Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

MbS, King Salman, Saudi map, fighter jet

Defining a Mature, Balanced Relationship with Saudi Arabia

An Urgent Task for the Biden Administration

A revamped approach to the alliance should stay focused on shared goals, from ensuring a stable oil market to promoting a more tolerant version of Islam at home and abroad.

Feb 22, 2021

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Dennis Ross
Robert Satloff

◆ Transition 2021

Brief Analysis

The Tunisian Jihadist Movement Ten Years After the Prisoner Amnesty

Security issues won’t top Tunisia’s agenda in 2021, but the sheer volume of citizens mobilized into the jihadist milieu over the past decade suggests that the consequences will be felt for years to come.

Feb 19, 2021

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Video

Brief Analysis

Countering and Exposing Terrorist Propaganda and Disinformation

A senior U.S. official discusses how the government and its partners are using technological innovation, social media engagement, and other tools to challenge false narratives spread by state and nonstate actors.

Feb 19, 2021

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Daniel Kimmage

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Brief Analysis

Israel’s Round Four: New and Old Dynamics

It is far from certain that the next election will stabilize Israeli politics, and even if it does, the forces taking shape could create challenging peace math for the Biden administration.

Feb 9, 2021

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David Makovsky

In-Depth Reports

Seizing Opportunities and Strengthening Alliances in Northwest Africa:

Ideas for Policy Toward Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia

Modest investments of U.S. diplomatic capital, economic aid, and security assistance can help these three countries and advance American interests.

Feb 3, 2021

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Robert Satloff
Sarah Feuer

◆ Transition 2021

Articles & Testimony

The Arab Spring Then and Now, Through the Prism of Public Opinion

A “survey of surveys” shows that from an intelligence and policy point of view, Arab public opinion is measurable and meaningful—assuming regional governments and Washington are paying proper attention to it.

Winter 2021

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David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Oman’s Sultan Caps First Year by Appointing Heir and New Military Leadership

Sultan Haitham’s latest decrees elevated his son to heir, sacked commanders, and spotlighted his brother’s influence, but the government’s main focus is still squarely on economic reform.

Jan 28, 2021

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Elana DeLozier

Police walk past the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah

Brief Analysis

Will the Palestinian Election Decree Produce Actual Elections?

Even if Fatah and Hamas somehow get past the same towering political obstacles that derailed past decrees, elections hold little prospect of reconciling their deeply entrenched leaders and institutions anytime soon.

Jan 27, 2021

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Ghaith al-Omari

Brief Analysis

Baghdad Bombing Spurs Major Intelligence and Military Reshuffle

The Iraqi government continues to sharpen the leadership of various commands and bolster civilian control, giving the U.S.-led coalition more leverage to fight the Islamic State with a light footprint.

Jan 26, 2021

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Michael Knights

Map of Israeli bilateral relationships with Arab states

In-Depth Reports

Building Bridges for Peace:

U.S. Policy Toward Arab States, Palestinians, and Israel

The Biden administration can succeed by strengthening and expanding Israeli normalization with Arab states and pursuing gradualism on the Palestinian issue.

Jan 26, 2021

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David Makovsky

◆ Transition 2021

Egyptian president Sisi is sworn in to a second term in Parliament in 2018.

Brief Analysis

Egypt’s New Parliament: Reopening Political Life, But Only So Far

Giving the legislature a makeover is Cairo’s latest bid to ease public frustrations, but will a token opposition be enough to keep socioeconomic tensions from boiling over?

Jan 26, 2021

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Haisam Hassanein

Brief Analysis

Humanitarian Aid and the Biden Administration: Lessons from Yemen and Syria

Veteran NGO practitioners with deep experience in the aid sector discuss how Washington can help fix flawed approaches to assisting civilians in these two conflict zones.

Jan 25, 2021

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Jan Egeland
Alex Harper
Emma Beals
Jomana Qaddour
Elana DeLozier

Brief Analysis

Riots Erupt in Tunisia

Growing unrest in the birthplace of the Arab Spring could translate into serious instability for the young democracy, with potential repercussions beyond its borders.

Jan 22, 2021

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Sarah Feuer

Brief Analysis

Changing of the Guard: New Iraqi Militia Trends and Responses

In the year since their most iconic leaders were killed, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have been changing in crucial ways, providing rich insights into how Baghdad and its international partners should approach them in 2021.

Jan 19, 2021

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Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

Video

Brief Analysis

America, the Middle East, and the World: A Conversation with Tony Blair

The former Prime Minister discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the Biden administration twenty years after 9/11 and a decade after the Arab Spring.

January 11, 2021

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Tony Blair

National Guard soldiers protect the United States Capitol building.

Articles & Testimony

Trump’s Aiding Capitol Violence as World Watches Shows U.S. Is Now Exporting Extremism

The homeland has increasingly been a haven for far-right extremism during the president’s tenure, frustrating America’s allies and encouraging its enemies.

Jan 8, 2021

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Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

Leveraging U.S. Sanctions on Faleh al-Fayyad

The Biden administration should embrace the new sanctions against the civilian head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a decision that is supported by strong evidence of human rights abuses and can help hold other violators accountable.

Jan 8, 2021

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Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

Saudi Sentencing of Women’s Activist Sets Up Riyadh for a Clash with Biden

The topic of human rights has become a red line for Saudi leaders, who seem to perceive it as a purely domestic matter on which they will not countenance any foreign pressure.

Dec 28, 2020

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Putin, Charlie Hebdo, and Free Speech

As the Kremlin continues to undermine Western values, institutions, and influence while expressing distorted views of counterterrorism, liberals would do well to keep defending liberalism.

Dec 21, 2020

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Anna Borshchevskaya

In-Depth Reports

Promoting Women's Economic Activity in Jordan

Low women's employment in Jordan is perplexing given the kingdom's middle-class attributes. Creativity in U.S. development initiatives could deliver lasting gains.

Dec 17, 2020

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Allison Jacobs Anderson

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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Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

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Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas

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