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UAEReligion; Political IslamThe UAE’s Manipulative Utilization of Religion
Sep 29, 2020Khalil Al-AnaniThe August announcement of normalizing relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has led to a backlash among Arabs and Muslims around the wor…
- Policy Analysis
Regional Relations and GeopoliticsThe Dangerous Consequence of Marginalizing the Arab “Moderates”
Feb 18, 2020Joe MacaronBy prioritizing Arab-Israeli normalization in order to deter Iran, the Trump Administration is enabling Arab authoritarians and reinforcing the dangerous possi…
- 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 …
- Washington Policy Weekly
IraqJustice, Equality, and Human RightsCongress Is Still Striving for “Justice for Jamal”
Oct 2, 2019Marcus MontgomeryMarcus Montgomery examines the actions of members of Congress as they demand justice for Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, one year after his murder …
- 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
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human RightsIdlib between Regional and International Imbalances
Jun 5, 2019Radwan ZiadehRadwan Ziadeh writes that the Trump Administration must look at Syria as more than merely a humanitarian crisis and help in reaching a political transition to …
- 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
LibyaReligion; Political IslamHaftar’s Attempted Coup and Trump’s Collusion over Libya
Apr 23, 2019Imad K. HarbIt is doubtful that Haftar’s campaign against Tripoli will end Libya’s chaos; indeed, it is likely to exacerbate and extend the country’s civil war and increas…
- 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
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…
- 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 …
- Washington Policy Weekly
LevantReligion; Political IslamCongressional Update – Week Ending July 13, 2018
Jul 13, 2018Marcus MontgomeryCongress members discuss human rights in Bahrain and threats from the Muslim Brotherhood; Mike Pompeo, other administration officials, work diplomacy with Gulf…
- Policy Analysis
LevantReligion; Political IslamThe Damascus-Aleppo Highway and Stabilizing Northwest Syria
Jun 7, 2018Joe MacaronWhile Russia, Turkey and Iran are stabilizing northwest Syria along the Damascus-Aleppo highway, they are also normalizing an irregular situation that could ul…
- Washington Policy WeeklyBahrainReligion; Political Islam
Congressional Update – Week Ending June 1, 2018
Jun 1, 2018Marcus MontgomeryI. CongressUS Representatives and Senators both had the week off for the Memorial Day recess.Democratic Lawmakers Question Administration’s Attempts at Biparti…
- Policy Analysis
IranIdentity Politics and SectarianizationSaudi-Iranian Conflict in an Age of Sectarianization
May 15, 2018Daniel BrumbergDoctrinal sectarian and strategic reasons underlie the ongoing cold conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. As the Trump Administration pushes its more confron…
- Policy Analysis
Egypt Still Banking on Libya’s Haftar While Reaching Out to Other Leaders
Dec 4, 2017Gregory AftandilianEconomic and primarily security interests drive Egypt’s Sisi to support General Khalifa Haftar, strongman in eastern Libya, against Islamist movements while al…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi ArabiaDemocracy and GovernanceIs 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…
- Washington Policy WeeklyLevantReligion; Political Islam
Congressional Update – Week Ending August 18, 2017
Aug 18, 2017Marcus MontgomeryThe White House is set to try jumpstarting the Middle East peace process; the State Department launches its annual report on religious freedom; former CIA empl…
- Policy Analysis
IraqConflicts and Conflict ResolutionThe Day after Mosul’s Liberation
Jul 25, 2017Abdulwahab Al-QassabCrafting a new social and political order after the defeat of ISIL in Mosul, and elsewhere in Iraq, is a responsibility for the Iraqis, their allies, the regio…
- Policy Analysis
QatarConflicts and Conflict ResolutionWhy Qatar? Explaining Contentious Issues
Jun 6, 2017Imad K. HarbWhat should concern all members of the GCC today is working together not only to simply iron out differences but to provide an agenda for successful collective…
- Policy Analysis
LevantReligion; Political IslamTrump’s Riyadh Speech: Same Intolerance, Different Packaging, No Strategy
May 24, 2017Tamara KharroubTrump’s speech in Saudi Arabia received praise and acclaim but it is hard to see if the president has indeed changed his opinion about Islam and Muslims.
- Washington Policy WeeklyIranReligion; Political Islam
Congressional Update – Week Ending May 19, 2017
May 19, 2017Marcus MontgomerySyria bill imposing sanctions on Asad regime and its supporters passes the House, and US Treasury places sanctions on these individuals and entities. Several b…
- Policy Analysis
Why Is the Battle against ISIL not Going Well?
Mar 28, 2017Radwan ZiadehOn March 22nd, the foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) concluded their meeting in Washington, D…
- Policy Analysis
Rafsanjani’s Death and Its Impact on Iran’s Political Bazaar
Jan 9, 2017Imad K. HarbThe death of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani comes at a critical time in the Islamic Republic’s political history. As one of the founders…
- Policy Analysis
November 8: What’s at stake for the Arab world?
Nov 7, 2016Joe MacaronWhat motivates the Arab world’s interest in the 2016 US presidential election is primarily the concern about Washington’s role in the Middle East as well as th…
- Policy Analysis
Implications of Al-Qaeda Rebranding in Syria
Aug 31, 2016Radwan ZiadehThe announcement by the top leader of Al-Nusra Front in Syria Abu Mohammed Joulani to distance his group from Al-Qaeda last month was very controversial.…
- Policy Analysis
The Week that Cut Turkey’s Ambitions Down to Size
Jul 7, 2016Yousef MunayyerAlthough signs of policy adjustment have been in the works for several months, the events of June 2016 were an emphatic marker of a shift in Turkey’s foreign p…
- Policy Analysis
Battle over Fallujah Tests US-Iran Tacit Deal against ISIL
Jun 3, 2016Joe MacaronAs Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s al-Quds Force, was reportedly spotted in the northern outskirts of the besieged city of Fallujah, …
- Policy Analysis
Defeating ISIL is Not Enough to Save Iraq
May 10, 2016Joe MacaronTwo years into the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and amid the persistent downward trend of global oil prices, Iraq is obviously…
- Policy Analysis
Freedom of religion as a foundation of Arab democracy: An Arab view of the 2016 report of US Commission on International Religious Freedom
May 3, 2016The onset of the so-called “Arab Spring” in 2011 gave hope to millions of people across the Arab world that change is possible and that freedoms, democratic tr…
- Washington Policy WeeklyReligion; Political Islam
Who is Behind the Effort to Declare the Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization
Apr 20, 2016(amended)The issue of designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) has gained momentum in recent months.During an April 13 he…
- Policy Analysis
Saudi Arabia Goes on the Offensive against Hezbollah
Mar 8, 2016Joe MacaronSaudi Arabia’s explicit identification of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah as a strategic threat is a tipping point in the underlying tensions between both sides. …
- Research Paper
Religion; Political IslamFive things you need to know about women in Islam: Implications for advancing women’s rights in the Middle East
Oct 4, 2015Tamara KharroubThe issue of women’s rights in Islam has been a contentious area of discussions and intense debates both in the Muslim world and in the West. The two dominant …
