Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Articles & Testimony

Ever Cagey, Netanyahu Calls an Early Election He’s Expected to Win

The Israeli prime minister looks to get out ahead of legal and security threats to his tenure.

Dec 24, 2018

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Neri Zilber

Brief Analysis

Protests Underscore West Bank Instability

The international community can help avert future chaos through measures to stem political, economic, and security deterioration, and Washington can reinstate funding for Palestinian development projects.

Dec 21, 2018

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Ghaith al-Omari
Madison Rinder

Brief Analysis

What to Watch for as Lebanon Forms a New Government

The cabinet’s composition is a fait accompli, but foreign officials may still be able to influence key security appointments—or, failing that, up the financial and diplomatic pressure on Hezbollah and its political allies.

Dec 20, 2018

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Hanin Ghaddar

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

Forty Years of the Islamic Republic: What Next?

What are the prospects for liberal democracy in Iran, and what can the international community do to help the ongoing protest movement? Watch video or download a full transcript of this special event.

Dec 18, 2018

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Reza Pahlavi

A Tunisian woman holds a photo of a relative who joined a jihadist movement

Video

Brief Analysis

Tunisia's Foreign Fighters

Two leading experts discuss why thousands of young Tunisians mobilized for jihad in Iraq and Syria, and what governments are doing now that they are taking their cause back home—or to the West.

Dec 17, 2018

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Aaron Y. Zelin
Jacob Walles

◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series

Brief Analysis

After Palermo: Achievements and Future Challenges for Libya

The Italian-sponsored stabilization conference produced some positive outcomes, but a genuine breakthrough requires U.S. involvement.

Dec 17, 2018

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Ben Fishman
Barbara A. Leaf

Brief Analysis

Sisi Restores Jewish Heritage in Egypt

His recent outreach to Jews is welcome, though it should not be mistaken for a total shift in his repressive tendencies or a sea change in the Egyptian public’s rejection of Israel.

Dec 14, 2018

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Haisam Hassanein

Brief Analysis

Hints of Crisis as Algeria Enters Election Mode

The country avoided the tumult of the Arab Spring, but its next election cycle will bring political, economic, and social challenges back to the fore.

Dec 12, 2018

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Abdelillah Bendaoudi

Articles & Testimony

The United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East in the Post-Khashoggi Era

In addition to imperiling U.S. public support for regional relationships, neglecting human rights issues can blind policymakers to the brittleness of certain partner states.

Dec 10, 2018

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Michael Singh

Articles & Testimony

There’s No Reason Congress and Trump Can’t Achieve Their Goals for Saudi Arabia

The two branches have several means of imposing consequences and altering objectionable Saudi policies without demolishing the entire strategic relationship.

Nov 29, 2018

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Dennis Ross

Brief Analysis

The Sectarian Significance of Bahrain’s Elections

The imminent polls will not alter the power structure of the strategically positioned Gulf state, but they could affect its simmering Shia unrest and wider regional politics.

Nov 21, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

In Israel, a Coalition of the Barely Willing

Netanyahu outmaneuvers rivals, heads off early election.

Nov 20, 2018

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Neri Zilber

A bread seller in Cairo walks past a sign promoting President Sisi - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Egypt’s Economy Rising, Rights Declining

Cairo has made progress on returning to its pre-revolution economic levels, but censorship, surveillance, and other humanitarian abuses continue to accelerate.

Nov 19, 2018

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Barak Barfi

Brief Analysis

New Saudi Statement on Khashoggi’s Killing: Policy Response

Riyadh’s shifting, dubious storyline presents a dilemma for allies who want to reestablish good working relations with the world’s largest oil exporter.

Nov 15, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

Do U.S. Actions Affect Iranian Policy?

A veteran U.S. policymaker and two notable Iranian expatriates look back at forty years of fraught relations, discussing ways to advance American interests and reduce bilateral antagonism without letting human rights issues lapse.

Nov 15, 2018

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Stuart Eizenstat
Mehrangiz Kar
Mehdi Khalaji

Video

Brief Analysis

New Data on Iraqi Political Trends:

Parsing the Regional Implications

Watch an in-depth conversation with Iraqi experts who share and assess surprising new polling results about Iraqi public opinion.

Nov 8, 2018

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Munqith Dagher
Ahmed Ali
David Pollock

Video

Brief Analysis

Egypt and Washington: Challenges in the Sisi Era

Two experts discuss how Washington can balance its sometimes conflicting interests in Egyptian security and human rights.

Nov 7, 2018

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Barak Barfi
Michele Dunne

Brief Analysis

New Governments in Iraq and Kurdistan: A Trip Report

Four experts who recently returned from Baghdad and Erbil report on the results of the government formation process.

Nov 6, 2018

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Kenneth Pollack
Nussaibah Younis
Michael Knights
Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

Iran Intensifying Its Crackdown on Citizens Abroad

The regime is once again targeting dissidents in Europe and arresting dual nationals, giving Washington and the EU common cause to sanction senior Iranian officials.

Nov 2, 2018

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

How France and Italy’s Rivalry Is Hurting Libya

The upcoming Palermo conference should be used to facilitate UN-led dialogue between Libyan groups, not to score points in a European diplomatic spat.

Oct 31, 2018

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Federica Saini Fasanotti
Ben Fishman

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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