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Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

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Lightbulb nighttime Beirut cityscape
In-Depth Reports
Power to the People?
Scrutinizing the U.S.-Arab Effort to Supply Energy to Lebanon via Syria
Residents of the beleaguered country desperately need electricity, but a U.S.-Arab scheme carries complications that could benefit Syria's Assad regime.
Dec 16, 2021
◆
  • Katherine Bauer
  • Ben Fishman
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Simon Henderson
  • David Schenker
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Brief Analysis
Iran’s Next Budget Assumes No Nuclear Deal
The government seems to believe the economy will grow significantly even without sanctions relief or increased oil revenue.
Dec 14, 2021
◆
  • Patrick Clawson
Kurdish woman fighter
In-Depth Reports
Seasoned Skeptics
Why Syrian Kurds Have Resisted Political Islam
The historic role of Sufism, an inclination toward the secular left, and recent repression under extremists have all driven the Kurds away from religiously informed ideology.
Dec 13, 2021
◆
  • Sirwan Kajjo
  • Oula A. Alrifai
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Militia Assassination Surge (Part 1): Sabereen and Unit 10,000 Threaten Iraqi Forces
Both outlets are openly advocating the murder of Iraqi security forces at a time of escalated shootings and bombings.
Dec 10, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken host the Summit for Democracy. Source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Summit for Democracy Skips the Arab World
To address the region’s democracy gap, Washington needs to develop consistent messaging on reform objectives and help its partners focus on achievable goals such as protecting free speech, dissidents, and civil society.
Dec 8, 2021
◆
  • Ben Fishman
Articles & Testimony
Lebanon Stands at a Crossroad Between a Painful Revival and a Complete Submission to Iran
The country’s ongoing crises are closely intertwined with Hezbollah’s internal challenges, creating real potential for change if the West stands firmly behind fair elections, judicial accountability, and targeted pressure.
Dec 7, 2021
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Video
Brief Analysis
Popular Protest, Democratic Prospects, and U.S. Policy Dilemmas in the Middle East
Three experts discuss how Washington should shape its regional response to persistent protest movements, economic struggles, and democratic backsliding.
Dec 2, 2021
◆
  • Chiraz Arbi
  • Yasir Zaidan
  • Alberto Fernandez
Brief Analysis
A New Chance at Kingmaking for Iraqi Kurds
With militias on the back foot, the United States should lean on Kurdish and Iraqi leaders to find unity of purpose in confronting the destabilizing actions of pro-Iran groups.
Dec 1, 2021
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
Afghan women attend a photography class, 2013.
Articles & Testimony
The Taliban Remain the Same, But Society Has Changed
Years of U.S. involvement visibly advanced the dignity and prospects of Afghan women, but wholly abandoning them now would risk undoing much of this progress.
Dec 1, 2021
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
U.S. and Iranian flags
Video
Brief Analysis
How Tehran Views Washington
Researchers discuss Iran’s mindset toward the Biden administration and the country’s prospects for internal change as nuclear talks resume in Vienna.
Dec 1, 2021
◆
  • Amir Toumaj
  • Sanam Vakil
KSS recruitment numbers
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
A Fake KSS Recruitment Drive
Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada may have exaggerated its recruiting numbers, but the episode points to militias' desperation to look potent and regain leverage by threatening to destabilize Iraq in early 2022.
Nov 27, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Biden, Jordan's King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein
In-Depth Reports
Preparing for Orderly Change in Jordan When the Time Comes
The kingdom has navigated tricky successions in the past, and many of the elements that allowed it to do so remain in place today.
Nov 22, 2021
◆
  • Ghaith al-Omari
◆ Sudden Succession Essay Series
Rebel soldiers in Libya during the 2011 revolution. Source: AP
Articles & Testimony
December Elections in Libya Risk a Return to Civil War
Authorities have come too far to risk resuming violence or dividing the country with a rushed, heavily boycotted vote.
Nov 21, 2021
◆
  • Ben Fishman
Ardeshir Zahedi, then Iran's ambassador to the United States, with Robert F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Washington, DC.
Articles & Testimony
Ardeshir Zahedi: Legend and Lesson
The career of Iran's last pre-revolution ambassador to the United States offers both an example and a warning to American policymakers and diplomats today.
Nov 19, 2021
◆
  • Martin Kramer
A Middle Eastern migrant with guards at the Belarus/Poland border. Source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The EU Migrant Crisis: Options for Border Security and U.S. Interests
Spurred by conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan, the migration emergency in Belarus gives Washington an opportunity to foster cooperative agreements and goodwill.
Nov 19, 2021
◆
  • Kenneth R. Rosen
  • Calvin Wilder
Sabereen logo
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Sabereen News Criticizes Iran for Lack of Support
Elements of Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah are seemingly trying to extract domestic and Iranian support for more forceful pushback against their recent political isolation.
Nov 13, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Sit-in tent, Baghdad, November 6, 2021
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Muqawama Meltdown, Part 1: Protesting the Election
In the wake of their failed election campaigns and other recent setbacks, militias sought to deepen their claims of victimhood and politically damage Prime Minister Kadhimi with protests.
Nov 7, 2021
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Top Agenda Items for the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue
In addition to continuing the discussion of withheld U.S. funding, Secretary Blinken’s team should focus on steering Cairo toward productive steps in Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, and Syria.
Nov 5, 2021
◆
  • David Schenker
Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt display the victory and Rabaa signs at a protest
Brief Analysis
The Muslim Brotherhood Sees Cairo’s Flirtation with Biden as an Opportunity
Many Brotherhood members seem eager to exploit recent U.S.-Egyptian gestures on human rights, but there is little likelihood that the Sisi government will reconcile with the fractured, unpopular Islamist group.
Oct 27, 2021
◆
  • Haisam Hassanein
A Sudanese protester against military rule
Brief Analysis
In Sudan, the Masks Come Off After a Military Coup
After months of nebulous plotting, the domestic and foreign actors who drove opposition to Hamdok’s reformist government will become more discernible as the generals look for ways to solidify their hold on power.
Oct 26, 2021
◆
  • Alberto Fernandez

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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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