Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Stabilizing Lebanon Is Iran's Way of Helping Hezbollah Take Over

Despite issuing threats through its proxies, Iran shares the international community's interest in Lebanon's near-term stability, but its motivations are hardly benevolent.

Dec 20, 2017

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Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

The Trump National Security Strategy: Return to the Nineteenth Century?

If taken as a whole, the document supports a largely traditional brand of U.S. foreign policy, but many elements of it could be used to justify a very different approach to the world.

Dec 19, 2017

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James Jeffrey

Articles & Testimony

The Merits—and the Limits—of Democracy Promotion in the Middle East

At a time when a macabre fondness for the 'stability' provided by the likes of Saddam, Qaddafi, and Assad has seeped into sectors of America’s public discourse, Elliott Abrams has correctly diagnosed the main problem with U.S. regional policy.

Dec 13, 2017

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Robert Satloff

Video

Brief Analysis

The Middle East through Gulf Eyes: Trip Report from Riyadh, Muscat, and Abu Dhabi

Four scholars share their findings from high-level meetings in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Read a summary or watch complete video of their conversation.

Dec 12, 2017

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Robert Satloff
Michael Singh
Katherine Bauer
Lori Plotkin Boghardt

Brief Analysis

Slavery in Libya: The Migration Crisis Reaches New Heights

The international outcry over a videotaped slave auction underscores the urgency of addressing the country's broken political system.

Dec 4, 2017

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Ben Fishman

In-Depth Reports

Beyond Islamists and Autocrats:

Prospects for Political Reform Post Arab Spring

The compiled series provides a timely country-by-country guidebook for engaging non-Islamist, pluralistically inclined actors in North Africa, the Gulf, and the Levant.

Nov 27, 2017

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David Schenker
Sarah Feuer
Vish Sakthivel
John P. Entelis
Simon Henderson
Nathaniel Rabkin
Nadia al-Sakkaf
Eric Trager
Hala Aldosari
Lori Plotkin Boghardt
Ghaith al-Omari
James Bowker
Andrew J. Tabler
David Pollock
Hassan Mneimneh

Video

Brief Analysis

Authoritarianism, Politics, and Literature in Turkey

Watch a stimulating conversation with acclaimed Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran, whose latest novel examines the upheavals around Turkey's 1980s coup.

Nov 21, 2017

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Ece Temelkuran
Robert Finn
Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

Saudi 'Purge' a Re-Branding Attempt to Launch a 'Second Kingdom'

Most royal family members understand that the crown prince is merely trying to stave off potential unrest, so U.S. critics should reconsider their objections to his recent moves.

Nov 19, 2017

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Haisam Hassanein
Wesam Hassanein

Brief Analysis

Competing Visions for the Arab Future

The worldview embraced by Qatar holds that political Islamists deserve support, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have coalesced in opposition to this fundamental premise.

Nov 14, 2017

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David B. Roberts

Brief Analysis

Lebanon's Prime Minister Resigns: What's Next?

Hariri's announcement could make Hezbollah and its Iranian patron more vulnerable to international pressure, particularly if the upcoming parliamentary elections do not go their way.

Nov 6, 2017

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Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

Saudi Arabia's 'Anti-Corruption' Purge

The shocking spate of high-profile arrests will strengthen the crown prince's political position, but the shakeup raises new concerns about the speed and style of change in the kingdom.

Nov 6, 2017

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

Resetting U.S. Relations with the Kurdistan Region

Washington's post-referendum reengagement should focus on getting U.S.-Kurdish relations and Kurdish democracy back on the right track.

Nov 2, 2017

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Michael Knights
Bilal Wahab

Brief Analysis

Russia Makes Inroads in North Africa

While U.S. attention is focused on fires already raging in the Middle East, Russia is quietly expanding its presence in North Africa, to the detriment of U.S. interests.

Nov 2, 2017

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Sarah Feuer
Anna Borshchevskaya

Video

Brief Analysis

The Scoop on the Arab Street: New Polls, Taboo Topics

Three Middle East scholars explore how to measure public opinion in the region's sometimes fractious, sometimes autocratic Arab states.

Nov 1, 2017

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David Pollock
Michele Dunne
Ali Shihabi

Articles & Testimony

America's Radicalization Problem: It's Local

The Trump administration's focus on border security and 'terrorism prevention' is not well suited to countering homegrown attacks like the one New York just suffered.

Nov 1, 2017

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Matthew Levitt

Brief Analysis

Tourism Patterns Show Turkey Shifting from Europe to the Middle East

Many Turks traditionally got their only firsthand exposure to European values by interacting with European tourists, but lately this trend seems to be weakening even as visitors from Muslim-majority or former Soviet countries are on the rise.

Oct 30, 2017

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Soner Cagaptay
Oya Aktas

Brief Analysis

Shia Unrest in Hezbollah's Beirut Stronghold

The group is hoping to rein in rampant social problems by allowing government authorities to crack down on its poorest constituents, but the plan could backfire amid unprecedented anti-Hezbollah riots.

Oct 30, 2017

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Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

Saving the KRG Is Vital to U.S. and Iraqi Interests

If the Kurdish region is rolled back by federal forces or implodes into civil conflict, the consequences would threaten Iraq's constitutional structure and undercut U.S. efforts to contain Iran.

Oct 25, 2017

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Bilal Wahab

Articles & Testimony

The U.S. Must Fulfill Role of Negotiator Between Baghdad, Kurds

To keep Iraq united and help minimize the divisive sectarianism that has characterized past elections, Washington and the UN need to push for dialogue on the KRG crisis.

Oct 20, 2017

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

How Egypt Can Help Hamas and Fatah Implement Their New Deal

The Cairo-brokered understandings can help Gaza, but their success should be judged by how Hamas and Fatah practically approach key issues, not by what they say.

Oct 18, 2017

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Ghaith al-Omari

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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