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Democracy & Reform

Policy Analysis on Democracy & Reform

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Brief Analysis
The Flawed Shura Council Elections:
Omen for Egypt's Future?
Amid the diplomatic and media frenzy over the Gaza flotilla incident, Egypt's upper house elections were largely overlooked last week, even though the voting for the consultative Shura Council was marred by low turnout, concerted fraud, and violence. These are disturbing indicators of what the international community and Obama administration
Jun 16, 2010
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  • J. Scott Carpenter
In-Depth Reports
The Changing Face of Jihadi Terror: Lessons from the Near Miss in Times Square
Homegrown radicalization is on the rise inside the United States. Americans have gone overseas to wage jihad, while a string of terrorists have recently been sent from abroad to attack Americans here at home, ranging from Najibullah Zazi's plot targeting New York City, to the Christmas Day bombing attempt, to
Jun 14, 2010
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  • Juan Zarate
  • Daniel Freedman
  • Matthew Levitt
Articles & Testimony
Remember When Iran Won?
This is an eventful week for Iran. On June 9, the country was hit with a fourth sanctions resolution by the U.N. Security Council. June 12 will mark the first anniversary of a disputed presidential election that plunged Iran into turmoil and galvanized the opposition "Green Movement." But the event
Jun 11, 2010
Brief Analysis
One Year after a Rigged Election:
Iran's Introverted Politics
Although the United Nations Security Council has now voted for new sanctions against Tehran, the Iranian regime and opposition -- preoccupied this week with the anniversary of last year's fraudulent presidential election -- seem more concerned about domestic political struggles. To outsiders, it is an often-confusing contest, with Supreme Leader
Jun 9, 2010
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  • Mehdi Khalaji
Brief Analysis
Hamas Outreach:
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood in Crisis
Last month, a power struggle between rival factions in the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) came to a head when the Hamas-aligned "hawks" attempted to install their preferred candidate as secretary-general of the organization's political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), over protests from the "doves." Reconciliation efforts have thus far
Jun 8, 2010
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  • David Schenker
Articles & Testimony
Turkey's Clash of Civilizations
Ever since the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in 2002, Turkish foreign policy has made a 180-degree turn. The country's once-strong ties with the United States and Israel have been weakened, and entry talks with the European Union have stalled while Ankara has come to the defense
Jun 8, 2010
Articles & Testimony
Turning against US
Visiting the White House six months ago, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara aspires to build a "model partnership" with Washington. Really? Erodgan has been leading the chorus to condemn Israel in the wake of Monday's botched interdiction of the flotilla bound for Gaza described the killings of
Jun 3, 2010
Brief Analysis
President Obama's Cairo Speech:
A First-Year Scorecard
Although likely eclipsed in the media by recent Israeli naval action against blockade runners, the first anniversary of President Obama's much-quoted address in Cairo occurs on June 4. In his remarks, described as a "new beginning," he identified seven issues at the heart of tensions between the United States and
Jun 2, 2010
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  • J. Scott Carpenter
Articles & Testimony
Turkey's Game Changer?
The recent resignation of Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), over an alleged sex tape scandal presents a serendipitous window of opportunity for Turkish politics. Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP), rooted in the country's Islamist movement, came to power in 2002, Turkish politics
Jun 1, 2010
Articles & Testimony
Road from Damascus:
Lebanon Hangs Suspended between Past and Present
The Ghosts of Martyr's Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's Life Struggle By Michael Young (Simon & Schuster, 295 pages, $26.00) This past February, Le Monde published a detailed report suggesting that Hezbollah participated in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The story was old news
May 31, 2010
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  • David Schenker
In-Depth Reports
Proceedings of the 2010 Soref Symposium and 25th Anniversary Celebration
FEATURING Gen. James L. Jones, Thomas Friedman, William Kristol, Martin Kramer, and David Makovsky THE PROCEEDINGS In 1985, a small group of visionary Americans committed to advancing U.S. interests in the Middle East established the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Twenty-five years later, a special Soref Symposium celebrated the
May 26, 2010
Brief Analysis
Everyone and No One:
Iraq Heads toward a Unity Government
Eleven weeks after the March 7, 2010, elections, Iraq appears to be headed toward a sprawling "unity" government that values stability and inclusiveness over efficiency or decisiveness. Despite being an arguably safer bet for Iraq at a delicate and dangerous moment, this approach will pose several challenges for U.S. policy
May 26, 2010
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  • Michael Knights
  • Ahmed Ali
Articles & Testimony
Women's Diminishing Power in Turkey
A graphical analysis shows that women have been losing ground in Turkey since the AKP government came to power in 2002. Despite an increasing -- though still small -- presence in parliament, women hold fewer executive and bureaucratic posts in government. As a consequence, Turkish women are being pushed out
May 25, 2010
Articles & Testimony
Cairo and Counting
June 4 marked the first anniversary of President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, which offered Arabs and Muslims around the world a new "engagement" with the United States. A year later, how do Arab publics see the results of that effort -- and how much do their views about it
May 19, 2010
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  • David Pollock
Articles & Testimony
Turkey's New Political Balance:
Old AKP and New Kemalism
Turkey's protracted political battle between the governing Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and its opponents reached a crescendo this month with the Turkish Parliament's vote on proposed constitutional amendments. The battle over the amendments represented the zenith of the country's dangerous polarization between two broad political camps congregated around
May 17, 2010
Brief Analysis
Changing the Paradigm of U.S. Assistance to Egypt:
Alternatives to the 'Endowment' Idea
Recently leaked documents detail an exchange between Washington and Cairo regarding the future of U.S. economic assistance to Egypt. The documents indicate that the Obama administration has welcomed Cairo's idea of ending traditional assistance in favor of creating a new endowment, "The Egyptian-American Friendship Foundation." This idea has a long
May 14, 2010
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  • J. Scott Carpenter
Articles & Testimony
An Open Letter to the Secretary of State:
Push Egypt to Lift State of Emergency
On May 11, 2010, Institute Keston Family fellow and director of Project Fikra J. Scott Carpenter cosigned an open letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calling for stronger U.S. efforts to persuade the Egyptian regime to lift its state of emergency. The letter, drafted by the Carnegie Endowment
May 11, 2010
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  • J. Scott Carpenter
Articles & Testimony
AKP, Alcohol, and Government-Engineered Social Change in Turkey
Since the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, rose to power in Turkey in 2002, special taxes on alcohol have increased dramatically, making a glass of wine or beer one of the most expensive in Europe, and for that purpose anywhere in the world. The AKP leadership is known for
May 11, 2010
Articles & Testimony
Springtime for Iran
To the casual observer, Iraq's post-electoral political process might appear to be deadlocked or moving at a snail's pace. Although international observers validated the results of the March 7 election as largely free and fair, the outcome has been subjected to a series of ill-natured legal challenges. This will complicate
May 10, 2010
Articles & Testimony
Challenging Tehran on Human Rights
The rise of the Green Movement following the fraudulent June 12 presidential election, and all that has transpired since, has demonstrated clearly to the Iranian people that the foundational elements of the Islamic Revolution -- the system of velayat-i-faqih (rule of the jurisprudent) and its main implementer, the Supreme Leader
May 3, 2010

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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 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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