• Policy Analysis
    EgyptProtests and Activism

    Protests of the Poor in Egypt: Causes and Implications

    Oct 21, 2020Khalil Al-Anani

    On September 20th, a series of anti-government demonstrations broke out in a number of Egyptian governorates and villages protesting the social and economic co…

  • Viewpoint
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    Lebanon Chooses a Prime Minister, Thwarting the Protesters Again

    Aug 31, 2020Imad K. Harb

    Imad K. Harb writes that Lebanon’s new and largely unknown prime minister-designate, Mustafa Adib, is relatively inexperienced in politics. Nevertheless, his c…

  • Policy Analysis
    SudanDemocracy and Governance

    Despite Some Progress, Sudan’s Transition Faces Mounting Hurdles

    Gregory Aftandilian states that although the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has instituted a number of political and social reforms, Sudan’s democ…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    The Beirut Explosion Will Have a Lasting Impact on Lebanon

    Aug 14, 2020Joe Macaron

    Joe Macaron argues that the Beirut explosion and its repercussions will have a profound impact on Lebanon’s future, whatever political scenario emerges followi…

  • Viewpoint
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    The Hezbollah-Aoun Political Process Has Failed in Lebanon

    Aug 11, 2020Imad K. Harb

    Imad K. Harb posits that the resignation of the Lebanese government exposes the failure of the Hezbollah-Aoun political process but opens an opportunity for th…

  • Viewpoint
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    Lebanon: A Failed State Explodes

    Aug 6, 2020Imad K. Harb

    Imad K. Harb contends that the failing Lebanese state will only begin to restore its legitimacy when the country’s political elites either step down or alter t…

  • External Readings
    Democracy and Governance

    Beware of the looming chaos in the Middle East

    Aug 3, 2020Marwan Bishara

    If you thought the Middle East has hit rock bottom and may finally emerge intact from a decade of upheaval and conflict, think again.

  • Policy Analysis
    TunisiaDemocracy and Governance

    Political Crisis, Regional Power Struggles, and Creeping Presidentialism in Tunisia

    Jul 29, 2020Daniel Brumberg

    Analyzing Tunisia’s political problems, Daniel Brumberg writes that nearly a decade into the country’s democratic experiment, many of its leaders appear incapa…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    Hezbollah Cannot Solve Lebanon’s Worsening Conditions

    Jun 10, 2020Imad K. Harb

    Imad K. Harb contends that Hezbollah has not succeeded in helping to repair Lebanon's domestic political and economic problems, has made the country hostage to…

  • Policy Analysis
    JordanThe GCC

    Jordan Maneuvers in GCC Politics to Protect Its Interests

    Despite its heavy dependence on the GCC for economic aid and employment for its workforce, Jordan has been able to pursue political positions not always in syn…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    A Fracture That Will Not Threaten the Assad Regime in Syria

    May 18, 2020Radwan Ziadeh

    Radwan Ziadeh discounts the long-term political repercussions of the Assad-Makhlouf dispute and writes that if the regime gets in serious trouble, the cousins …

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptDemocracy and Governance

    Politics of COVID-19 in Egypt: Between Repression and Opportunism

    May 12, 2020Khalil Al-Anani

    The Egyptian regime's medical assistance to the United States and other countries during the coronavirus pandemic is meant to mollify international criticism o…

  • Policy Analysis
    Global Health and Health Policy

    Health Care in the Arab World: Outcomes of a Broken Social Contract

    May 12, 2020Yara M. Asi

    Yara M. Asi surveys the poor conditions of the Arab world's health care sector and writes that significant changes in efforts and resources should be prioritiz…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance

    MbS’s New “Vision 2020”: Reform and Repression

    May 5, 2020Daniel Brumberg

    Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) will most likely weather the political, economic, and health storms generated by COVID-19. Prompted by th…

  • Policy Analysis
    Energy and Economics

    The Impact of Low Oil Prices and COVID-19 on Arab Economies

    May 4, 2020Bessma Momani

    Bessma Momani analyzes the global oil price collapse and the COVID-19 public health crisis as a dual blow to the social and economic well-being of both oil-ric…

  • Policy Analysis
    LibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Haftar’s Secession Must Not Stand

    May 2, 2020Imad K. Harb

    General Haftar's unilateral abrogation of the 2015 Skhirat Agreement is illegal and that his secession in areas under his control paves the way for Libya's dis…

  • Viewpoint
    Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance

    The Netanyahu-Gantz Coalition Farce

    Apr 30, 2020Khalil E. Jahshan

    The emerging differences about the issue of annexation between the two coalition partners could become the massive rock on which their agreement is apt to cras…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaDemocracy and Governance

    Syria’s Authoritarian Regime and COVID-19

    Apr 24, 2020Radwan Ziadeh

    Syria's delayed admission of COVID-19 cases was dictated by the regime's political calculations and its hope to use the cover of the pandemic to avoid sanction…

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaDemocracy and Governance

    COVID-19 Promises Algeria Uncertainty, Danger, and—Perhaps—Opportunity

    Apr 23, 2020Daniel Brumberg

    Daniel Brumberg discusses the political and economic circumstances surrounding the Algerian military's handling of the coronavirus epidemic, using the situatio…

  • Policy Analysis
    OmanDemocracy and Governance

    Continuity in Oman’s Problems and Policy Prescriptions

    Apr 21, 2020Imad K. Harb

    Oman is likely to continue to follow the policy prescriptions of the late Sultan Qaboos, Imad K. Harb writes, but the new ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, may …

  • Policy Analysis
    SudanConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Fractured Power Structure, Peace Talks Hurdles Add to Sudan’s Woes

    Gregory Aftandilian argues that even if a final political deal is reached between Khartoum and the rebel groups in Sudan, a poor economy will continue to worse…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    The Fakhoury Fiasco and US-Lebanese Relations

    Apr 13, 2020Joe Macaron

    The unconventional release of Lebanese-American Amer Fakhoury highlights the extent of Washington’s leverage in Beirut and raises questions about the status of…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance

    The Coronavirus Crisis May Assure Netanyahu’s Survival

    Apr 8, 2020Yousef Munayyer

    Yousef Munayyer examines how Benny Gantz's political defeat and acceptance to form a coalition government with Benjamin Netanyahu have revived the Israeli prim…

  • Policy Analysis
    Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance

    The Fourth Saudi State Remains a Distant Vision

    Apr 3, 2020Imad K. Harb

    Imad K. Harb argues that Mohammed bin Salman’s chaotic and authoritarian stewardship of Saudi domestic and international affairs may well impede the establishm…

  • Policy Analysis
    Democracy and Governance

    Authoritarianism and the Middle East in the Time of COVID-19

    Apr 2, 2020Charles W. Dunne

    Authoritarian governments and leaders in the Middle East have used the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to disperse demonstrations, jail activists, stifle dis…

  • Policy Analysis
    MoroccoDemocracy and Governance

    Morocco: Despite Some Progress, Many Challenges Remain

    Mar 31, 2020Nabeel A. Khoury

    Nabeel Khoury discusses Morocco's political and economic conditions and cautions its elite to use the opportunity of the current social calm engendered by the …

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Confusion in Iraq: A Fractious Political Process and Free-Wheeling Militias

    Abdulwahab al-Qassab highlights Iraq's current political problems and calls upon Iraqi politicians to put aside their differences and concentrate on how to avo…

  • Policy Analysis
    Global Health and Health Policy

    The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Arab World: Impact, Politics, and Mitigation

    Arab Center Washington DC's resident and non-resident fellows and scholars investigate and report on the different aspects of the COVID-19 global public health…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance

    Third Time’s a Charm? Netanyahu Could Finally Be Dislodged

    Mar 20, 2020Yousef Munayyer

    In examining Israel's uncertain political conditions following the inconclusive third parliamentary election, Yousef Munayyer observes that there is a possibil…

  • From our Affiliates
    SyriaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Moscow Summit: Will the Ceasefire Hold in Idlib?

    Mar 11, 2020Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)

    The failure of previous arrangements regarding Syria suggests that the latest ceasefire agreement between Turkey and Russia may only be temporary. Read this an…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Idlib Developments Usher in a New Phase in Syria’s War

    Mar 6, 2020Radwan Ziadeh Imad K. Harb Marwan Kabalan Mustafa Gurbuz

    The Syrian civil war entered a new phase when Bashar al-Assad’s regime began an assault on the northwestern Idlib province, eliciting a Turkish response. ACW a…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    Lebanon’s Imminent Collapse: How Can It Be Prevented?

    Mar 3, 2020Imad K. Harb

    The dissolution of confessional politics in Lebanon and the political coalescence of the street opposition to negotiate for social change are key to addressing…

  • Viewpoint
    Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance

    The Palestinian Arab Vote in Israel: Facing the Ultimate Test of Inclusion

    The Palestinian Arab vote can challenge the Palestinians’ disenfranchisement but that they will never be welcome as full partners in the Israeli political syst…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    State Terror in Egypt: Is It Time for Accountability?

    Feb 28, 2020Khalil Al-Anani

    This article by Khaill Al-Anani examines the Egyptian regime’s tools for such repression and the lack of pressure by western governments to hold it accountable…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    The Uncertain Victory of Iran’s Hardliners

    Feb 26, 2020Daniel Brumberg

    The backing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will allow Iran’s conservatives to use their victory in the parliamentary elections to prevent reformists from deman…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptProtests and Activism

    Egypt’s Puzzling Dilemma: Escalating Challenges and Obstructed Mobilization

    Feb 20, 2020Sahar Khamis

    Egypt’s widening economic and social gaps may lead the regime to adopt harsher measures of political control.

  • Policy Analysis
    TunisiaDemocracy and Governance

    Post-Election Blues in Tunisia: Implications at Home and Abroad

    Feb 10, 2020Daniel Brumberg

    The fate of Tunisia’s democracy may depend on the leadership of President Saied who, until 2019, neither played a political role nor had links to the existing …

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonUS Foreign Policy

    US, Iran Prolong Détente in Lebanon with a Status Quo Cabinet

    Jan 29, 2020Joe Macaron

    Joe Macaron contends that the new Lebanese government of Hassan Diab is a continuation of the old oligarchic status quo and appears to prolong the US-Iran déte…

  • Policy Analysis
    Protests and Activism

    The battle of ‘resistance’ vs ‘revolution’ in the Middle East

    Jan 17, 2020Rami G. Khouri

    The clash between the 'resistance' and 'revolutionary' movements will define the Middle East in the future.

  • Policy Analysis
    Democracy and Governance

    Prospects for Democratic Change in the Arab World in 2020

    ACW analysts and academic board members discuss the prospects of the 2019 public protests in several countries of the Arab world and how technology is poised t…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance

    Repressing Criticism of Israel in the United States: Trump’s Executive Order

    Jan 3, 2020Yousef Munayyer

    In the long term, Trump’s executive order conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism is another effort to silence the debate in the United States on Israel’s p…

  • Policy Analysis
    Democracy and Governance

    The MENA Region’s Uphill Struggle against Corruption

    Dec 20, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    In the Middle East and well beyond, 2019 has been a year of mass public protest and street mobilization. The region is seizing with disorganized and open disco…

  • Policy Analysis
    Protests and Activism

    From the Arab Spring to—What, Exactly? 2011 and 2019 Compared

    Dec 20, 2019Charles W. Dunne

    Significant differences between the Arab Spring protests of 2011 and the upheaval sweeping the region today are signs of things to come in the Arab world.

  • From our Affiliates
    AlgeriaDemocracy and Governance

    Could the Presidential Elections Constitute a Milestone for Algeria?

    Dec 18, 2019Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)

    Tebboune’s presidential test in the coming months will be in his ability to gain the confidence of Algerians in general, and the popular movement in particular.

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaDemocracy and Governance

    Algeria’s Upcoming Elections Are Not the End of the Road

    Dec 3, 2019Imad K. Harb

    The military-imposed presidential election in Algeria should not deter the protesters from pressing on with their demand for radical political and economic cha…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranDemocracy and Governance

    Is Iran on the Edge of a Precipice?

    Nov 27, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    Daniel Brumberg questions whether the latest protests in Iran will produce a wider political movement, one that has the support of an urban professional and bu…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    With Iraq’s Mounting Chaos Spreading, Time for a US Policy Reboot

    Nov 27, 2019Charles W. Dunne

    Charles 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 Governance

    Desperate Netanyahu Pulls out All the Stops

    Nov 26, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    A 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 Activism

    The Lebanese Uprising: No End in Sight for the Current Impasse

    Nov 20, 2019Joe Macaron

    Joe 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
    IraqProtests and Activism

    Will Iraq’s Protests Lead to Radical Change?

    The ongoing protests in Iraq indicate that the country’s youth, who are overwhelmingly Shia, have become disillusioned with status quo politics of control by I…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    The Catch-22 of Lebanese Reform

    Nov 5, 2019Nabeel A. Khoury

    Nabeel 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 Governance

    The 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 Governance

    Radical Reform or Total Chaos for Lebanon?

    Oct 22, 2019Nabeel A. Khoury

    Nabeel 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 Governance

    The 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 Governance

    Lebanon’s Protests Cannot Be Ignored

    Oct 18, 2019Imad K. Harb

    Imad 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 Governance

    By Electing Kais Saied, Tunisians Recast Their National Politics

    Oct 17, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    The 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 Resolution

    There Will Be a One-State Solution But What Kind of State Will It Be?

    Oct 17, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    For 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 Resolution

    Abbas Calls for Elections, but Will They Be Held?

    Oct 16, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    Yousef Munayyer discounts the possibility of holding new Palestinian presidential and legislative elections despite the parties’ repeated assertions that they …

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    The Palestinian Arab Vote in Israel: Mere Protest or Significant Influence?

    Khalil 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 Governance

    Israeli Election Do-Over Yields Similar Results

    Sep 25, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    This 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 Governance

    Presidential 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 Governance

    Egypt’s Protests: A Sign the Arab Spring Is Alive

    Sep 24, 2019Imad K. Harb

    Although 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
    North AfricaDemocracy and Governance

    Tunisia’s Presidential Election: Populism Rules the Day

    Tunisia’s presidential election shows the democratic transition moving apace, although Tunisians are shunning political parties and elites who failed to improv…

  • External Readings
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Israel after Netanyahu?

    Sep 19, 2019Marwan Bishara

    No leader of a national unity government in Israel will be willing, let alone capable of, taking any serious step towards peace

  • Policy Analysis
    LibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Libya’s Stalemate Could Lead to Dreaded Partition

    Sep 17, 2019Imad K. Harb

    While 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 Resolution

    Netanyahu’s Annexation Promises: Electioneering or Actual Plan?

    Sep 17, 2019Yousef Munayyer

    Even 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 Resolution

    Will Somalia Share Yemen’s Fate?

    Aug 28, 2019Imad K. Harb

    The 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 Governance

    Transitional 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 Governance

    Tunisia Struggles to Project Foreign Policy Independence

    Aug 22, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    Tunisia’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 Governance

    Tunisia’s Fragile Democracy after Essebsi

    Aug 2, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    Daniel 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
    SudanDemocracy and Governance

    Will the Political Agreement Pave the Way for Democracy in Sudan?

    Jul 23, 2019Abdelkhalig Shaib

    On July 17, 2019, Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the main opposition group, the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC), signed a power-sharing …

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptDemocracy and Governance

    Morsi’s Death: Conflicting Narratives, Escalating Repression, Deepening Polarization

    Jun 25, 2019Sahar Khamis

    Former 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 Governance

    A Dangerous Algerian Struggle against Uncertainty

    Jun 21, 2019Imad K. Harb

    A 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 Governance

    Sudan’s Military: Following Egypt’s Playbook?

    Contrary 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. Kabalan

    This 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 Hamid

    This 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 Rostoum

    Linda 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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Inclusive Economic Growth in Arab States

    Jun 1, 2019Bessma Momani

    This paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.IntroductionThe global economy is undergoing considerable structural shifts that…

  • Policy Analysis

    A Collaborative Regional Reconstruction Strategy in the Arab World

    Jun 1, 2019Sultan Barakat

    Arab 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 Governance

    The Legacy of the Pillared Arab State

    Jun 1, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    This paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.IntroductionAmong other things, politics provides a means of managing conflicts.…