Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

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

Brief Analysis

Qatar’s Council Election Has Gulf-Wide Implications

The long-delayed poll will be watched carefully by the country’s neighbors, though the sundry restrictions on voters and council members may limit its near-term policy impact.

Sep 30, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Iraqi Kurds display Kurdish and Israeli flags

Articles & Testimony

A Pro-Israel Summit in Erbil Breaks New Ground

At great personal risk, Iraqi civil society leaders gathered to demand entry into the Abraham Accords, and their efforts need more American support.

Sep 30, 2021

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Dennis Ross

Video

Brief Analysis

Affirming U.S. Commitments Abroad: The View from Syria’s Democratic Council

The head of the council joins two Washington Institute experts for a far-ranging conversation on the U.S. role in the northeast, Kurdish threat perceptions, the effect of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and more.

Sep 29, 2021

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Elham Ahmad
Andrew J. Tabler
David Pollock

Audio

Articles & Testimony

Hezbollah’s Grip on Lebanon Is Weakening. Here’s How Washington Can Help.

Instead of continuing to work with corrupt Lebanese state institutions, the United States should pursue opportunities with the business community and civil society, whose members are eager to separate themselves from the group.

Sep 20, 2021

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Hanin Ghaddar

Middle East doctor, Turkish protestor, veiled voter

In-Depth Reports

A New Start for the U.S. on Mideast Democracy and Human Rights

In a region where publics are clamoring for healthcare, housing, jobs, and freedom of expression, progress toward electoral democracy need not always be the top priority.

Sep 19, 2021

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David Pollock
Robert Satloff

◆ Reform, Protest, Change

Brief Analysis

Sistani vs. the Militias: The Future of Iraqi Sovereignty

The international community needs to pay more attention to developments in Najaf, where Sistani-backed groups are forcefully pushing back against Iran but still face the longer-term question of who will continue his message.

Sep 14, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: The Iraqi Radio and Television Union

An overview of Iraq's offshoot of the Islamic Radio and Television Union, an Iranian umbrella group that provides support to "resistance" media outlets.

Sep 2, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Brief Analysis

Political Uncertainty Deepens in Tunisia

Washington should publicly emphasize the importance of preserving hard-won progress on political pluralism and human rights, while privately conveying that Tunis must return to the constitutional framework in order to receive MCC and IMF funding.

Aug 31, 2021

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Sarah Feuer
Grant Rumley
Ben Fishman
Aaron Y. Zelin

Articles & Testimony

What's Happening with the HDP?

Tracking Legislators in Turkey's Liberal, Pro-Kurdish Party

Erdogan knows that a flourishing opposition could mean his political demise.

Aug 26, 2021

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Soner Cagaptay
Umut Can Fidan
Nibras Khudaida

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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