Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Asaib Ahl al-Haq is a major Iraqi armed group that identifies as part of Iran's axis of resistance but stubbornly maintains a degree of independence, forming numerous cells to conduct kinetic, media, and social operations, some bankrolled by the Iraqi state.

Apr 27, 2021

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Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Fatemiyoun Electronic Squad

Fatemiyoun Electronic Squad is a facade group that undertakes cyberattacks on behalf of Kataib Hezbollah, in close collaboration with other affiliates.

Apr 26, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Video

Brief Analysis

Foreign Fighters and U.S. Policy: Tracking Mobilization Hubs to Stem the Flow

By examining the growth of such hubs during the Islamic State’s caliphate years, two experts assess how the international community can limit recruitment in these areas and address local grievances.

Apr 26, 2021

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Nate Rosenblatt
Naureen Chowdhury Fink

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Unit 10,000

Unit 10,000 is Kataib Hezbollah's premier online facade group, specializing in the publication of resistance propaganda and the development of "electronic armies" capable of hacking, information operations, and open-source intelligence gathering.

Apr 25, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech

Articles & Testimony

Biden Recognizing the Armenian Genocide Shows How Far Turkey and Erdogan Have Fallen

For the first time in years, Erdogan needs the United States more than Washington needs him, so Biden is seizing the opportunity.

Apr 24, 2021

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Soner Cagaptay

Video

Brief Analysis

The Economic Future of Northeast Syria

Experts discuss the humanitarian, trade, and security measures that are necessary to stabilizing the northeast and preventing the Islamic State and Assad from extending their harmful influence there.

Apr 23, 2021

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Jennifer Cafarella
Sasha Ghosh-Siminoff
Kenneth R. Rosen

Video

Brief Analysis

Can Erdogan Charm Biden?

An expert conversation on the pitfalls and potential areas of cooperation between Washington and Ankara in the coming years.

Apr 21, 2021

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Soner Cagaptay
Asli Aydintasbas
Max Hoffman
Jenny White

Articles & Testimony

Can New Tech Save Iraq’s Old Economy?

In recalibrating its relationship with Baghdad, the Biden administration should consider how it can encourage the evolution of the country’s nascent cyber economy.

Apr 20, 2021

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Bilal Wahab
Michael Rubin

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Underground Las Vegas

From pop stars to porn stars to bitcoins, the rise of online gambling sites in Iran is raising eyebrows—as well as questions about whether the IRGC and other regime organs are benefitting from the scandalous new industry.

Apr 16, 2021

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Arash Aalaei

Photo of Muslim World League secretary-general Mohammad Al-Issa visiting Auschwitz

Video

Brief Analysis

Teaching the Holocaust in the Arab World

A remarkable panel of Arab educators, activists, and civic leaders share their experiences with breaking regional taboos and formulating effective ways to teach youths about genocide.

Apr 12, 2021

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Ali al-Nuaimi
Zeina Barakat
El Mehdi Boudra

Articles & Testimony

Team of Legal Gladiators? Iraqi Militias’ Tortured Relationship with Law

Iran-backed armed groups hate being exposed as criminals in the eyes of a populace that cares deeply about rule of law, so they have turned Iraq’s legal sector into a battlespace.

Apr 12, 2021

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Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Sabereen News

Sabereen News is the main social media conglomerate supporting all "resistance" actions and factions in Iraq.

Apr 9, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Frech president Emmanuel Macron inspects the site of the Beirut port explosion

Brief Analysis

French-German Proposals to Rebuild Beirut Port: Policy Implications

Whoever winds up spearheading the reconstruction effort, Washington should stay on top of them to ensure that international prerequisites for reform and monitoring are enforced—and to keep China from exploiting Lebanon’s struggles.

Apr 9, 2021

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David Schenker

A delegation of Gulf Arab men and women visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

Articles & Testimony

The Crumbling Walls of Arab Holocaust Denial

Four factors have gradually legitimized honest regional discussion of the Holocaust and made traditional statements of denial and distortion less acceptable.

Apr 8, 2021

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Will Khamenei’s Son Play a Role in Iranian Succession?

Revived rumors about Mojtaba Khamenei’s activities inside the regime provide another lens through which to view the complex dynamics that will drive the eventual succession process.

Apr 7, 2021

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Wilfried Buchta

Brief Analysis

The Hamzah Affair: Context and Implications of Jordan’s Royal Crisis

The immediate crisis seems to have ended for now, but the stunningly public Hashemite feud is a reminder that Jordan’s stability needs tending and is not something to be taken for granted by Washington or Amman’s regional friends.

Apr 5, 2021

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Ghaith al-Omari
Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Two Kingmakers Stand at the Center of Israel’s Coalition Drama

Despite winning relatively few seats, Naftali Bennett and Mansour Abbas may have much to say about who forms the next government, and a fragile coalition seems inevitable regardless of which side they choose.

Apr 2, 2021

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David Makovsky

Articles & Testimony

Biden Needs to Tear Down Bureaucratic Walls and Refocus Middle East Programs

With few exceptions, the U.S. government has pursued Arab development, Israeli-Palestinian engagement, and Arab-Israel normalization as three separate, walled-off tracks, which no longer makes any sense.

Apr 1, 2021

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Joseph Braude
Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

One Less Hurdle Before Iraqi Elections

A complicated parliamentary compromise has reactivated some of the machinery required for this year’s proposed ballot and a potential resolution to the KRG energy dispute, though the country’s hobbled legal institutions are still holding back reform.

Apr 1, 2021

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Safwan Al-Amin
Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

Egypt-Turkey Rapprochement Is Constraining the Muslim Brotherhood

Recent understandings between Cairo and Ankara have many of the group’s exiled figures worried about their future on Turkish soil.

Mar 30, 2021

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Haisam Hassanein

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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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Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

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