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- Policy AnalysisJordanDemocracy and Governance
How 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…
- ViewpointLevantDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisThe Arabian Peninsula and The GulfDemocracy and Governance
How 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 AnalysisLevantDemocracy 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 AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Deteriorating 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 AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Israel’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 AnalysisDemocracy and Governance
Who 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…
- ViewpointSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Abbas 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 AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Political 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 AnalysisPalestine/IsraelConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Israel 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 AnalysisSyriaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Will 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 AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
The 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 PaperEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Regional 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 AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Has 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 AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Cabinet 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 AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Five 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 AnalysisLibyaDemocracy and Governance
Libya 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…
- ViewpointIraqDemocracy and Governance
The 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 AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Shifting 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 …
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Iraq’s Southern Intifada: Mere Demands or a Popular Revolution?
Jul 25, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabThe latest protests in Iraq point to a public backlash against entrenched Shia parties involved in widespread corruption, sectarian politics, and loyalty to Ir…
- ViewpointEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Five Years after Sisi’s Coup: More Repression and a President for Life
Jul 20, 2018Imad K. HarbFive years after the military coup of July 2013, Egypt’s domestic conditions appear to be heading toward increased authoritarianism, state repression, and regi…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaDemocracy and Governance
Libya: Controlling Oil, Fearing Partition
Jul 16, 2018Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS)In light of Libya’s institutional fragmentation between east and west, control of the Oil Crescent and its revenues has become a determining factor in the coun…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Proposed Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People
Jul 16, 2018Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in IsraelThe Basic Law states that "the State of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people" and that the realization of national self-determination in the State o…
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
The Dangerous Dynamics of Iraq’s Constitutional Vacuum
Jul 12, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabWith parliamentary results unfinished and a caretaker government barely running the affairs of state, Iraq is facing a dangerous constitutional vacuum at a ver…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Turkey’s New Regime under Erdoğan: Implications for the Arab World
Jul 10, 2018Mustafa GurbuzIn the new order in Turkey, Erdoğan’s increasing dependence on Turkish nationalists will be a significant factor in shaping the country’s foreign policy in Syr…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Mapping Saudi Arabia’s New Ruling Bargain
Jul 3, 2018Daniel Brumberg“There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.” Machiavelli…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
The Aftermath of Egypt’s 2018 Presidential Election: Stormy Weather Ahead
Jun 26, 2018Charles W. DunneEgyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's return to office in a rigged election this March failed to provide a strong mandate for difficult economic and politi…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
The Problem of Legitimacy for the Palestinian Authority
Jun 21, 2018Yousef MunayyerRecent damaging decisions by the Palestinian Authority cannot be solely blamed for the popular discontent with it. Instead, the Palestinians’ anger stems from …
- ViewpointJordanDemocracy and Governance
In Jordan’s Case, Rent Collection May No Longer Work
Jun 5, 2018Imad K. HarbOnce again, socioeconomic conditions are at the center of Jordan’s political instability. Thousands of Jordanians over the last few days have participated in p…
- ViewpointLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
An Accord for Libya?
Jun 1, 2018Imad K. HarbAmid the many conflicts rending the Arab world today, the one in Libya recently took a hopeful turn toward a peace process despite the violence still wracking …
- ViewpointIraqDemocracy and Governance
Iraq’s Elections and the Arduous Road Ahead
May 25, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabIraq has just finished a fourth round of parliamentary elections. What Iraqis await now are the results of consultations between political parties and factions…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Palestinian National Council Reconvenes in Ramallah: We’ve seen this movie before!
May 4, 2018Khalil E. JahshanThe 23rd PNC meeting in Ramallah did not generate a new Palestinian strategy and the session did not rise to the Palestinian national challenge in 2018. In tha…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Lebanon’s Elections to Rearrange the Country’s Political Landscape
May 3, 2018Joe MacaronFor the first time since 2009, Lebanese will elect a new parliament on May 6, a decisive election that will redraw the representation of powers of the ruling c…
- Policy AnalysisIranDemocracy and Governance
The Many Challenges of Iraq’s Upcoming Elections
May 1, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabTranscending ethnic and sectarian divisions could be one of the most significant outcomes of the upcoming Iraqi elections that can transform the currently divi…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Major Stakes in Tunisia’s Municipal Elections
Apr 24, 2018Charles W. DunneTunisia, the only true success story from the Arab Spring thus far, finds itself at a crossroads as it approaches major national elections over the next year a…
- ViewpointConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Forgotten Arab League
Apr 11, 2018Joe MacaronOn April 15, the summit of the League of Arab States will be convened in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It will serve as a reminder that Arabs have a regional, albeit f…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Where Is Syria Headed?
Apr 3, 2018Radwan ZiadehThe scenarios for Syria’s future after the fall of Eastern Ghouta now look very different from those drawn in 2012 or 2013, which depicted a peaceful political…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’s Presidential Elections and the Challenges Ahead
Mar 20, 2018Charles W. DunneSisi is on his way to a second term but Egypt is set for a number of challenges after its presidential elections regarding economic development, human rights a…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
An Unsettling Overview of the Middle East in 2018
Feb 2, 2018Abdulwahab Al-QassabIt is clear from ongoing developments in the Middle East that the United States and Russia will continue to play a role that meets their own national interests…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’s Presidential Election Shaping Up as a Non-Contest
Jan 26, 2018Gregory AftandilianPresident Sisi has an easy path to reelection in March after his two main rivals have either been pressured to halt their candidacies or have dropped out of th…
- Policy AnalysisJordanConflicts and Conflict Resolution
The Palestinian Bet on the EU Could be an Opportunity for Washington
Jan 25, 2018Joe MacaronThe United States should remain engaged in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and President Abbas’ visit to Europe may have provided the Trump Administratio…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
Tillerson’s Syria Policy: Ambitious but Short on Detail
Jan 23, 2018Radwan ZiadehWhile the United States remains concerned about many different and complicating factors in Syria, Tillerson’s pronouncements represent an ambitious policy that…
- Policy AnalysisMoroccoDemocracy and Governance
The Moroccan King’s “Political Earthquake”: Old Medicine in New Bottles?
Jan 17, 2018Mohammed CherkaouiThe real promise of political and economic reforms in Morocco mostly depends on whether King Mohammed VI is sincere about implementing them and if he succeeds …
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Unsettling Times for Iraqi Kurdistan
Jan 10, 2018Mustafa GurbuzThe Sulaymaniyah protests last December have revealed a deep split in Iraqi Kurdistan. By pitting Sulaymaniyah against Irbil, Baghdad aims to capitalize on the…
- Policy AnalysisIranDemocracy and Governance
Regime Unity Will Decide the Fate of Iran’s Protests
Jan 4, 2018Imad K. HarbIranian protesters’ slogans and demands indicate that there is much angst and frustration with the slow pace of political reform, the glacial movement of econo…
- Policy AnalysisLevantDemocracy and Governance
The Syrian Opposition Faces an Existential Crisis
Dec 21, 2017Joe MacaronAfter losing important bargaining chips such as control of territory and ability to declare a ceasefire, the Syrian opposition may not be able to influence the…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaDemocracy and Governance
Libya’s Modern Slavery and the Politics of Denial
Dec 18, 2017Mohammed CherkaouiThe treatment of refugees and migrants in Libya raises new questions about three major political, socioeconomic, and moral dilemmas for the Libyan government, …
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Implications of Saleh’s Assassination on Yemen’s Future
Dec 8, 2017Joe MacaronFor the Iranian regime, Yemen remains a low-risk investment at Saudi Arabia’s border; and the impression in Tehran is that Saleh’s assassination forced Riyadh’…
- Policy AnalysisNorth AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Challenges to Tunisia’s Transition to Democracy
Nov 21, 2017Mohammed CherkaouiRecent moves by the Tunisian executive suggest that the Jasmine Revolution is not unfolding as smoothly as expected and that the country may not be the excepti…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Is Egypt’s Population Growth a Blessing or a Curse?
Nov 20, 2017Sahar KhamisAt 98 million, Egypt’s rapid population growth is a threat to the national economy and an obstacle to the country’s prospects for development and prosperity.
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Is Power Trumping Legitimacy in Saudi Arabia?
Nov 16, 2017Imad K. HarbPrince Mohammed bin Salman’s Machiavellianism endangers at least three pillars of legitimate rule in Saudi Arabia: royal family consensual decision-making, con…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
US Curbs Saudi Arabia’s Surge in Lebanon
Nov 14, 2017Joe MacaronClear statements from the White House and the Department of State appear to have curbed the Saudi surge in Beirut and toned down Riyadh’s rhetoric against the …
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Is Mohammed bin Salman Overplaying His Hand?
Nov 6, 2017Imad K. HarbMohammed bin Salman may think that consolidating power in his hands will help the kingdom face its challenges, but he would do well to know that sidelining imp…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Is Palestinian Reconciliation Viable This Time?
Nov 3, 2017Khalil E. JahshanThe Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement is the product of political manipulation between parties that lack confidence in each other’s strategic objectives. Th…
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
A Century after Balfour: Israel’s Knesset Wants All of Palestine
Nov 2, 2017Yousef MunayyerA hundred years after the Balfour Declaration, Israeli lawmakers are slated to take legislative steps that, instead of moving toward democracy, would only doub…
- Policy AnalysisSaudi ArabiaDemocracy and Governance
Domestic Troubles for the Saudi Arabian Leadership
Oct 24, 2017Imad K. HarbMohammed bin Salman’s challenge to established norms of governance in Saudi Arabia and the abrupt changes in its economic and social conditions may help pull t…
- Policy AnalysisLibyaConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Libya’s Complicated Search for a Leader
Oct 24, 2017Mohammed CherkaouiLibya faces an uneasy distinction between a fragile state and a failed state and has fallen between the cracks of a dispute over legitimacy, struggle for power…
- Policy AnalysisLebanonDemocracy and Governance
Will US, Saudi Pressure Deter Hezbollah in Lebanon?
Oct 12, 2017Joe MacaronGiven the current status quo in Lebanon, the best American and Saudi pressure can do is to make the country’s political environment unbearable for Hezbollah.
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
The Kurdish Referendum and Cross-Communal Dynamics in Iraq
Oct 12, 2017Gregory AftandilianWhile Abadi’s popularity has risen because of his stewardship of the successful anti-Islamic State campaign, his standing could be jeopardized if the crisis ov…
- Policy AnalysisMoroccoDemocracy and Governance
Morocco’s Rif Rises against the Makhzen’s Power
Oct 4, 2017Mohammed CherkaouiMorocco’s popular protests highlight three intersecting dilemmas: the future legitimacy of the monarchy, poor governance and widespread corruption, and the pot…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’s Role in Arab Politics: Punching Below its Weight
Oct 4, 2017Charles W. DunneEgypt’s traditional influence in the Arab world is a function of its ability to help resolve its problems. This influence is today on a downward trajectory as …
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
Iraq’s Kurds Vote to Secede, but Problems Loom
Oct 2, 2017Imad K. Harb Khalil E. Jahshan Joe Macaron Marcus Montgomery Abdulwahab Al-Qassab Radwan Ziadeh Mustafa GurbuzThe widespread disapproval of the Kurdish referendum inside Iraq, the region, and internationally points to potential serious developments for the Kurds and a …
- Policy AnalysisIraqDemocracy and Governance
The Follies and Pitfalls of the Kurdish Referendum
Sep 22, 2017Abdulwahab Al-QassabThe Kurdish referendum is a dangerous play with delicate Kurdish and Iraqi politics to shore up KRG President Masood Barzani’s legitimacy in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- Policy AnalysisLevantConflicts and Conflict Resolution
Will Netanyahu’s Legal Troubles Break the Stalemate?
Aug 31, 2017Yousef MunayyerWith or without Benyamin Netanyahu, there is little reason to believe that any likely foreseeable Israeli government will be ready for peace with the Palestini…
- Policy AnalysisEgyptDemocracy and Governance
Egypt’s Extremist Groups and the Shrinking Political Space
Aug 29, 2017Gregory AftandilianThe Egyptian government’s repressive policies have contributed to the problem of extremism by constricting political space, severely cracking down on opponents…