Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

The U.S. does not always have to be at the head of the table, but it has to be present and ready to jump in if progress stalls on issues such as advancing political dialogue, holding elections on time, and addressing Russia’s worrisome military encroachment.

Mar 26, 2021

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Ben Fishman

Brief Analysis

Getting Tough with Egypt Won’t Work

A more modest approach is warranted, one that emphasizes core interests, acknowledges the limitations of U.S. leverage, and avoids going too far with funding cuts and sanctions.

Mar 25, 2021

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David Schenker

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh gestures to supporters

Brief Analysis

If Palestinian Elections Proceed, Hamas May Have the Upper Hand

Abbas may decide to postpone the vote given Fatah’s internal fissures, his rivals’ relative unity, and the damage that certain outcomes could do to Palestinian relations with the West.

Mar 25, 2021

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Ghaith al-Omari

Brief Analysis

Momentum Swings Toward Netanyahu in Tight Race

Netanyahu has managed to erode support for key rivals and further complicate any opposition coalition scenarios, but the lingering possibility of a fifth round of elections raises troubling questions about the status of Israeli politics.

Mar 22, 2021

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David Makovsky

Brief Analysis

To Push Past Hezbollah Stonewalling, Leverage the LAF

The political fallout from a recent speech by the Lebanese Armed Forces commander gives Washington and its partners a golden opportunity to prod the country from crisis management toward actual solutions.

Mar 18, 2021

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Hanin Ghaddar

Tunisia's King Mohammed VI addresses the Tunisian parliament

Articles & Testimony

Tunisia 2021: Ennahda vs. Extremists

Despite accusations by leftist politicians, Ennahda’s commitment to national security has not wavered since it turned on the jihadi movement, but the party still needs to define what it means by “Muslim Democracy.”

Mar 17, 2021

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Russian president Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

Articles & Testimony

Is Russia Trying to Play Kingmaker in Lebanon?

To expand its strategic influence on the Mediterranean, Moscow is exploiting Beirut and Hezbollah’s crisis at a time when the West seems uncertain about how much to intervene.

Mar 16, 2021

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

What We Ignore, We Empower: Five Decades of Despair Under the Assad Regime

A Syrian scholar and expatriate lays out the legacy of terror under the Assads and urges the Biden administration to prioritize the country’s sundry crises.

Spring 2021

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Oula A. Alrifai

Articles & Testimony

Our Presence in Iraq Remains a Vital US National Security Interest

American withdrawal would doom efforts against the Islamic State, undermine confidence in Baghdad, exacerbate Iraq's economic crisis, and deliver the country completely to Tehran.

Mar 11, 2021

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David Schenker

Syrian flag over a ruined building destroyed by bombing

Video

Brief Analysis

The Struggle for Peace in Syria: A Decade of Decisionmaking

Two former U.S. ambassadors and a Syrian opposition official examine the many diplomatic, geopolitical, and humanitarian lessons the conflict holds for the Biden administration.

Mar 11, 2021

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Bassma Kodmani
Robert Ford
James Jeffrey

Assistant secretary of state David Schenker speaks at the Department of State in Washington, DC, alongside secretary of state Mike Pompeo

Video

Brief Analysis

Middle East Policy from Trump to Biden: Views from Inside the State Department’s Near East Bureau

The former assistant secretary of state in charge of the Middle East portfolio from 2019-2021 discusses his time in office and how the region’s challenges and opportunities are evolving at the start of the Biden administration.

March 10, 2021

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David Schenker
Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Lebanon's Predicament: Political Stagnation and Economic Collapse in a Hezbollah-Dominated State

Three Lebanese experts explore Beirut’s precarious politics, Hezbollah’s continued ability to evade accountability, and the Biden administration’s options.

Mar 5, 2021

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Makram Rabah
Ali al-Amin
Alia Mansour

NATO solderis with alliance and national flags

Brief Analysis

NATO in Iraq: Not a Surge

NATO stands ready to increase its commitment in a slow and steady manner consistent with Baghdad’s needs, but careful communication will be crucial, as will a more strategic discussion on how to combine different assistance efforts.

Mar 5, 2021

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Michael Knights
Pierre Morcos

Brief Analysis

The Pope Meets the Ayatollah

The Vatican’s outreach to Iraq is laudable in its goal of decreasing religious violence, but Western officials should be realistic about what engagement with Shia religious leaders can accomplish in the near term.

Mar 3, 2021

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Mehdi Khalaji

Protesters hold Syrian and Hezbollah flags

Brief Analysis

Assad Is Giving Biden Every Reason to Prioritize Syria

Even if the growing regional and geopolitical stakes were not sufficient on their own, the regime’s domestic negligence, illegitimacy, and criminality provide ample reason to shake up Washington’s approach.

Mar 3, 2021

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Aaron Y. Zelin
Oula A. Alrifai

Video

Brief Analysis

Countdown to Israel's Election: A Conversation with Yair Lapid

The centrist party leader discusses key domestic and international policy issues ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, with follow-up analysis by political and polling experts.

Mar 1, 2021

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Yair Lapid
David Makovsky
Tamar Hermann

Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia

Articles & Testimony

For Better or Worse: Which Way Will US-Saudi Relations Go Under Biden?

The new administration seems to regard Khashoggi’s death as merely the best known of the crown prince’s sins, but it is hard to see an alternative successor in the House of Saud.

Feb 26, 2021

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Reframing Libya for a Reluctant Administration

By treating the conflict as a matter of Mediterranean security, President Biden’s team can better assist the new Libyan government and demonstrate its commitment to revitalizing alliances.

Feb 25, 2021

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Ben Fishman

Articles & Testimony

The Other Khashoggis: Dissidents in Danger Across the Middle East

With militia targeting of activists on the rise, Western officials need to name the perpetrators, hold them accountable, and support homegrown democratic movements before they are snuffed out for good.

Feb 25, 2021

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Hanin Ghaddar
Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Balancing Act: Biden Must Redefine the US-Saudi Relationship

The administration’s instinct to cancel Riyadh’s blank check is right, but engaging a flawed partner is not the same as confronting a determined adversary.

Feb 25, 2021

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Dennis Ross
Robert Satloff

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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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