Policy Analysis

The debate over making Saturday the official second day of the weekend nationwide instead of Thursday has become a hot topic in Iran in recent months, highlighting the clash between the the regime’s ideology and the country’s economic reality.

In Jordan, Hamas is working to create a misleading narrative that conflates support for ending the war in Gaza and the Palestinians' right to self-determination with supporting Hamas.

As UNITAD's mandate ends, all involved parties should examine the limitations of what the organization was able to accomplish for the victims of ISIL's crimes after seven years.

The new amendment has been met with concerns as it is believed to promote child marriage, raising the stakes of this proposed amendment and its potential implications.

Kirkuk’s future remains uncertain due to the lack of any consensus-based projects between the governorate’s political actors. Even if these longtime rivals find a way to participate in the local government, it is possible that a slight grievance could devolve into political deadlock.

Effective counter-narratives are required to weaken the group's ideological appeal, especially the propaganda targeting Kurdish populations.

The greatest concern for small communities in Iraq is the failure of the state to regain its strength and ability to manage the country independently.

For the sake of the Iraqi labor market and of developing domestic expertise in oil and gas management, the government should seek to become more attractive to major IOCs outside of the Chinese companies currently drawn in by its bids.

The path towards reconciliation between Ankara and Damascus faces numerous obstacles, linked to a history of mistrust and significant gaps in major contentious issues.

Russia is taking advantage of recent coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to embed itself in the Sahel. However, its indiscriminate counterterrorism tactics come with a cost for their forces and the regimes it protects.

With no prospects for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, the Turkish government's insistence on maintaining its previous policies in northern Syria and its usurpation of the Syrian people's decision-making warns of dire consequences for an already fragile relationship.

In recent years, members of tribes living on Kish land in Rabat have escalated their protests in response to decisions to re-allocate the land, demolish their homes, and evict them.

The deterioration of public health in oil extraction cities requires tangible actions to end the suffering of the affected people by providing specialized treatment centers funded by the social benefits from petroleum profits.

Given the politically charged nature of this issue, it is important to scrutinize unemployment numbers carefully, assessing the latest data in the broader context of Jordan’s economy over the past several years.

The Iranian model of creating and supporting proxy groups is consistent across the “Shia Crescent,” but recently Tehran has begun employing new and troubling tactics that threaten to only expand their influence.

By firmly resisting the takeover of higher education by pro-Iran faculty and students, the United States can prevent the militias from recruiting the next generation of fighters.

Regional backlash against Washington’s unilateral interventionist policies, viewing the region only through security lenses, lack of social, economic, and cultural policies, and U.S. support for authoritarian regimes has created the conditions for conspiracy theories such as BOP.

Only by working to address internal issues can the KRI hope to stem the tide of both irregular migration and the loss of its most valuable human capital.

Without a sea change, U.S. and European soft power will continue to erode in Tunisia at a moment of increasing crisis for the country.

Given the complicated baggage that Sadr brings into Iraq’s political game, his re-entry into formal politics after a years-long hiatus will likely destabilize the internal Shia political landscape.