Is Turkey heading toward autocracy?
A referendum in Turkey on April 16 will decide whether the country’s parliamentary system is replaced with a stronger presidency. This is something President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping for,… Read more »
Category: Middle East/North Africa
‘Radical Islamic terrorism’? Problematic assumptions
It is a misconception that the Islamic State is focused on fighting the United States or the broader West, says Richard Stengel, a fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School. “I led… Read more »
Anti-torture group’s closure highlights Egypt’s civil society crackdown
Egyptian police on Thursday shut down the offices of an organization that treats victims of torture and violence in the latest escalation of a harsh government crackdown against human rights defenders and… Read more »
Governance critical to Syria’s post-conflict stabilization
The prospects for the removal of Syria’s Assad regime and a near-term transition to a “moderate opposition” are poorer than ever, according to a new RAND report. But there is… Read more »
How not to fuel extremism
Analysts at the Central Intelligence Agency have warned that labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization “may fuel extremism” and damage relations with America’s allies, according to a summary… Read more »
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 »
Arab Fractures: Citizens, States, and Social Contracts
Long-standing pillars of the Arab order—authoritarian bargains and hydrocarbon rents—are collapsing as political institutions struggle with the rising demands of growing populations, says a new report from the Carnegie Endowment…. 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 »
Foreign Kleptocracy: Problems and Solutions
Middle Eastern countries have seen a “drastic” rise in their perceived level of corruption in the past year, according to analysis by Transparency International, The Financial Times reports: Qatar, Kuwait,… 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 »