Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

Photo of Turkish and Taliban officials meeting in Ankara, October 2021.

Turkey Calls for Recognition of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate

Ankara has taken a leading role in rehabilitating the group’s image, but many other countries have reached out as well, making eventual recognition a fait accompli.

Mar 17, 2022

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Map illustrating strategies for preserving autonomy in northeast Syria.

Brief Analysis

How to Preserve the Autonomy of Northeast Syria

To offset the destabilizing measures coming from Turkey and the Assad axis, Western governments need to offer more development assistance—but in a targeted way that reassures local authorities and minimizes mismanagement.

Mar 15, 2022

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Fabrice Balanche

Articles & Testimony

Can Turkey and the UAE Help Break Libya’s Deadlock?

Finding a compromise timeline for elections will be delicate, but the recent thaw in relations between Ankara and Abu Dhabi removes a significant external impediment to progress.

Mar 14, 2022

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Ben Fishman

Brief Analysis

A British Trip to Secure Extra Saudi Oil?

Boris Johnson’s expected visit reflects both the urgency of the crisis and the chill between Riyadh and the White House.

Mar 14, 2022

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Simon Henderson

Arab Spring Tunisia Yemen Bahrain Egypt Libya Syria

Audio

In-Depth Reports

No Going Back

Activists Reflect a Decade After the Arab Spring

Interviews with thirteen activists reveal a deep sense of disappointment but also a shared conviction that a new reform movement will eventually rise and deliver lasting change to the region.

Mar 7, 2022

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Roy Gutman

◆ Reform, Protest, Change

Photo showing the image of a masked nurse projected onto Iran's Azadi Monument.

Video

Brief Analysis

COVID in the Middle East: Assessment on the Eve of Year Three

Leading public health experts take stock of the pandemic's regional outlook, discussing which approaches have been most effective in different jurisdictions while acknowledging the persistent limits of COVID data.

Mar 3, 2022

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Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis
Abraham Flaxman
Dr. Kamiar Alaei

A supporter of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda Party protests against the Tunisian president's 2022 coup - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Tunisian Jihadism in the Shadow of a Coup

If the West delays on pressing Saied to resume the democratic transition, it risks undermining the progress made so far in establishing a professional, apolitical counterterrorism infrastructure.

Mar 3, 2022

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Aaron Y. Zelin

Iranian presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi speaking in 2021

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Third Cultural Revolution

President Raisi is accelerating Ayatollah Khamenei’s plan to Islamize the university system, with apparently little regard for how previous campaigns sent Iran plummeting down the regional rankings for higher education.

Feb 28, 2022

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Saeid Golkar

Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

The Death of Oil Federalism? Implications of a New Iraqi Court Ruling

The legal decision and its political fallout are threatening some of the country’s key interests, including its aspirations toward federalism, its relations with Turkey, and its ability to attract sorely needed international investment.

Feb 18, 2022

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Bilal Wahab

Articles & Testimony

As China Thrives in the Post-9/11 Middle East, the US Must Counter

The West needs to radically alter its strategy for competing with Beijing in the region, particularly when it comes to economic stimulation, allied security blocs, and human rights.

Feb 16, 2022

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Jay Solomon

Libyans protest against their parliament's decision to appoint a new prime minister in Tripoli - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Libya’s Renewed Legitimacy Crisis

Washington and Europe need to clearly signal that they will not endorse any new governing arrangements until all local actors peacefully adhere to a negotiated political roadmap.

Feb 14, 2022

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Ben Fishman

Muslim man praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Brief Analysis

Saudi Arabia Adjusts Its History, Diminishing the Role of Wahhabism

The first celebration of Founding Day, on February 22, could be accompanied by other changes.

Feb 11, 2022

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Simon Henderson

Video

Brief Analysis

An Arab Leader in Israel: A Conversation with Mansour Abbas

The head of the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition answers questions about the country’s domestic and foreign policies, including its approach to Palestinian issues and diplomacy with Arab states.

Feb 10, 2022

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Mansour Abbas
David Makovsky
Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Hezbollah Leaders Are Dreading the Election—But They Have a Plan

Opposition parties may win enough votes to strip Hezbollah’s parliamentary majority, but the group is already preparing to employ its usual tactics of postponement, paralysis, and street violence if necessary.

Feb 1, 2022

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Hanin Ghaddar

Brief Analysis

“The Holocaust Was an Arab Story Too”: Holocaust Remembrance in the Arab World

المحرقة كانت قصة عربية أيضاً: إحياء ذكرى "الهولوكوست" في العالم العربي

The Washington Institute’s executive director reflects on this year’s wave of remembrance events in the region, including his remarks at two landmark programs in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Jan 28, 2022

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Robert Satloff

Brief Analysis

Saad’s Sad Goodbye: Hariri Leaves Lebanese Politics

Despite seeming more well-intentioned than most of his colleagues in Beirut’s political elite, Hariri ultimately became part of the coterie that has pushed Lebanon to the brink of state failure.

Jan 25, 2022

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David Schenker

Brief Analysis

Recasting Syria’s Cross-Border Aid Debate

The UN aid mechanism is alive for another six months, but the threat of famine, Russian vetoes, and military escalation will persist unless Washington takes appropriate steps before the next round of renewal negotiations.

Jan 21, 2022

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Andrew J. Tabler
Calvin Wilder

Portraits of Baha'i adherents arrested in Iran on display in Brazil - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Increased Persecution of the Bahai

Targeting the faith’s followers is a longstanding feature of the Islamic Republic but has been escalating of late.

Jan 21, 2022

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Mehdi Khalaji

A U.S. military helicopter evacuates personnel from the American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan

Articles & Testimony

Trading Places

After two decades of direct U.S. involvement, what went so wrong in Afghanistan compared to the relative successes seen in Iraq?

Jan 7, 2022

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David Pollock

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Law Enforcement Shuffle Reflects Concern About Protests

The Supreme Leader and the IRGC are asserting more control over the task of monitoring and managing protest movements, creating yet another intelligence agency in the process.

Jan 5, 2022

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Amir Toumaj

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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