Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Three experts discuss how Washington should shape its regional response to persistent protest movements, economic struggles, and democratic backsliding.

Dec 2, 2021

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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

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Bilal Wahab

Afghan women attend a photography class, 2013.

Articles & Testimony

The Taliban Remain the Same, But Society Has Changed

Years of U.S. involvement visibly advanced the dignity and prospects of Afghan women, but wholly abandoning them now would risk undoing much of this progress.

Dec 1, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Video

Brief Analysis

How Tehran Views Washington

Researchers discuss Iran’s mindset toward the Biden administration and the country’s prospects for internal change as nuclear talks resume in Vienna.

Dec 1, 2021

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Amir Toumaj
Sanam Vakil

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

A Fake KSS Recruitment Drive

Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada may have exaggerated its recruiting numbers, but the episode points to militias' desperation to look potent and regain leverage by threatening to destabilize Iraq in early 2022.

Nov 27, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Biden, Jordan's King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein

In-Depth Reports

Preparing for Orderly Change in Jordan When the Time Comes

The kingdom has navigated tricky successions in the past, and many of the elements that allowed it to do so remain in place today.

Nov 22, 2021

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Ghaith al-Omari

◆ Sudden Succession Essay Series

Rebel soldiers in Libya during the 2011 revolution. Source: AP

Articles & Testimony

December Elections in Libya Risk a Return to Civil War

Authorities have come too far to risk resuming violence or dividing the country with a rushed, heavily boycotted vote.

Nov 21, 2021

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Ben Fishman

Ardeshir Zahedi, then Iran's ambassador to the United States, with Robert F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington, DC.

Articles & Testimony

Ardeshir Zahedi: Legend and Lesson

The career of Iran's last pre-revolution ambassador to the United States offers both an example and a warning to American policymakers and diplomats today.

Nov 19, 2021

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Martin Kramer

A Middle Eastern migrant with guards at the Belarus/Poland border. Source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The EU Migrant Crisis: Options for Border Security and U.S. Interests

Spurred by conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan, the migration emergency in Belarus gives Washington an opportunity to foster cooperative agreements and goodwill.

Nov 19, 2021

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Kenneth R. Rosen
Calvin Wilder

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Sabereen News Criticizes Iran for Lack of Support

Elements of Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah are seemingly trying to extract domestic and Iranian support for more forceful pushback against their recent political isolation.

Nov 13, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Muqawama Meltdown, Part 1: Protesting the Election

In the wake of their failed election campaigns and other recent setbacks, militias sought to deepen their claims of victimhood and politically damage Prime Minister Kadhimi with protests.

Nov 7, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Top Agenda Items for the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue

In addition to continuing the discussion of withheld U.S. funding, Secretary Blinken’s team should focus on steering Cairo toward productive steps in Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, and Syria.

Nov 5, 2021

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David Schenker

Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt display the victory and Rabaa signs at a protest

Brief Analysis

The Muslim Brotherhood Sees Cairo’s Flirtation with Biden as an Opportunity

Many Brotherhood members seem eager to exploit recent U.S.-Egyptian gestures on human rights, but there is little likelihood that the Sisi government will reconcile with the fractured, unpopular Islamist group.

Oct 27, 2021

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Haisam Hassanein

A Sudanese protester against military rule

Brief Analysis

In Sudan, the Masks Come Off After a Military Coup

After months of nebulous plotting, the domestic and foreign actors who drove opposition to Hamdok’s reformist government will become more discernible as the generals look for ways to solidify their hold on power.

Oct 26, 2021

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Alberto Fernandez

A Lebanese protester holds a sign denouncing Iranian influence

Brief Analysis

Amid Beirut Clashes, Lebanese Investigators Need Protection

By safeguarding Judge Bitar ahead of next year's election, the international community could help strengthen the small but important space he represents within Lebanon’s foundering, Hezbollah-dominated institutions.

Oct 20, 2021

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Hanin Ghaddar

Figure 2: Ahmad Abdal-Sadah, muqawama-affiliated commentator on al-Etejah TV, May 27, 2021.

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militias Issue Post-Election Threats Against UNAMI and the UAE

After their humiliating defeat in the parliamentary election, Iran-backed groups launched a bizarre campaign against UN and Emirati officials.

Oct 19, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Saudi Arabia: What Has Changed, What Hasn’t

An expert discusses persistent questions about Saudi policy two decades since the September 11 attacks, explaining why some of them are still so difficult to answer definitively.

Oct 13, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

Contending with New and Old Threats:

A French Perspective on Counterterrorism

A top intelligence official discusses domestic radicalization, the AUKUS crisis, potential Afghanistan fallout, and other key security issues, emphasizing the need for strong U.S.-French cooperation.

Oct 12, 2021

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Laurent Nuñez

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Brief Analysis

Elections Without Democracy in Iraq?

The often-hazardous two-year struggle that led to this vote has left many of the youth movement’s most ardent supporters disillusioned with the electoral process entirely, so Washington will have to narrow its focus.

Oct 6, 2021

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Bilal Wahab
Calvin Wilder

In-Depth Reports

Washington and the Next Arab Spring

Should protests grow more destabilizing, the United States will need to balance its values and interests regarding bilateral ties, the popular movement in question, broader regional dynamics, and competition with Russia or China.

Oct 3, 2021

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Sarah Feuer
David Schenker

◆ Reform, Protest, Change

Supported by the

Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

Fikra n. [Arabic] "Idea"

The Washington Institute's Project Fikra is a multiyear program of research, publication, and network-building designed to generate policy ideas for promoting positive change and countering the spread of extremism in the Middle East.

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Catherine Cleveland

Catherine Cleveland is The Washington Institute's Croft-Wagner Family Senior Fellow and managing editor of Fikra Forum.

Ben Fishman

Ben Fishman is the Steven D. Levy Senior Fellow in the Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on North Africa.

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Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

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Regions & Countries

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Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

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