Policy Analysis

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  • Policy Analysis
    IraqIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Sadr, the Militias, and Iraq’s Struggle for Sovereignty

    Jun 17, 2026Giorgio Cafiero

    Iraq could be at a turning point following Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s May 27, 2026, decision to place his armed faction, Saraya al-Salam (the Peace Brigades…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonConflicts and Conflict Resolution

    Crisis and Solidarity in Lebanon

    Mar 12, 2026Patricia Karam

    The widening of hostilities following the March 2026 US-Israeli attacks on Iran has placed Lebanon on a dangerous trajectory. Hezbollah’s decision to enter the…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    From Sectarianism to Tribalism: Rebuilding Syria’s Power Structures

    Aug 6, 2025Haian Dukhan

    The July 13–18, 2025 violence between Druze and Bedouin in Syria’s southern al-Suwayda governorate was followed by a massive wave of tribal mobilization across…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqRegional Relations and Geopolitics

    Pragmatism Shapes Iraq’s Position Toward Post-Assad Syria

    Jul 1, 2025Giorgio Cafiero

    Sharing a 375-mile border with Syria, Iraq has high stakes in its neighbor’s successful transition following the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Syrian Kurds Attempt to Maneuver Amid New Realities

    Jun 27, 2025Gregory Aftandilian

    Syrian Kurds face new realities that have put their experiment in autonomy in serious doubt. Although in March 2025 they signed an agreement with the new Syria…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Hezbollah’s Likely Demise and Lebanon’s Uncertain Future

    Dec 4, 2024Patricia Karam

    Israel's approval of a US-brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah set the stage for an end to fourteen months of fighting between the two parties, ushering in the po…

  • Research Paper
    LebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    The Failure of Political Sectarianism in Lebanon

    Sep 4, 2024Imad K. Harb

    As Lebanon finds itself on the precipice of a war with Israel, its political system suffers from complete stalemate and its economy exhibits clear signs of str…

  • Policy Analysis
    LevantIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Is Anti-Zionism a Form of Anti-Semitism?

    Dec 9, 2023Azmi Bishara

    A bipartisan group of House members proposed HR 6578, that, if passed, would create a “Commission to Study Acts of Antisemitism in the United States.” This com…

  • Policy Analysis
    SyriaIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    Syrian Kurds in an Increasingly Precarious Position

    Oct 18, 2023Gregory Aftandilian

    Syrian Kurds associated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are increasingly seeing their autonomous entity in northeastern Syria threatened by internal an…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization

    The Threat of Renewed Sectarian Violence in Lebanon

    Sep 5, 2023Patricia Karam

    Two people were killed on August 9 in the village of Kahaleh in central Lebanon, in one of the deadliest shootouts since the bloody 2021 clashes in the Tayoune…

  • Policy Analysis
    IraqDemocracy and Governance

    Sudani’s Premiership Is Failing in the Iraqi Fight Against Corruption

    Jul 12, 2023Patricia Karam

    When Mohammed Shia` al-Sudani became prime minister of Iraq, he made it a priority to combat endemic corruption in the country and help restore citizen trust i…

  • Policy Analysis
    LebanonDemocracy and Governance

    The Continuation of Lebanon’s Presidential Debacle

    Jun 21, 2023Patricia Karam

    It should come as no surprise to Lebanese citizens or the international community that the country remains without a president after more than 7 months and 12 …

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