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Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

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muqtada al sadr
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Will the Sadrists Succeed in Effecting Regime Change in Iraq?
New polling reveals how the Iraqi public views Baghdad’s ongoing political crisis.
Aug 26, 2022
◆
  • Munqith Dagher
Articles & Testimony
Biden’s Indifference Has Given Iran the Upper Hand in Iraq
In light of Tehran’s concerted efforts to reverse last year’s electoral setback, it has become too risky to let Baghdad’s nascent democracy simply fend for itself.
Aug 24, 2022
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  • David Schenker
Benjamin Netanyahu
Articles & Testimony
What If Netanyahu Wins?
His party is already taking aim at the Supreme Court and other institutions that sought to hold him accountable during his previous term.
Aug 24, 2022
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  • Neri Zilber
Photo of Turkish and Taliban officials meeting in Ankara, October 2021.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Looking for Legitimacy: Taliban Diplomacy Since the Fall of Kabul
The group’s international profile has risen substantially with help from China, Turkey, and other states, but Western leaders should curtail their engagement so long as Kabul keeps gaslighting them about its al-Qaeda ties.
Aug 15, 2022
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Iraq-Sadr
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Navigating the Political Impasse Between Sadrists and the Coordination Framework
10 months after Iraqi elections, intra-Shia feuding between the Sadrist movement and the Coordination Framework has led to several public demonstrations but few viable solutions.
Aug 12, 2022
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  • Azhar Al-Rubaie
Brief Analysis
Oman’s Economic Success Is Driven by Accountability as Much as Oil
By pushing the government to make more efficient use of higher hydrocarbon prices and a budget surplus of $2 billion, the sultan has helped reduce anxiety about the stability of the strategically positioned Gulf state.
Aug 11, 2022
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  • Jonathan Campbell-James
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Algeria’s Foreign Policy: Facing a Crossroads
The ongoing war in Ukraine, with its recrystallization of allegiances, can provide Algeria the opportunity to return from a shift towards Russia and China back to a more balanced relationship with great powers.
Aug 9, 2022
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  • Vasilis Petropoulos
President Kais Saied of Tunisia casts a vote in the July 2022 constitutional referendum.
Brief Analysis
How to Engage with Tunisia’s New Constitutional Republic
Although anti-democratic measures continue to mount, now is not the time for cutting assistance, but rather for bolstering the country’s imperiled private sector, robust civil society, and compromised judiciary.
Aug 8, 2022
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  • Sabina Henneberg
KRG-Premier-Masrour-Barzani-Esta
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Barzani's Failures on Freedom of Expression in Iraqi Kurdistan
The Kurdish Region of Iraq, rife with economic and security challenges, is witnessing increased censorship and suppression of free speech.
Aug 4, 2022
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  • Diary Marif
Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a sit-in, inside the parliament building in Baghdad - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The U.S. Role in Iraq’s Political Crisis: Guidelines for More Effective Engagement
Disengaging after last year’s election was a costly miscalculation, but Washington can still meet its goals in Iraq by diving into the fray and prioritizing the system over individual political preferences.
Aug 1, 2022
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  • Bilal Wahab
A Turkish Baraktar TB2 drone - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Drones and Resets: The New Era of Turkish Foreign Policy
The Ukraine war has not only reaffirmed Erdogan’s remarkable political survival skills, but also highlighted the degree to which Ankara’s improved diplomatic standing is traceable to its success in exporting an innovative drone-centered military operational approach.
Summer 2022
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  • Soner Cagaptay
  • Rich Outzen
Tunisia timeline thumbnail image
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Timeline of Tunisia's Constitutional Crisis and the U.S. Response
An infographic illustrating President Saied's controversial political moves since summer 2021 and the steps U.S. officials have taken to discourage authoritarian backsliding.
Jul 20, 2022
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  • Ben Fishman
  • Kyle Robertson
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Political Opposition in Iraq: Between Reform and Regime Change
Iraq’s model of opposition traditionally focuses on ideological frameworks and regime change at the expense of working within the political system to effect change.
Jul 11, 2022
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  • Abbas Abboud Salem
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
New Poll Reveals Moderate Trend Among East Jerusalem Palestinians
A new poll captures East Jerusalem attitudes towards Arab-Israeli rapprochement, involvement from other Arab countries, and the U.S. policy on the conflict.
Jul 8, 2022
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  • David Pollock
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon durnig a meeting with Russian President Vladimor Putin in Rihady - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
A Picture Could Paint a Thousand Words When Biden Meets MbS
Although political constraints in Washington, Jerusalem, and Riyadh could make substantive progress hard to come by, a few good photo ops may be all that's needed to deem the visit a success.
Jul 8, 2022
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  • Simon Henderson
Iraq-Sadr
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Implications of the Sadrist Withdrawal for the Shia Coordination Framework and Iran
The conflict between the Sadrists and the Shia Coordination Framework signals the potential for a new political order in Iraq and a shift in Iran's influence in the country.
Jun 29, 2022
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  • Firas Elias
Articles & Testimony
One Small Handshake for the United States, One Giant Leap for U.S.-Saudi Relations
President Biden has a powerful moral imperative for ending his feud with the crown prince: to ensure that the kingdom’s gradual pivot away from extremism doesn’t falter.
Jun 29, 2022
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  • Robert Satloff
Tishreen
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The Tishreeni Movement Continues: Change Is Inevitably Coming to Iraq
Iraq’s Tishreen movement, driven by a reduced fear of political authority, is reshaping Iraqi politics by injecting fear of the popular will into the political elite.
Jun 28, 2022
◆
  • Munqith Dagher
Photo of an oil facility in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Video
Brief Analysis
The KRG Turns Thirty: The Future of U.S.-Kurdish Relations in Iraq (Part 3)
Three experts evaluate the KRG’s oil and gas industry and discuss the growing urgency of resolving its disputes with Baghdad.
Jun 28, 2022
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  • James Jeffrey
  • Matthew Amitrano
  • Bilal Wahab
◆ The KRG Turns Thirty
Flags_of_Turkey_and_Sweden
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
NATO Membership for Sweden: Between Turkey and the Kurds
With the NATO summit approaching, Sweden is now caught between Turkey’s demands and its own complicated domestic politics.
Jun 27, 2022
◆
  • Magnus Norell

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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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Featured experts

Catherine Cleveland
Catherine Cleveland
Catherine Cleveland is The Washington Institute's Croft-Wagner Family Fellow and editor of Fikra Forum.
Ben Fishman
Ben Fishman
Ben Fishman is a Senior Fellow in The Washington Institute's Program on Arab Politics.
David Pollock
David Pollock
David Pollock is the Bernstein Fellow at The Washington Institute, focusing on regional political dynamics and related issues.
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