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SudanConflicts and Conflict ResolutionFractured Power Structure, Peace Talks Hurdles Add to Sudan’s Woes
Apr 15, 2020Gregory AftandilianGregory 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 GovernanceThe Fakhoury Fiasco and US-Lebanese Relations
Apr 13, 2020Joe MacaronThe 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 GovernanceThe Coronavirus Crisis May Assure Netanyahu’s Survival
Apr 8, 2020Yousef MunayyerYousef 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 GovernanceThe Fourth Saudi State Remains a Distant Vision
Apr 3, 2020Imad K. HarbImad 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 GovernanceAuthoritarianism and the Middle East in the Time of COVID-19
Apr 2, 2020Charles W. DunneAuthoritarian 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 GovernanceMorocco: Despite Some Progress, Many Challenges Remain
Mar 31, 2020Nabeel A. KhouryNabeel 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 GovernanceConfusion in Iraq: A Fractious Political Process and Free-Wheeling Militias
Mar 30, 2020Abdulwahab Al-QassabAbdulwahab 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
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and GovernanceThird Time’s a Charm? Netanyahu Could Finally Be Dislodged
Mar 20, 2020Yousef MunayyerIn 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 ResolutionThe 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
LebanonDemocracy and GovernanceLebanon’s Imminent Collapse: How Can It Be Prevented?
Mar 3, 2020Imad K. HarbThe 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 GovernanceThe Palestinian Arab Vote in Israel: Facing the Ultimate Test of Inclusion
Mar 2, 2020Khalil E. JahshanThe 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 RightsState Terror in Egypt: Is It Time for Accountability?
Feb 28, 2020Khalil Al-AnaniThis 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 GovernanceThe Uncertain Victory of Iran’s Hardliners
Feb 26, 2020Daniel BrumbergThe 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 ActivismEgypt’s Puzzling Dilemma: Escalating Challenges and Obstructed Mobilization
Feb 20, 2020Sahar KhamisEgypt’s widening economic and social gaps may lead the regime to adopt harsher measures of political control.
- Policy Analysis
TunisiaDemocracy and GovernancePost-Election Blues in Tunisia: Implications at Home and Abroad
Feb 10, 2020Daniel BrumbergThe 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 PolicyUS, Iran Prolong Détente in Lebanon with a Status Quo Cabinet
Jan 29, 2020Joe MacaronJoe 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
Democracy and GovernanceProspects for Democratic Change in the Arab World in 2020
Jan 14, 2020Imad K. Harb Sahar Khamis Abdulwahab Al-Qassab Laurie King Khalil E. Jahshan Tamara KharroubACW 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 GovernanceRepressing Criticism of Israel in the United States: Trump’s Executive Order
Jan 3, 2020Yousef MunayyerIn 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 GovernanceThe MENA Region’s Uphill Struggle against Corruption
Dec 20, 2019Daniel BrumbergIn 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 ActivismFrom the Arab Spring to—What, Exactly? 2011 and 2019 Compared
Dec 20, 2019Charles W. DunneSignificant 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 GovernanceCould 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 GovernanceAlgeria’s Upcoming Elections Are Not the End of the Road
Dec 3, 2019Imad K. HarbThe 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 GovernanceIs Iran on the Edge of a Precipice?
Nov 27, 2019Daniel BrumbergDaniel 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 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…
