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IraqDemocracy and GovernanceWith Iraq’s Mounting Chaos Spreading, Time for a US Policy Reboot
Nov 27, 2019Charles W. DunneCharles W. Dunne argues that in light of Iraq’s current crisis, the United States must take bold steps to help stabilize the country, enhance anti-corruption a…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and GovernanceDesperate Netanyahu Pulls out All the Stops
Nov 26, 2019Yousef MunayyerA desperate Netanyahu will use all tools in a demagogue’s box, including racist incitement against the Palestinians, in order to remain politically alive—or at…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonProtests and ActivismThe Lebanese Uprising: No End in Sight for the Current Impasse
Nov 20, 2019Joe MacaronJoe Macaron explains the different factors of the current impasse between the Lebanese ruling political class and the protesters, seeing no end in sight for th…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceThe Catch-22 of Lebanese Reform
Nov 5, 2019Nabeel A. KhouryNabeel Khoury discusses the Lebanese leadership’s catch-22 dilemma resulting from the influence of entrenched parties and their militias as they confront the l…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceThe Lebanon Uprising: Causes and Ramifications
Oct 24, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Lebanon’s protests have been unique and inclusive and are united by a wish to topple the ruling political class and abandon the system of sectarian power-shari…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceRadical Reform or Total Chaos for Lebanon?
Oct 22, 2019Nabeel A. KhouryNabeel Khouri argues that it is clear that radical reform in Lebanon is what stands between a safe and gradual transition to an accountable government, on the …
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Tunisian Elections: Surprise Results and Challenges Ahead
Oct 21, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)Tunisia after its elections will be ruled by a governmental coalition the nature of which will depend on the relationship between the new president and the new…
- Viewpoint
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceLebanon’s Protests Cannot Be Ignored
Oct 18, 2019Imad K. HarbImad K. Harb writes that Lebanon’s current protests are a reminder that the Arab Spring is alive and well and that Lebanese politicians have no choice but to h…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceBy Electing Kais Saied, Tunisians Recast Their National Politics
Oct 17, 2019Daniel BrumbergThe Tunisian electorate has handed the independent candidate Kais Saied a huge victory. With 73 percent of the vote against Nabil Karoui’s 27 percent, he now h…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThere Will Be a One-State Solution But What Kind of State Will It Be?
Oct 17, 2019Yousef MunayyerFor nearly three decades, the so-called two-state solution has dominated discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the idea of two states for two pe…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionAbbas Calls for Elections, but Will They Be Held?
Oct 16, 2019Yousef MunayyerYousef Munayyer discounts the possibility of holding new Palestinian presidential and legislative elections despite the parties’ repeated assertions that they …
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Palestinian Arab Vote in Israel: Mere Protest or Significant Influence?
Oct 2, 2019Khalil E. JahshanKhalil E. Jahshan writes that until Israeli Jewish society undergoes serious change and accepts the Arab parties into the political process, the role of Palest…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceIsraeli Election Do-Over Yields Similar Results
Sep 25, 2019Yousef MunayyerThis Israeli election, like the one before it, has largely been about Benjamin Netanyahu himself and not his policies. Yousef Munayyer considers the possible s…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaDemocracy and GovernancePresidential Elections in Tunisia: Reading the First Round Results
Sep 25, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)The results of the first round of the 2019 presidential elections in Tunisia represent an early crisis for a regime marked by the fragmentation of the party ma…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceEgypt’s Protests: A Sign the Arab Spring Is Alive
Sep 24, 2019Imad K. HarbAlthough the protests today are unlike those that garnered millions at public squares in 2011, the struggle of the Egyptian people against repression remains a…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionLibya’s Stalemate Could Lead to Dreaded Partition
Sep 17, 2019Imad K. HarbWhile domestic competition and outside intervention are fueling the dangerous Libyan conflict, General Haftar’s challenge to the GNA and rejection of UN mediat…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionNetanyahu’s Annexation Promises: Electioneering or Actual Plan?
Sep 17, 2019Yousef MunayyerEven if Netanyahu does not become the next prime minister of Israel, his ideas, including annexation, are likely to govern and shape Israeli politics for years…
- Policy Analysis
SomaliaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionWill Somalia Share Yemen’s Fate?
Aug 28, 2019Imad K. HarbThe UAE’s support of the secessionist leaders of Somaliland and Puntland in realizing their costly dream of independence is likely to throw Somalia and the sur…
- Policy Analysis
The Horn of AfricaDemocracy and GovernanceTransitional Period Agreement in Sudan: Opportunities for Success and Threats of Failure
Aug 26, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)There remain serious obstacles on the road to secession by Yemen's Southern Transitional Council, especially the contrary aims and programs in the various sout…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaDemocracy and GovernanceTunisia Struggles to Project Foreign Policy Independence
Aug 22, 2019Daniel BrumbergTunisia’s leaders would do well to balance their hopes for democracy and human rights with the pragmatic exigencies of an independent foreign policy that prote…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaDemocracy and GovernanceTunisia’s Fragile Democracy after Essebsi
Aug 2, 2019Daniel BrumbergDaniel Brumberg argues that Tunisia’s Essebsi leaves behind a political crisis that is partly rooted in a convoluted constitutional language that does not clea…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceMorsi’s Death: Conflicting Narratives, Escalating Repression, Deepening Polarization
Jun 25, 2019Sahar KhamisFormer President Mohamed Morsi’s death is emblematic of continuing government repression and unchecked violations of human rights in Egypt that threaten the li…
- Policy Analysis
AlgeriaDemocracy and GovernanceA Dangerous Algerian Struggle against Uncertainty
Jun 21, 2019Imad K. HarbA multilateral dialogue involving different segments of society and moderate military elements is imperative to end the current stalemate and lay the foundatio…
- Policy Analysis
SudanDemocracy and GovernanceSudan’s Military: Following Egypt’s Playbook?
Jun 12, 2019Gregory AftandilianContrary to their opposition to Islamists in Egypt and elsewhere, Saudi Arabia and the UAE do not seem concerned that Sudan’s Islamists are the Transitional Mi…
- Policy Analysis
Middle East Sectarianism: A Symptom to a Cause
Jun 1, 2019Marwan J. KabalanThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.Sectarianism and sectarian conflict in the Middle East are often presented as ce…
- Policy Analysis
The Dilemma of “Normalization”: Can Islamists Participate without Polarizing Politics?
Jun 1, 2019Shadi HamidThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.The dislike, or even hatred, of mainstream Islamist parties1 is assumed to lead …
- Policy Analysis
Identity and Inclusion: Rethinking Citizenship in Arab Societies
Jun 1, 2019Linda Bishai Elly RostoumLinda Bishai and Elly Rostoum decry exclusivist identity politics in the Arab world and propose this remedy: a transition to democratic practices that respect …
- Policy Analysis
A Collaborative Regional Reconstruction Strategy in the Arab World
Jun 1, 2019Sultan BarakatArab states can no longer pretend that poor economic, social, and environmental conditions and other consequential challenges affect only some of them and not …
- Policy Analysis
AlgeriaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Legacy of the Pillared Arab State
Jun 1, 2019Daniel BrumbergThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.IntroductionAmong other things, politics provides a means of managing conflicts.…
- Policy Analysis
Government Survival Strategies in the Middle East
Jun 1, 2019Sarah Leah WhitsonThis paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.Regional and global geopolitics, intrigues, and rivalries often attract the most…
- Policy Analysis
The Path to Ending Conflicts: Prospects and Hindrances
Jun 1, 2019Amatalalim AlsoswaThese remarks are the edited transcript of the keynote address Dr. Alsoswa delivered at Arab Center Washington DC’s annual conference on September 20, 2018, “T…
- Policy Analysis
JordanConflicts and Conflict ResolutionFacing Pressure at Home and Abroad, Jordan’s King Shifts Strategy
May 23, 2019Joe MacaronThe Trump Administration’s anticipated Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative is pushing Jordan’s King Abdullah to realign interests with his country’s Muslim Br…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionSyria for Sale: The Price of Assad’s Survival
May 10, 2019Radwan ZiadehRussia’s so-called investments in vital Syrian installations like the Tartous port and in strategic assets such as oil and gas illustrate that the country is b…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceTrump versus Biden: US Politics and the Middle East
May 7, 2019Joe MacaronA Trump-Biden contest in the 2020 presidential elections would likely be a battle between two opposing views of America and its foreign policy in the Middle Ea…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceEgypt’s New Constitutional Amendments: Moving toward Totalitarianism
Apr 30, 2019Charles W. DunneEgypt's new constitutional amendments, passed overwhelmingly in a national referendum, drive the country further along the road to totalitarianism. In reality,…
- Policy Analysis
The Horn of AfricaDemocracy and GovernanceSudan’s Long Walk to Freedom: Will the Military Council Cede Power to Civilians?
Apr 26, 2019Abdelkhalig ShaibSudan’s Transitional Military Council and the opposition may have unintentionally entered into a power struggle and lost sight of the fact that they should hav…
- Policy Analysis
AlgeriaDemocracy and GovernanceNegotiating a Path Forward in Algeria
Apr 17, 2019Daniel BrumbergIn Algeria, as in Egypt, the single biggest obstacle to advancing a democratic transition is the military. The opposition has some hard choices—none are good, …
- Viewpoint
SudanDemocracy and GovernanceThe Military in Sudan Is Not the Savior
Apr 11, 2019Imad K. HarbBashir’s departure is not enough to save Sudan from the dismal record of failures over which he presided. His military chiefs and party stalwarts must also dep…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceThe Post-Mattis US Administration and the Rise of Trumpism
Apr 9, 2019Joe MacaronFollowing the resignation of former Defense Secretary James Mattis, conservatives in the Trump Administration are consolidating and applying their far-reaching…
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceTurkey after the Heated Municipal Elections: Key Takeaways
Apr 8, 2019Mustafa GurbuzThe results of the municipal elections in Turkey have surprised many including the ruling AKP, which called them a “coup” and demanded a recount in Istanbul an…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceThe Trickiness of Syria’s Return to the Arab League
Mar 29, 2019Imad K. HarbIt is important for Arab states to continue to withhold Syria’s membership until Damascus agrees to a political process that leads to a transition from Assad’s…
- Policy Analysis
North AfricaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionTunisia’s Fragmented and Polarized Political Landscape
Mar 28, 2019Daniel BrumbergIn the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in November 2019, if Tunisia’s politicians continue to battle under the umbrella of a largely feigned …
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceAmerican Campaigning Elevates Netanyahu’s Election Chances to New Heights
Mar 26, 2019Yousef MunayyerA historical look at shifting US policy positions demonstrates the significance of recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. The warm embrace and cam…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe New Shtayyeh Government in Palestine: Challenges and Prospects
Mar 20, 2019Khalil E. JahshanThe newly designated Palestinian prime minister faces difficult challenges in forming an inclusive government at a time of serious divisions in Palestinian ran…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceCorrecting Libya’s Imbalance
Mar 19, 2019Imad K. HarbThe international community must help Libya avoid renewed authoritarianism and political and military chaos by supporting UN efforts to hold elections and help…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceSyria’s Demographic Changes Buttress Assad’s Authoritarianism
Mar 1, 2019Radwan ZiadehThe Syrian regime violated international prohibitions on the conduct of war by forcing millions of people to flee their homes in order to spur demographic chan…
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceHow Principled Is US Realism in the Middle East?
Feb 22, 2019Charles W. DunneUS authority, credibility, and interests in the Middle East are paying the price for the administration's confusion and abandonment of principles in its foreig…
- Viewpoint
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceA Pharaoh in the Making: Sisi Seeks Long-term Job Security
Feb 5, 2019Imad K. HarbMany Arab presidents have loved the chair and have worked hard to make it more like a throne. One wonders if Sisi would be audacious enough to just declare him…
- Policy Analysis
JordanDemocracy and GovernanceHow Netanyahu’s Dominance of Israeli Politics Has Shaped the Field
Feb 5, 2019Yousef MunayyerWhatever Netanyahu's fortunes in the coming elections, his brand of politics has already conquered Israel's political landscape, which is unlikely to change an…
- Viewpoint
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceThe Tragic Governance Crisis in Palestine
Feb 1, 2019Khalil E. JahshanFatah and Hamas are underestimating the damage of their split on Palestinians and their strategic objectives to end Israel’s occupation and establish an indepe…
- Policy Analysis
The Arabian Peninsula and The GulfDemocracy and GovernanceHow the Private Sector Supports Authoritarians in the Arab World
Jan 30, 2019Charles W. DunneThe private sector in the United States and around the world has a responsibility to confront authoritarian regimes and help protect human rights and the rule …
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and Governance‘Does Israel Have a Right To Exist’ Is a Trick Question
Jan 22, 2019Yousef MunayyerCriticizing Israel’s policies toward the Palestinian people should never be conflated with eliminationism.
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceThe Arab Rehabilitation of the Assad Regime
Jan 16, 2019Radwan ZiadehAssad will be able to regain his political legitimacy after winning his battle militarily only if he rehabilitates his regime’s standing in the Arab world.
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionDeteriorating Circumstances in Syria and Yemen Overshadow US Tactical Success
Jan 16, 2019Charles W. DunneChanging circumstances in Syria and Yemen and Washington’s shifting strategies have exposed the Trump Administration’s claims of success as threadbare.
- Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and GovernanceIsrael’s Upcoming Elections: Netanyahu Seeking Shelter from Legal Troubles
Jan 11, 2019Khalil E. JahshanNetanyahu’s fate lies in the hands of the attorney general who will personally decide whether and when to indict him.
- Policy Analysis
Democracy and GovernanceWho Will Be Driving the 2019 Washington Policy Agenda?
Jan 4, 2019Marcus MontgomeryWhile President Trump enjoys constitutional prerogatives over American policy in the Middle East, a Democratic-controlled House is likely to impact his choices…
- Viewpoint
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Saudi Shake-Up to Consolidate One-Man Rule
Jan 2, 2019Imad K. HarbKing Salman’s cabinet reshuffle was to divert attention away from MbS’s responsibility for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi; but it will likely not succeed.
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionAbbas and Netanyahu Turn to Elections to Solidify Control
Dec 28, 2018Yousef MunayyerAs a new year begins in Israel/Palestine, leaders there are seeking to use elections to sideline challenges and challengers, solidify their grip on power, and …
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Aftermath of the Khashoggi Murder: Freedom of the Press in 2018
Dec 21, 2018Tamara KharroubThe rise of populism and anti-globalism has contributed to erosion of the international rights system, with governments moving away from accountability and tra…
- Policy Analysis
Justice, Equality, and Human RightsPolitical Prisoners in the Middle East: The Quiet Crisis
Dec 6, 2018Charles W. DunneHolding political prisoners in the Middle East is not only a human rights abuse in and of itself; it is symptomatic of a much more pervasive and dangerous patt…
- Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict ResolutionIsrael and Gaza: From the Brink of War to the Brink of Elections
Nov 27, 2018Yousef MunayyerAfter new elections in Israel, there is little reason to expect anything other than another right-wing Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Policy Analysis
SyriaConflicts and Conflict ResolutionWill the Istanbul Summit Offer Hope for Syria?
Nov 1, 2018Joe MacaronThe Istanbul summit on Syria was the first serious attempt in years to advance a viable Syrian political process; but obstacles remain, including American-Russ…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceThe Global Magnitsky Act and Saudi Arabia
Oct 26, 2018Marcus MontgomeryThe Trump Administration prefers to accept a plausible story about the Khashoggi killing that allows the president to maneuver away from sanctioning Saudi indi…
- Research Paper
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceRegional States and Egypt’s Democratic Transition
Oct 25, 2018Imad K. HarbQatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were the most influential external actors in Egypt’s transition to democracy and its reversal after the 2011 …
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceHas Saudi Arabia Become a Monarchy of Fear?
Oct 24, 2018Daniel BrumbergWith increasing authoritarian tendencies in the current Arab political order, the Khashoggi killing may point to Saudi Arabia as approaching being a monarchy o…
- Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceCabinet Stalemate in Lebanon May Be Delaying a Political Confrontation
Sep 24, 2018Joe MacaronFour months after Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri was designated to lead a national unity government on May 24, there appears to be no end in sight for the…
- Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and GovernanceFive Years after Sisi’s Coup: Soul Searching, Resistance, and Division
Sep 12, 2018Daniel BrumbergSisi is building a full autocracy in Egypt. He will not be intimidated by pushback from state-linked elites but by a genuine healing of the Islamist-secular br…
- Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and GovernanceLibya Cries Out for More International Commitment
Sep 7, 2018Imad K. HarbDespite the UN’s efforts to assist Libya, it remains up to the country’s leaders themselves to agree to a political settlement and begin to restore the authori…
- Viewpoint
IraqDemocracy and GovernanceThe Complicated Formation of the Iraqi Government
Aug 30, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabIraq’s fourth parliament since the 2003 American invasion will convene in regular session on September 3, amid confusion and speculation about the formation of…
- Policy Analysis
LevantConflicts and Conflict ResolutionShifting the Balance of Power from Ramallah to Gaza
Aug 17, 2018Khalil E. JahshanIf successfully implemented, the latest agreement on a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas may pave the way for a radical change in Palestinian power from the …
