Will Somalia election benefit Shabab?
Wednesday’s presidential vote is part of the rebuilding effort in Somalia, which was shattered by more than two decades of conflict and where clan loyalties still tend to trump policy… Read more »
Category: Islamists
The coming ‘dissolution’ of Islamic State
Under assault from all sides, the Islamic State (IS) extremist group is losing territory, revenues, and the ability to attract recruits, a new United Nations report said, RFE/RL reports: The… Read more »
A Multipronged Counter-ISIL Strategy
The U.S. counter-ISIL strategy must recognize the long-term nature of the global violent jihadi threat, according to a new RAND analysis. Diplomatic and military actions should focus on reducing the… Read more »
Quality of Pakistan’s democracy on the slide
The year 2016 has seen Pakistan’s Quality of Democracy slide by 4 percentage points from 2015, according to a report released by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency… Read more »
Jordan poll reveals pessimism, anxiety over economy and refugees
There has been a sharp uptick in the number of Jordanians who are pessimistic about the country’s trajectory, and increased support for closing the borders to Syrian refugees, according to… Read more »
Why are so many Tunisians joining Islamic State?
Unlike neighboring Arab Spring states that have been consumed by violent extremism, civil war and resurgent authoritarianism, Tunisia actually managed to build a vibrant democracy. A new poll from the International Republican… Read more »
Ideology underpins Iran’s rising axis of resistance?
The ideology underpinning the Iranian-led axis of resistance in the Middle East has evolved, according to Harvard analysts Payam Mohseni and Hussein Kalout. From a primarily state-centered enterprise, it has… Read more »
Blacklisting Muslim Brotherhood ‘may backfire’
Proposals to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood are raising questions about appropriate strategies to counter violent extremism, The Wall Street Journal reports: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in particular, is a strong supporter… Read more »
A strategy for a pluralistic, inclusive Syria
Syria is emerging as the newest and most important safe haven for al-Qaeda as the radical Salafi-jihadi ideology threatens to subvert the pluralistic and nationalist goals of the 2011 Syrian… Read more »
Power-sharing will strengthen post-ISIS political order in Iraq and Libya
The new US administration isn´t going to invest the energy that´s needed to strengthen the post-ISIS political order in Iraq, analysts Hayder al-Khoei, Ellie Geranmayeh and Mattia Toaldo write for… Read more »