Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

An in-depth conversation about why the coup happened and what implications it holds for Islamist mobilization in the streets, public perceptions of the military, and cooperation with the United States in Syria.

Jul 19, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

How the Failed Turkish Coup Helps Putin

While Erdogan's harsh response to the coup may complicate his relations with the West and sideline any plans for intervention in Syria, Russian observers believe it could bring Turkey closer to Moscow.

Jul 19, 2016

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

Turkey's Coup Is a Sign of Hope for Exiled Egyptian Islamists

Erdogan's response to the coup is feeding the revenge fantasies of Muslim Brotherhood leaders eager to return home and seize power back from the Sisi government.

Jul 19, 2016

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Eric Trager

Articles & Testimony

Turkey Faces Its Iran 1979 Moment

Empowered by surviving a coup, Erdogan may be tempted to encourage an Islamist counterrevolution.

Jul 18, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

The Coup Attempt Is Bad News for Turkey's Democracy

Erdogan brought Turkish democracy to the brink of disaster before the coup, but the officers who attempted the takeover have pushed it into the abyss.

Jul 18, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

The Ballot Box to the Caliphate

If the Muslim Brotherhood gets another chance at power, it will work even harder and faster to exclude its competitors and pursue an Islamic state.

Jul 17, 2016

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Eric Trager

Video

Brief Analysis

Teaching Terror: The Islamic State's Textbooks, Guidance Literature, and Indoctrination Methods

Just how "Islamic" is the Islamic State? Watch video or read a summary of two scholars discussing how the self-declared "caliphate" uses religious doctrine and potent publishing activities to justify its actions.

Jul 15, 2016

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Jacob Olidort
Marcus Sheff

Brief Analysis

The JCPOA and Iran's Internal Factional Battles

The nuclear deal and the negotiations leading up to it have been a significant source of factional confrontation inside Iran over the past few years, and this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

Jul 12, 2016

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Mehdi Khalaji

Articles & Testimony

Our Response to Terror Must Be Reconciliation

In the wake of terrorist incidents, societies and their political leaders must avoid the impulse to give in to hatred, focusing instead on reconciliation at the personal, community, and intercommunal levels.

Jul 12, 2016

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Mohammed Dajani

Brief Analysis

Libya's Struggle for Stability May Require Greater Western Involvement

As rival militias continue to dominate Libya's political and security landscape and the Islamic State threatens to evolve into a different but no less potent problem, the West should consider stepping up its efforts to foster a unified and functional national government.

Jul 11, 2016

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Ben Fishman

Video

'Islamist' or 'Islamic'? The Difference is Huge.

"Islamist" and "Islamic" may sound similar but the difference between them is huge -- and carries profound policy implications.

Jul 11, 2016

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Soner Cagaptay

Articles & Testimony

'Brave New World': Russia's New Anti-Terrorism Legislation

On June 7, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed controversial anti-terrorism legislation known in Russia as the "Yarovaya law," named after its leading co-author, prominent member of Putin's United Russia party Irina Yarovaya. The law is reminiscent of Soviet-era surveillance. It will also likely contribute to crippling the Russian economy. According

Jul 8, 2016

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Fikra Forum

Saudi Youth Politics: Between Bombings and Theme Parks

As the kingdom attempts to counter the Islamic State's narrative by consolidating a common identity for those most prone to radicalization, it is simultaneously alienating others.

Jul 8, 2016

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Omar I. Alhashani

Articles & Testimony

Words Matter in the Fight Against Islamism

The U.S. government needs to be clearer about the distinctions between Islam, political Islamism, and violent Islamism, in part by putting political correctness aside and involving Muslim Americans in the conversation.

Jul 1, 2016

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Robert Satloff

Articles & Testimony

ISIL Introduces a New Jihadist Experience: Punishment in the West

After several months of directing or inspiring spectacular attacks on soft targets in Europe and the United States, the group may now be signaling its intent to start a new wave of violence that will 'punish' Westerners for their supposed 'legal deviance from Islam.'

Jun 27, 2016

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Jacob Olidort

Articles & Testimony

How Russia Reacted to Orlando

The Kremlin's expressions of sympathy mask its blatantly homophobic policies at home, which are unlikely to change anytime soon given the government's need for conservative straw men.

Jun 24, 2016

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Brief Analysis

Little Change Expected in Upcoming FATF Statement on Iran

The organization's forthcoming statement will likely underline the fact that Iran's recent efforts are only the first steps toward complying with international standards.

Jun 23, 2016

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Katherine Bauer

Articles & Testimony

After ISIS: A Smarter Way to Fight Radicalization

While America's counter-ISIS strategy may end up being the final nail in the group's coffin, it is only the first step in preventing jihadists from exploiting political vulnerabilities in the Middle East to inspire vigilante violence at home.

Jun 21, 2016

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Jacob Olidort

Articles & Testimony

Prove Islamic State a False Prophet

Washington needs to destroy the group's image and achievements, and give Sunnis reason to help in that effort.

Jun 21, 2016

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Dennis Ross

In-Depth Reports

State Islam in the Battle Against Extremism

Emerging Trends in Morocco and Tunisia

In the American policy debates over the causes, consequences, and potential cures of Islamist extremism, institutions of state Islam -- i.e., religious institutions that are formally tied to the states governing their respective countries -- have featured only marginally. Whether due to an understandable ambivalence toward overt engagement with religious

Jun 15, 2016

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Sarah Feuer

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 Susan and Leonard Feinstein 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

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