Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Hamas Failures in Gaza Are Changing Israel's Stance

At a time when the prospects for Palestinian political reconciliation have faded, international donor initiatives and Israeli infrastructure projects could help avert further deterioration.

Jan 30, 2018

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David Makovsky
Lia Weiner

Brief Analysis

Civil Society on Trial in Egypt: Revisiting the NGO Workers Case

Exoneration of the convicted U.S. citizens, while a show of goodwill, would still not bridge the larger gap in U.S.-Egypt ties.

Jan 30, 2018

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Harris Setzer

Articles & Testimony

The Saudi Winds of Change Buffeting Prince Al-Waleed

The fate of the fabulously wealthy but politically marginalized prince has become much more significant amid the kingdom's campaign to fight corruption and open up its economy.

Jan 29, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

Hezbollah Has Destroyed the Lebanon I Once Knew

The message of recent legal pressure on Lebanese journalists is clear: citizens have the right to speak only if they conform to the group's dictates.

Jan 28, 2018

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Hanin Ghaddar

Articles & Testimony

A Historic Holocaust Awareness Awakening in Saudi Arabia, of All Places

A Remembrance Day letter from a top Saudi religious figure is a laudable example of outreach from the heart of Islam.

Jan 26, 2018

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Robert Satloff

Video

Brief Analysis

How Can Saudi Arabia and Egypt Help Confront Toxic Ideologies?

Two experts discuss how Washington can use its warming relations with Cairo and Riyadh to foster soft-power reform campaigns.

Jan 22, 2018

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Joseph Braude
Samuel Tadros

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

The Others: Foreign Fighters in Libya

This new study offers a deeper understanding of the foreign-fighter phenomenon, its evolution, and its potential trajectories.

Jan 16, 2018

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Brief Analysis

Assessing the Protests in Tunisia

The latest demonstrations will test the government of Prime Minister Chahed and the broader democratic experiment under way in the birthplace of the Arab Spring.

Jan 12, 2018

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Sarah Feuer

Brief Analysis

Will Turkey Call Early Elections?

The next domino in Erdogan's consolidation of power may soon fall, and Washington should view any short-term spike in his nationalist rhetoric through this domestic political lens.

Jan 11, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Setting the Stage for Provincial Elections in Kirkuk

The disputed area is more combustible than ever, but the United States still has time to press for consensus-based security and political decisionmaking.

Jan 10, 2018

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Michael Knights
Bilal Wahab

Articles & Testimony

To Understand the Complexities of Saudi Arabia, a Quick Course in 'Riyadhology'

The crown prince's rise to the throne could be interrupted by any number of internal dynamics, but studying the nuances of royal relations can help Washington prepare for any nasty surprises.

Jan 10, 2018

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Is Saudi Arabia's Counterterrorism Approach Shifting?

Signs of an evolution in the way Riyadh views the terrorism problem provide an opening for the United States to encourage broader and deeper change in this area.

Jan 9, 2018

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Lori Plotkin Boghardt

Brief Analysis

Sorting Out U.S. and European Differences Over Iran

Their wildly divergent responses to Iran's protests may be the first salvos in an imminent standoff over the future of the nuclear agreement and international sanctions.

Jan 8, 2018

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Jay Solomon

Brief Analysis

Rouhani's Protest Paradox

If the protests intensify, President Rouhani may be hard pressed to unravel his greatest dilemma: how to honor his economic and reform promises while preserving his decades-long commitment to the regime's core principles.

Jan 8, 2018

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Omer Carmi

Video

Brief Analysis

Protests in Iran: Why? What Impact? How Should the U.S. Respond?

Washington Institute experts discuss the economic, social, diplomatic, and military implications of the anti-regime demonstrations sweeping Iran. Read a summary or watch video of the full event.

Jan 8, 2018

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Michael Singh
Patrick Clawson
Michael Eisenstadt
Hanin Ghaddar
Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

To Save Turkey's Democracy, the Country's Opposition Must Offer Erdogan a Grand Bargain

If Erdogan does not compromise with Turkey's forty-million-strong opposition, Kurdish nationalists and other factions could spark widespread unrest.

Jan 8, 2018

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Soner Cagaptay

Brief Analysis

Iran's Coercive Apparatus: Capacity and Desire

A closer look at the structure and tactics of the many-headed internal security network that the Islamic Republic has deployed to crack down on protestors nationwide.

Jan 5, 2018

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Saeid Golkar

Brief Analysis

Provinces Lead the Center in Iran's Protests

As ethnic minorities and poverty-stricken provincial communities assume a greater role in nationwide unrest, the regime will likely try to pit them against each other.

Jan 4, 2018

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Brenda Shaffer

Articles & Testimony

Iranians Are Mad as Hell About Their Foreign Policy

The more the regime believes that its foreign adventures threaten its internal foundations, the more likely it will be to temper its behavior.

Jan 2, 2018

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Dennis Ross

Articles & Testimony

The Protesters in Iran Need Real Help from Washington

The sign of a successful policy response will be its ability to remain relevant whether the demonstrations gather steam or subside.

Jan 2, 2018

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Michael Singh

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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