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  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelProtests and Activism

    US University Campuses Will Stifle Students’ Protests Next Year

    Sep 16, 2024Jonathan Kuttab

    The student protests and the encampment movement that exploded on campuses toward the end of the 2024 school year pitted students (and faculty) protesting the …

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelProtests and Activism

    Palestinian Cultural Resistance in the Service of the National Project

    Aug 27, 2024Salim Nuqul

    The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has significantly shaped the political, social, and cultural identity of the Palestinian people. Spanning over a century, this…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelProtests and Activism

    Pro-Palestine Campus Encampments and Israel’s Targeting of American Students

    Jun 7, 2024Heba Gowayed

    On at least 80 college and university campuses across the United States, students formed encampments demanding that their universities disclose their investmen…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelProtests and Activism

    American Student Protest Movements, Then and Now

    May 10, 2024Rami G. Khouri

    Watching university students protest in the United States over the past three weeks begs the question of whether they will end American support for Israel’s ge…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelProtests and Activism

    Although Limited, Arab Public Protests Against the War in Gaza Continue

    Apr 30, 2024Dana El Kurd

    Seven months into Israel’s violence in Gaza—which has credibly been identified as an active genocide—the Middle East has teetered on the brink of chaos. Unders…

  • Policy Analysis
    Democracy and Governance

    The State of Civil Society in MENA after the 2011 Uprisings

    Apr 10, 2024Anwar Mhajne

    Anwar Mhajne discusses the condition of civil society organizations in the Arab world and regime strategies to restrict their activities, especially political …

  • Viewpoint
    JordanProtests and Activism

    Path of Least Cost: Assuaging Public Protests in Jordan

    Apr 1, 2024Imad K. Harb

    Once again, events in Gaza are showing up in the form of indignant protests in Jordan that, if not properly handled, could lead to serious challenges for the J…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelEducation and Development

    The Politics of Palestinian Universities

    Sep 8, 2023Yara M. Asi

    Many have argued that in the absence of a unified Palestinian liberation movement, and even of the ability to participate in the current mechanisms of governan…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Iranian Protests and the Crisis of Free Speech

    Feb 23, 2023Kourosh Ziabari

    There is consensus among scholars and observers that the protests that erupted in Iran in September 2022 represent a defining moment in the contemporary histor…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Iran’s Protracted Protests Represent a Broad Rejection of the Status Quo

    Jan 17, 2023Kourosh Ziabari

    Over the past four months, the international community has been heaping praise on the Iranian people for their audacious uprising, which has been challenging t…

  • Policy Analysis
    JordanProtests and Activism

    The Deeper Context to Political Unrest and Protests in Jordan

    Dec 21, 2022Curtis Ryan

    Protests have once again rocked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with truckers, bus and taxi drivers, and others in the transportation sector having staged var…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Have Iran’s Leaders Come to Another Crossroads?

    Dec 14, 2022Daniel Brumberg

    Daniel Brumberg examines the ongoing protests in Iran and the country’s hardline response, stressing that the disturbances are unlikely to lead to the collapse…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Tensions Among Iran’s Nervous Ruling Elites

    Oct 24, 2022Daniel Brumberg

    One of the keys to understanding the Islamic Republic of Iran is that despite the regime’s still formidable grip on power, its ruling elite believe that the re…

  • Policy Analysis
    IranProtests and Activism

    Iran’s Ongoing Protests: Potential Scenarios During a Dangerous Time

    Sep 30, 2022Daniel Brumberg

    To adapt the famous opening line of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, it may be said that while all states are paradoxical, every state is paradoxical in its own wa…

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    US Silence Enables Israel’s Crackdown on Civil Society Organizations

    Sep 16, 2022Yousef Munayyer

    Nearly one month after the Israeli military raided the offices of seven Palestinian civil society organizations—its latest step in an escalating campaign of re…

  • Viewpoint
    LibyaDemocracy and Governance

    Libya’s Belligerent Elites May Doom the Country’s Future

    Jul 5, 2022Imad K. Harb

    Once again, Libya is falling victim to its political elites’ failure to agree on a long-awaited election mechanism and constitutional provisions that would sec…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantProtests and Activism

    The Political Transformation of Protest Movements in Iraq and Lebanon

    Jun 24, 2022Zeidon Alkinani

    Despite the limited achievements of Iraq and Lebanon's recently-established protest movements compared to their stated objectives, the movements’ small gains m…

  • Policy Analysis
    SudanDemocracy and Governance

    A Coup Cannot Serve Two Masters

    Feb 22, 2022Kholood Khair

    After a two-year experiment in civilian-military power-sharing, Sudan’s military took over on October 25, 2021 in another bid to govern the country alone. Afte…

  • Policy Analysis
    Media and Technology

    Mapping Digital Authoritarianism in the Arab World

    Feb 3, 2022Tamara Kharroub

    The Arab uprisings of 2011 gave rise to a utopian vision of information and communication technologies (ICTs), highlighting their abilities to bypass governmen…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    Sisi’s Transnational Repression: Silencing Political Dissidents in Exile

    Jan 26, 2022Khalil Al-Anani

    On January 6, the FBI arrested Pierre Girgis, an Egyptian American, for spying on critics of Egypt’s president in the United States. According to the US Depart…

  • Viewpoint
    SudanDemocracy and Governance

    Sudan’s Revolution Must Be Allowed to Continue

    Jan 4, 2022Imad K. Harb

    In a move that reflected his failure to garner the support of the Sudanese public, Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok submitted his resignation on January 2…

  • Policy Analysis
    Education and Development

    What Future Exists for the Arab Youth of Today?

    Dec 22, 2021Yara M. Asi

    In December 2021, an unprecedented event happened in Saudi Arabia: a rave just north of Riyadh. Men and women danced in mixed company, alcohol and marijuana we…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqProtests and Activism

    Iraq’s Tishreen Protest Movement: The Exceptional Domestic Pressure Tool

    Nov 10, 2021Zeidon Alkinani

    In October 2019, Iraq witnessed its most significant anti-government protests since the US-led invasion and occupation in 2003. The demonstrations blasted the …

  • Policy Analysis
    Palestine/IsraelProtests and Activism

    Post-Sheikh Jarrah Palestinian Citizen Activism: New Prospects and Persistent Challenges

    Oct 29, 2021Sahar Khamis

     The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, often labeled as the world’s longest running, has been going on for more than 70 years. During this time, the Israeli narrat…

  • Policy Analysis
    TunisiaDemocracy and Governance

    Tunisia’s Revolution Has Neglected the Country’s Youth

    May 3, 2021Houda Chograni

    Since the desperate act of self-immolation of 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid, a marginalized city in the center of Tunisia, on December 17, 2010, …

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaProtests and Activism

    Democratic Transition in Algeria: The Regime-Hirak Face-off

    Apr 19, 2021Louisa Dris-Aït Hamadouche

    For the first time in its history, Algeria is experiencing a political uprising that began in 2019 and is characterized as inclusive, peaceful, popular, and re…

  • Policy Analysis
    JordanDemocracy and Governance

    Family Matters: Plots and Accusations in Jordan’s Hashemite Monarchy

    Apr 8, 2021Curtis Ryan

    Jordan’s carefully crafted international image was jolted recently when news broke of multiple arrests, the alleged detention of a Hashemite prince, and announ…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptProtests and Activism

    Ten Years Later: Reflections on Egypt’s 2011 Uprising

    Feb 19, 2021Khalil Al-Anani

    Khalil al-Anani appraises the January 2011 Egyptian revolution that led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. He writes that the revolutionary forces …

  • Policy Analysis
    Media and Technology

    Media Use and Its Anomalies a Decade after the Arab Spring

    Dec 18, 2020Sahar Khamis

    When the Arab Spring movements erupted in at least six Arab countries in 2011––Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain––they were accompanied by high …

  • 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

    Aug 18, 2020Gregory Aftandilian

    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
    US Domestic Politics and Elections

    American Uprising: From Local to Global Implications

    Jun 29, 2020Yousef Munayyer

    Yousef Munayyer proposes that changes in American society and existing trends in public opinion, especially among the younger generation, suggest that a welcom…

  • 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
    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
    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

    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.

  • Policy Analysis
    IranRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    The United States and Iran Readjust to New Realities in Iraq and Lebanon

    Dec 18, 2019Joe Macaron

    After 15 years of rivalry in Iraq and Lebanon, the United States and Iran are adjusting their policies based on a new reality of popular uprisings that challen…

  • 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?

    Nov 18, 2019Abdulwahab Al-Qassab Imad K. Harb

    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
    LebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    The Battle to Defeat Confessional Politics in Lebanon and Beyond

    Nov 11, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    Daniel Brumberg writes that despite demands for radical change, no force or group inside or outside Lebanon can predict what will happen if the country tries t…

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaProtests and Activism

    Protests in the Arab World: The Second Wave

    Nov 8, 2019Marina Ottaway

    Marina Ottaway argues that protesters in Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon, and Iraq appear to be more sophisticated than those of the 2011 uprisings and understand that…

  • 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 …

  • 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…

  • Viewpoint
    IraqIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Iraq’s Cruel Killings Will Not Stop Mass Protests

    Oct 8, 2019Imad K. Harb

    Protests have again rocked Iraq’s streets as thousands of young people voiced their opposition to rampant corruption and sectarian politics. While the demonstr…

  • Policy Analysis
    AlgeriaJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    Algeria’s Standoff between Protesters and the Regime

    Oct 2, 2019Gregory Aftandilian

    There is a dangerous standoff in Algeria between the protesters, who are demanding regime change, and the military establishment, which wants to maintain the s…

  • 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
    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
    AlgeriaJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    The Arab Spring May Still Be Alive in Northwestern Africa

    Jul 25, 2019Charles W. Dunne

    The popular uprisings and challenges to the regimes in Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania indicate that the Arab Spring may not have ended and that authoritarian…

  • 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
    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?

    Jun 12, 2019Gregory Aftandilian

    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

    Identity Politics 2.0: Cyber Geopolitics and the Weaponization of Social Media

    Jun 1, 2019Tamara Kharroub

    This paper is part of ACW's fourth book, titled The Arab World Beyond Conflict.In the months leading up to the attacks against the Rohingya Muslim minority in …

  • Policy Analysis

    The Path to Ending Conflicts: Prospects and Hindrances

    Jun 1, 2019Amatalalim Alsoswa

    These 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
    The Horn of AfricaDemocracy and Governance

    Sudan’s Long Walk to Freedom: Will the Military Council Cede Power to Civilians?

    Apr 26, 2019Abdelkhalig Shaib

    Sudan’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 Governance

    Negotiating a Path Forward in Algeria

    Apr 17, 2019Daniel Brumberg

    In 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 Governance

    The Military in Sudan Is Not the Savior

    Apr 11, 2019Imad K. Harb

    Bashir’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
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Turkey after the Heated Municipal Elections: Key Takeaways

    Apr 8, 2019Mustafa Gurbuz

    The 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
    AlgeriaDemocracy and Governance

    Protests and Political Demands Are Fueling an Algerian Spring

    Mar 8, 2019William Lawrence

    Despite widespread protests in Algeria, there is little consensus among the demonstrators about the new system that would replace the current, hopelessly corru…

  • Policy Analysis
    SudanJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    “We are all Darfur!” – Sudan’s Unity Protests Stand a Real Chance. Time for the West to Step Up

    Jan 29, 2019Linda Bishai Azaz Elshami

    A series of student-led protests in Sudan that started in the provinces has quietly grown into a bona fide movement.

  • Policy Analysis
    SudanDemocracy and Governance

    Sudan protests: How did we get here?

    Dec 29, 2018Abdelwahab El-Affendi

    The callous insensitivity of the regime to the people's misery and its preoccupation with getting the president a new term fueled popular anger.

  • Policy Analysis
    MoroccoJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    Assessing Morocco’s Human Rights Picture: Constitutional Reform May Not Be Enough

    Oct 11, 2018Charles W. Dunne

    While Morocco’s constitutional changes were meant to limit the powers of the absolute monarchy, the Moroccan king remains the final arbiter of the political sy…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Replacing Mahmoud Abbas: Issues and Likely Candidates

    Jul 30, 2018Bishara Bahbah

    Speculation has been rampant in the Palestinian, Arab, and international press about succession to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, who is g…

  • Viewpoint
    JordanDemocracy and Governance

    In Jordan’s Case, Rent Collection May No Longer Work

    Jun 5, 2018Imad K. Harb

    Once again, socioeconomic conditions are at the center of Jordan’s political instability. Thousands of Jordanians over the last few days have participated in p…

  • Viewpoint
    LevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights

    Seventy Years of Nakba: Ending a Process that Has Not Stopped

    May 3, 2018Yousef Munayyer

    On May 15, 2018, Palestinians commemorate 70 years of their Nakba, the catastrophe of dispossession and homelessness that unfolded when the state of Israel was…

  • Policy Analysis
    EgyptDemocracy and Governance

    Egypt’s Presidential Elections and the Challenges Ahead

    Mar 20, 2018Charles W. Dunne

    Sisi 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…

  • Research Paper
    Democracy and Governance

    The Arab World at a Crossroads: Rebellion, Collapse, and Reform

    Mar 8, 2018Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra

    A return to stability in the Arab world requires awareness by the respective governments of popular grievances and needs a plan for implementing corrective pol…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantDemocracy and Governance

    Why Federalism Is a Bad Idea for Syria

    Mar 13, 2017Radwan Ziadeh

    In the middle of the discussion about transition in Syria, Russia proposed the idea of a federal republic, according to deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov.…

  • Research Paper
    EgyptDemocracy and Governance

    The Gender Paradox of Arab Democracy

    Jun 22, 2016Tamara Kharroub

    On 17 December 2010, 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi was slapped across the face in front of a crowd and insulted by a munic…

  • Research Paper
    Media and Technology

    Cyberactivism in the Middle East: Six potentials and six limitations of new media technologies in democratization

    Sep 30, 2015Tamara Kharroub

    The question that has been the center of discussion both in the Arab world and in the West is why now. What role did the new media tools play in motivating, fa…