Regions

Policy Analysis
LibyaDemocracy and Governance
Libya: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
May 5, 2026Gregory Aftandilian
In April 2026, with the help of the United States, Libya’s two parallel governments reached an agreement on a unified national budget for the first time since …
Viewpoint
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
The 2026 Israeli Election: Will Bennett and Lapid Oust Netanyahu?
Apr 30, 2026Khalil E. Jahshan
On April 26, 2026, right-wing Israeli politician Naftali Bennett and centrist Yair Lapid announced the formation of a new party, officially named Beyachad (Tog…
Policy Analysis
IraqDemocracy and Governance
Politics in a Parallel Universe: Iraq’s Leadership Crisis and the Iran War
Apr 29, 2026Harith Hasan
The Iraqi government and the leaders of the country’s ruling political factions have every reason for alarm. The US–Israeli war on Iran—and its profound conseq…
Fresh Take
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
A New Challenge for Netanyahu
Apr 29, 2026
Khalil E. Jahshan examines the new Bennett-Lapid party formed to challenge Netanyahu and weighs its potential for real change in Israeli politics.
Viewpoint
TurkeyDemocracy and Governance
How to Topple an Autocrat: What Turkey’s Opposition Can Learn from Hungary
Apr 23, 2026Salim Çevik
Viktor Orbán's defeat in Hungary's April 2026 elections, after 16 years in power, showed that entrenched rulers can be defeated at the ballot box even when the…
Viewpoint
LebanonIdentity Politics and Sectarianization
Lessons from Lebanon’s Frustration: From the Christians Yesterday to the Shia Today
Mar 30, 2026Mark Daou
After the civil war ended in 1990, Lebanon entered a new phase of rebuilding state institutions and ending internal conflict. However, that phase was not equit…
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IranDemocracy and Governance
Did All That Was Solid Melt into Air? The Islamic Republic at an Impasse
Mar 26, 2026 Rouzbeh Parsi
The Islamic Republic is an oligarchy, not a personal dictatorship, and this is both its survival mechanism and its downfall. The system consists of what might …
Policy Analysis
SyriaDemocracy and Governance
The Shrinking Space for Kurdish Autonomy in Syria
Feb 26, 2026Gregory Aftandilian
In January 2026, clashes between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resulted in Damascus regaining large parts of territory that h…
Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
Election Year in Israel: Portents of the Coming Political Battle
Feb 6, 2026Mtanes Shihadeh
The upcoming elections will mostly focus on domestic issues, while those related to the occupation, settlers, and control of Gaza will recede from public debat…
Policy Analysis
LebanonDemocracy and Governance
A First-Year Assessment of Lebanon’s Governing Coalition
Feb 4, 2026Patricia Karam
In January 2025, President Joseph Aoun took the oath of office and in his inaugural address declared the start of a “new era.” The government then began to rec…
Policy Analysis
SyriaDemocracy and Governance
Syria’s New Order: Centralization by External Consent
Jan 29, 2026Salim Çevik
On January 8, 2026, Syrian interim government forces moved into two neighborhoods in Aleppo controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed coa…
Policy Analysis
Palestine/IsraelDemocracy and Governance
Bribes and the Ballot Box: How Israel’s 2026 Budget Serves the Governing Coalition
Dec 10, 2025Mtanes Shihadeh
The Israeli government will soon present its economic and financial agenda for 2026 in the form of a draft budget and an Economic Arrangements Law that will se…