Policy Analysis

Policy Analysis
LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Separate and Unequal in Israel: The Foundations of Discriminatory Law
Jul 26, 2018Yousef Munayyer
Israel’s new nation-state law enshrines discrimination, with constitutional weight, into the Israeli state’s legal system, spelling further marginalization and…
Policy Analysis
LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
BDS and Palestinian Rights: An Assessment
Jul 18, 2018Yousef Munayyer
The aim of BDS is to pressure Israel to abide by international law, focusing on three principal demands: ending military occupation of Palestinian land, securi…
Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and Governance
Proposed Basic Law: Israel – The Nation State of the Jewish People
Jul 16, 2018Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
The 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 Analysis
JordanJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
The Kushner-Greenblatt “Deal of the Century”: A Dealmaker Morphs into a Dealbreaker?
Jun 29, 2018Khalil E. Jahshan
What was most insulting to Kushner’s Palestinian audience was his attempt to wittingly or unwittingly reduce their political aspirations and yearning for natio…
Policy Analysis
JordanJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Jared Kushner’s Misguided Appeal to the Palestinian People
Jun 26, 2018Khalil E. Jahshan Michael C. Hudson Yousef Munayyer Tamara Kharroub Joe Macaron
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, gave an interview to the Palestinian Al Quds newspaper on June 24 (original Arabic, Engl…
Policy Analysis
EgyptDemocracy and Governance
The Aftermath of Egypt’s 2018 Presidential Election: Stormy Weather Ahead
Jun 26, 2018Charles W. Dunne
Egyptian 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 Analysis
LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
US Withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council Has Little to Do with Human Rights
Jun 22, 2018Tamara Kharroub
US withdrawal weakens the council’s credibility and empowers Israel in its neglect for the council’s investigations and resolutions. The UNHRC is the premier i…
Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and Governance
The Problem of Legitimacy for the Palestinian Authority
Jun 21, 2018Yousef Munayyer
Recent damaging decisions by the Palestinian Authority cannot be solely blamed for the popular discontent with it. Instead, the Palestinians’ anger stems from …
Policy Analysis
LevantJustice, Equality, and Human Rights
Human Rights, Democracy, and the Changing Middle East: A Status Report
Jun 6, 2018Charles W. Dunne
Demands for democracy, wider political space, and guarantees of basic human rights have been turned aside by more effective authoritarian responses for now, bu…
Policy Analysis
LevantInternational Law
US Jerusalem Embassy vs. Nakba: A Moment of Truth for World Leaders
May 17, 2018Tamara Kharroub
Trump has walked back his declaration to bring US troops in Syria home “very soon” in light of pressure from advisors and allies, but he risks embroiling the U…
Policy Analysis
LevantDemocracy and Governance
Palestinian National Council Reconvenes in Ramallah: We’ve seen this movie before!
May 4, 2018Khalil E. Jahshan
The 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 Analysis
North AfricaDemocracy and Governance
Major Stakes in Tunisia’s Municipal Elections
Apr 24, 2018Charles W. Dunne
Tunisia, 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…