Policy Analysis

The recent attack in Smara signifies a troubling departure from established conflict norms, with the Polisario Front's acknowledgment of responsibility for targeting civilians raising significant concerns for a paradigm shift in the conflict and signals an escalation of the already fragile situation in the region.

The SDF’s current role in Deir ez-Zor and the local grievances surrounding it requires an understanding of the origin of its entry into the region, along with the underlying tension between U.S., Iranian, and Syrian regime interests there.

Baghdad should allow Kurdistan based oil operators to invest in the rest of Iraq as a part of a solution to the long-standing oil issue between Erbil and Baghdad, using a proven, practical model currently being implemented.

Without clearly stated goals and a well-defined exit strategy, Israel risks its counteroffensive becoming a punitive effort that costs immense civilian deaths while failing to establish lasting stability and peace in its southern sector.

Regardless of the upcoming elections results, there are many Egyptians who feel that Sisi’s policies are harming their country, reflect a lack of national belonging, and are the product of reckless and poorly-considered decisions.

In an effort to preserve a basic threshold for social and political balance, the Moroccan government passed the Family Code, or Mudawana, in 2004. Twenty years later, the matter of personal status law remains a pertinent and mobilizing issue for many.

Recent polling indicates a strong sense of national unity among Israelis in the aftermath of Hamas' attack. While trust in political leadership remains low, overall confidence in the military and police is high.

Syrians' responses to Hamas’ attack—and subsequent Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip—have been varied, splitting along regional, political, and ideological lines.

Navigating the confusing Iraqi electoral landscape is just one of many obstacles in the way of reformers, but if emerging political reformist players can form a unified front, put forth a concrete political platform, and resist being coopted by ruling powers, then there is a real possibility for substantive political change in the upcoming elections.

Solving Iraq’s demographic crisis will require immediate and comprehensive action at both the state and individual level. Without these solutions, we risk extensively harming our future generations.

As Morocco rebuilds the High Atlas Mountains, understanding the region’s complex history and challenges is key for building a future for the region.

Recent Washington Institute polls have tracked Gazans’ views on Hamas and the ceasefire with Israel, along with a wider regional decline in popularity for Hamas and Hezbollah.

Recent developments will require the U.S. to expand its objectives in Syria and to reevaluate its approach to local alliances if it hopes to shape a positive outcome to the bubbling frustrations in Syria.

Although joining BRICS is an exciting economic prospect for many governments, the addition of new member states has not been without controversy. In Egypt, news of the nation’s accession to this institution has fueled a heated internal media debate on the feasibility of the move and its impact on the deteriorating economic situation in Egypt.

In Iraq, the precarious reality and confused relationships seem to have driven al-Sudani’s government to attempt to circumvent the traditional binary choice between Washington and Moscow. This new course comes with a distinct and flashy name, the “Development Road” project, and looks to Beijing as a third way forward.

Longstanding tensions in the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk in Iraq may once again spark confrontations between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), the latest in a series of disagreements over the city.

A unique new public opinion poll from Saudi Arabia sheds light on popular attitudes there toward a potential deal to “normalize” relations with Israel.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake, an outpouring of solidarity and social mobilization has taken place in the country at a grassroots level. The complexity of the situation from a logistical and geographical standpoint helps explain Morocco’s reluctance to indiscriminately accept all international aid offers.

When examining the legacy of the Oslo Accords, one clear outcome is the way in which diplomatic breakthroughs—along with their failures—have deeply shaped public attitudes towards the conflict. Thirty years later, fresh polls emphasize the deep erosion of trust and support for the two-state solution in Palestinian (along with Israeli) society, but a lingering hunger for some kind of breakthrough.

Iran has stepped up pressure on Baghdad and Erbil to disarm and relocate Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan Region amidst ongoing disputes between Erbil and Baghdad over budget and oil revenues.