Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Military & Security
  • Proliferation
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Lebanon
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Filter by:

Articles & Testimony
Assessing Lebanon’s Political Paralysis, Economic Crisis, and Challenges for U.S. Policy
A former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs diagnoses the country's incapacitated institutions and prescribes remedies for its entrenched corruption and Iranian/Hezbollah domination.
Jul 29, 2021
◆
  • David Schenker
Brief Analysis
A Mikati Government Will Not Save Lebanon
Instead of resuming a shell game that the country’s beleaguered people no longer have the luxury to play, Europe and the United States should proceed with additional sanctions against corrupt leaders.
Jul 28, 2021
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Brief Analysis
Political Crisis in Tunisia: U.S. Response Options
As the fragile Arab democracy faces its most serious test in nearly a decade, Washington should oppose any unconstitutional centralization of power, urge President Saied to clarify his roadmap for ending the impasse, and consider additional economic and medical assistance.
Jul 27, 2021
◆
  • Sarah Feuer
NT
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Al-Nujaba Satellite Television
A U.S.-sanctioned "resistance" channel owned and operated by U.S.-designated terrorist movement Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.
Jul 22, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Video
Brief Analysis
U.S.-EU Counterterrorism Cooperation Twenty Years After 9/11
Two senior European Union officials assess what improvements are needed to meet the evolving challenges of transatlantic counterterrorism.
Jul 20, 2021
◆
  • Gilles de Kerchove
  • Olivier Onidi
◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series
A mural of slain prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut
Articles & Testimony
In Lebanon, the Wheels of Justice Do Not Grind
The Hariri tribunal hasn’t led to a single arrest, so Washington should let it expire and help the Lebanese people in better ways.
Jul 19, 2021
◆
  • David Schenker
President Joe Biden speaks on the phone in the Oval Office of the White House
Video
Brief Analysis
A Strategy for Iraq: Guidelines for the Biden Administration
A senior State Department official, a Baghdad bureau chief, and an Iraqi scholar explore the opportunities and increasingly desperate dangers facing U.S. policy toward the country.
Jul 16, 2021
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
  • Joey Hood
  • Jane Arraf
Brief Analysis
Biden Welcomes His First Arab Head of State
The visit will set the stage for future U.S. assistance negotiations and allow King Abdullah to express his views on Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy and other regional issues, while the White House can bolster the relationship and (quietly) push for achievable reforms.
Jul 15, 2021
◆
  • Ghaith al-Omari
  • Ben Fishman
Brief Analysis
Supporting Sudan’s Essential but Risky Progress
Since experiencing major upheaval and demands for change in 2019, the country has achieved real gains in its political transition, but it needs serious American assistance to safely advance the fragile process.
Jul 8, 2021
◆
  • Alberto Fernandez
A man manipulates cables on a bank of internet data servers - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Iranian Website Seizures: Avoiding a Blanket Approach
Tehran is increasingly relying on its vast regional propaganda machine to pursue its anti-American objectives, but policymakers need to be simultaneously more precise and more comprehensive in how they counter it.
Jun 29, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
A UNDOF soldier on guard duty next to a mural of a dove of peace - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
Anti-Normalization Laws: A Powerful Weapon in the Fight Against Peace
A panel of experts discuss Hezbollah’s efforts to neutralize the Abraham Accords by threatening and prosecuting Lebanese citizens who interact with Israelis, including expatriates living or working in Gulf countries.
Jun 24, 2021
◆
  • Nadim Koteich
  • Majd Harb
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Joseph Braude
Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi speaking in 2021
Brief Analysis
Raisi Did Not Win, Reformers Lost
Mass support for reformists has disappeared among Iran’s severely disenchanted electorate, leaving Hemmati and his circle with little means of avoiding dismal turnout and vote tallies.
Jun 22, 2021
◆
  • Patrick Clawson
Brief Analysis
Making Libya’s Berlin Process Work
To break the political deadlock, begin the withdrawal of disruptive foreign forces, and deploy ceasefire monitors, U.S. officials will need to hold some hard conversations with the UN envoy and all of the international and local actors on the ground.
Jun 21, 2021
◆
  • Ben Fishman
  • Anas El Gomati
Iraq protestors 2019
In-Depth Reports
Promoting Sovereignty and Accountability in Iraq:
Guidelines for the Biden Administration
The complexity of Iraq’s challenges might prompt some U.S. officials to balk, but a constructive policy can help advance both Iraqi and American interests in areas ranging from counterterrorism to economic development.
Jun 17, 2021
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
◆ Transition 2021
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, casts his vote for president
Brief Analysis
From Rouhani to Raisi: Pressing Questions on the Eve of Iran’s Election
With Ebrahim Raisi’s road to the presidency seemingly paved, the regime has been working to prevent low voter turnout and give him a vote of confidence through a landslide win.
Jun 17, 2021
◆
  • Omer Carmi
Video
Brief Analysis
The Last Vote? Obstacles to Renewing UN Cross-Border Assistance in Syria
Amid talk of a potential new Security Council resolution, veteran diplomats and aid practitioners debate the future of humanitarian assistance to needy Syrians.
Jun 16, 2021
◆
  • James Jeffrey
  • Basma Alloush
  • Carsten Wieland
Flag of the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
Brief Analysis
Hanging on in Idlib: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s Expanding Tribal Engagement
As Western policymakers debate potential engagement with HTS, they should do so with eyes wide open to the jihadist group’s true status in the province and its intentions toward local tribal institutions.
Jun 11, 2021
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Iraq's Federal Supreme Court building
Brief Analysis
Iraq’s Judiciary Weak Link
Regardless of the executive branch’s willingness to confront militia abuses, true rule of law cannot take hold unless judges are protected from intimidation and corruption.
Jun 10, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Preserving the Lebanese Armed Forces Amid State Decline
Although continued pressure on the country’s political elites is necessary, the U.S. government needs to find more immediate ways of helping soldiers and citizens by making creative use of State, Defense, and congressional authorities.
Jun 9, 2021
◆
  • David Schenker
  • Grant Rumley
Articles & Testimony
Israel and Hamas After Gaza War
From expelling UN officials to giving Jews unsolicited relocation advice, Hamas has once again shown its true colors, even as Israeli politicians prepare to form a new multiethnic coalition government.
Jun 5, 2021
◆
  • David Pollock

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • First page « First
  • …
  • Page 19
  • Page 20
  • Page 21
  • Page 22
  • Current page 23
  • Page 24
  • Page 25
  • Page 26
  • Page 27
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
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.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

Featured experts

Catherine Cleveland
Catherine Cleveland
Catherine Cleveland is The Washington Institute's Croft-Wagner Family Senior Fellow and managing editor of Fikra Forum.
Ben Fishman
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.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2026 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions