council or elections so that a future leader enjoys the popular legitimacy Hadi lacks.
Dec 10, 2019
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  • Elana DeLozier
Articles & Testimony
What Will It Take to Repair Middle Eastern Economies?
Directly investing in nongovernmental enterprise and giving international approval to private competition can change the dynamic in individual countries, promote liberal economies, and give citizens greater agency.
Dec 8, 2019
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  • Bilal Wahab
Brief Analysis
Punishing Iran’s Triggermen in Iraq: Opening Moves in a Long Campaign
Some of the worst perpetrators of the murderous crackdown against Iraqi protestors have finally been sanctioned, but follow-on actions need to be taken more quickly in coordination with Britain and other allies.
Dec 6, 2019
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Iran Is Losing Iraq’s Tribes
Angry over Iranian militia abuses and Baghdad’s sundry failures, a number of powerful tribes are setting aside their traditional sectarian loyalties and pushing to safeguard their basic needs, sometimes violently.
Dec 4, 2019
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  • Phillip Smyth
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Bahrain After the Prime Minister Sudden Succession Essay Series
Sudden Succession Essay Series
Bahrain’s prime minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, has held his position since 1971, the year his country gained independence from Britain, but he is now eighty-four and evidently in uncertain health. Potential candidates to replace him include Crown Prince Salman or even a much younger nephew, Nasser bin Hamad, mirroring the generational handover in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. But the Khawalids, an influential, once-sidelined branch of the ruling family, also merit attention as Bahrain nears the end of an era.
Nov 26, 2019
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  • Simon Henderson
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Course Correction: The Muslim World League, Saudi Arabia's Export of Islam, and Opportunities for Washington
Throughout 2016 and 2017, statements from Riyadh suggested that Saudi Arabia might be on the verge of reorienting its decades-long promotion of Salafism around the world. Given the sheer scale of the kingdom’s support for Islamic institutions over the years, the ripple effects of such a shift would be profound
Nov 22, 2019
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  • Sarah Feuer
Articles & Testimony
What’s Next for Lebanon? Examining the Implications of Current Protests
An expert testifies on the concrete steps Washington can take to ensure that a credible, technocratic government forms in Beirut, and that the Lebanese Armed Forces protect civilians from Hezbollah-led reprisals.
Nov 19, 2019
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Gasoline Protests: Regime Unpopular but Resilient
The demonstrations indicate widespread popular rejection of the political system, but this same system remains well organized to deflect and counter unrest.
Nov 18, 2019
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  • Patrick Clawson
  • Mehdi Khalaji
  • Farzin Nadimi
Brief Analysis
Iraq in Crisis: The View from Kurdistan
The Iraqi Kurdistan government's top diplomat shares the Kurdish view of the growing unrest sweeping Iraq.
Nov 15, 2019
◆
  • Safeen Dizayee
Audio
Brief Analysis
Counterterrorism in an Era of Competing Priorities: Ten Key Considerations
In this in-depth briefing, a leading CT official discusses how to address diverse challenges ranging from border security and document forgery to online radicalization and far-right copycat attacks.
Nov 12, 2019
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  • Russell Travers
Multimedia
Brief Analysis
The Lebanon Protests: Views from Beirut and Policy Implications
Four Lebanese experts assess the country’s fragile political and financial situation, explaining why the demonstrations will not stop with Hariri’s resignation.
Nov 8, 2019
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Makram Rabah
  • Lokman Slim
  • Jean Tawile

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