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TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

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Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

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New oil tanker, Sumer, seen docked at Khor Al-Zubair Port in southern Iraq on Sept. 28, 2023 - Source: Iraqi Ministry of Oil
Articles & Testimony
Why Iraq’s Oil Tanker Ambitions Have Not Made It to Deep Waters
Efforts to expand the tanker fleet are welcome, but officials must also hire the right staff, untangle the regulatory environment, conduct major restructuring, and clarify questions about existing joint ventures.
Dec 6, 2023
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  • Noam Raydan
Iraq's Federal Supreme Court building
Brief Analysis
Making Sense of Iraq’s Politicized Supreme Court Rulings
From removing the speaker of parliament to overturning election results, the court has repeatedly overstepped its role to a degree that warrants more international pressure.
Dec 4, 2023
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  • Selin Uysal
Sultan Haitham at a meeting with Secretary Mike Pompeo
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Sultan’s Landmark Speech to the Majlis Oman: A Window into Oman’s Economic Reforms
Haitham spoke both as a sovereign and as a prime minister accounting for progress.
Nov 27, 2023
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  • Jonathan Campbell-James
Moroccan Family Law
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Renewed Public Debate over Revising Morocco’s Family Code
In an effort to preserve a basic threshold for social and political balance, the Moroccan government passed the Family Code, or Mudawana, in 2004. Twenty years later, the matter of personal status law remains a pertinent and mobilizing issue for many.
Oct 31, 2023
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  • Soufiane Elgoumri
Palestinians view an unexploded Israeli shell in Gaza
Articles & Testimony
The Collapse of Israel’s Hamas “Conceptzia”
The belief that Hamas would abandon ideology for economic gain led to disastrous consequences.
Oct 27, 2023
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  • David Makovsky
Brief Analysis
Morocco and North Africa Are Feeling Anti-Normalization Ripples from the Gaza War
The conflict will make it more difficult for Washington and Israel to preserve—let alone expand—the diplomatic progress they have made with North African governments in recent years, particularly as public opposition intensifies.
Oct 25, 2023
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  • Sabina Henneberg
◆ Tracking International Reactions to the Hamas-Israel War
Articles & Testimony
How the Palestinian Authority Failed Its People
Even amid the fighting in Gaza, all actors should take steps to repair Palestinian governance instead of leaving a vacuum for radical remnants to fill.
Oct 19, 2023
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  • Ghaith al-Omari
Iraqi voters cast ballots
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Iraqi Provincial Elections: Electoral Chaos Undermines Prospects for Change from Within
Navigating the confusing Iraqi electoral landscape is just one of many obstacles in the way of reformers, but if emerging political reformist players can form a unified front, put forth a concrete political platform, and resist being coopted by ruling powers, then there is a real possibility for substantive political change in the upcoming elections.
Oct 19, 2023
◆
  • Haider al-Musawi
Video
Brief Analysis
Islamist Approaches to Governance
Scholars will explore past and current attempts to establish Islamist governance by groups across broad swaths of the globe, from North Africa to the Indonesian archipelago. This event, originally scheduled for October 10, 2023, has been postponed.
This event, originally scheduled for October 10, 2023, has been postponed.
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  • Matthew Levitt
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Joana Cook
  • Shiraz Maher
Brief Analysis
How to Stop Iraqi Kurdistan’s “Bleeding”
Federal pressure and disastrous internal missteps have brought the KRG to the brink, raising the need for more active U.S. mediation.
Sep 28, 2023
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
People look at the list of missing people, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Libya Floods: As Families Search for Loved Ones, Politicians Trade Blame
Derna’s future and Libya’s broader political fate will be determined by the race for recovery and the battle of narratives over who is responsible for the tragedy.
Sep 14, 2023
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  • Ben Fishman
Twitter photo showing an Iranian woman standing on top of a car during a protest against the killing of Mahsa Amini.
Video
Brief Analysis
Woman, Life, Freedom: Iran’s Mass Protest Movement, One Year On
A Conversation with Masih Alinejad
A leading activist discusses the protests and the international response on the anniversary of the movement’s outbreak.
Sep 12, 2023
◆
  • Masih Alinejad
Protesting Syrians in the town of Suwayda hold signs and Druze flags - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Syria’s New Protests Highlight Vulnerabilities in Assad’s Minority Base
Growing unrest in Suwayda and other traditionally loyal areas may help force Assad’s hand on longstanding local, U.S., and allied demands.
Sep 8, 2023
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  • Erik Yavorsky
Moviegoers look at posters and showtimes at a theater in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in August 2023, including the global hit "Barbie" - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Barbie in the Middle East
Some countries banned the film while others let it screen amid restrictions and criticism, illustrating the region’s widening—but still comparably narrow—spectrum of views on cultural openness.
Sep 8, 2023
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  • Anna Brown
Oslo handshake: Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat
In-Depth Reports
The Palestinian Authority Thirty Years After Oslo
Deep systemic reforms and a credible successor to Mahmoud Abbas could help secure Palestinian as well as Israeli interests.
Sep 5, 2023
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  • Neomi Neumann
◆ Oslo at 30
Promotional snapshot of 2022-23 Tunisia timeline.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Tunisia Timeline: Key Developments and U.S. Responses Since July 2022
Download this chronological graphic showing how President Saied has continued his crackdown and consolidation of power despite Washington's efforts to steer the country back onto the democratic track.
Sep 5, 2023
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  • Frances McDonough
Israeli PM Yitzakh Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shake hands
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The Oslo Accords Held Promise; Extremists Derailed Them
As we look back at the legacy of the accords, it is not the Oslo Accords that failed us, but Israelis and Palestinians who failed Oslo.
Sep 1, 2023
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  • Mohammed Dajani
◆ Oslo at 30
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, casts his vote for president
Brief Analysis
The 2024 Election Cycle Starts in Iran
Upcoming votes pose a dilemma for the Supreme Leader: should he aggressively disqualify candidates and further alienate the public, or risk a Majlis dominated by his political rivals?
Aug 18, 2023
◆
  • Omer Carmi
A United States Air Force trainer works with soldiers of the Nigerian Armed Forces - source: U.S. government
Brief Analysis
Niger Coup Threatens U.S. Strategy on Counterterrorism and Russia
An entrenched military junta could jeopardize America’s primary CT partner in West Africa, create ripple effects for security beyond the Sahel, and give Russia’s Wagner Group a new opening on the continent.
Aug 16, 2023
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  • Ben Fishman
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brief Analysis
Firing PA Governors: Precursor to Change or Internal Power Play?
Although Abbas’s latest edict might hold consequences for Fatah politics, the PA’s public standing, and West Bank militancy, a measure of skepticism about its significance is warranted.
Aug 10, 2023
◆
  • Ghaith al-Omari

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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 Senior Fellow and managing editor of Fikra Forum.
Ben Fishman
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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