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A New Dawn for Political Islam?
Political SystemsReligion Blog Posts

A New Dawn for Political Islam?

The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has seen an increase in levels of religiosity, particularly among youth, over the last five years.  What implications might this have for the region?  Does this rise in personal religiosity correspond with changes in views about the proper role for religion in politics?  Might this change foreshadow a revival in fortunes of…

May 8, 2023
MENA Youth Lead Return To Religion
Religion Blog Posts

MENA Youth Lead Return To Religion

Personal piety is not constant across space or time.  The Pew Research Center has found that levels of religiosity vary by a number of factors, including years of education, life expectancy, income, and levels of economic inequality. Others have found that during times of crisis such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks, there tend to be associated increases in levels…

March 23, 2023
Support for armed struggle in Palestine rises in response to recent settler attacks
EconomyFreedomsPolitical Participation Blog Posts

Support for armed struggle in Palestine rises in response to recent settler attacks

In light of the recent events in Huwara and the northern West Bank, Palestinian public attitudes become more militant as support for armed struggle rises, support for the two-state solution drops, and the vast majority opposes the Aqaba meeting; parallel to that, trust in the PA declines, demand for the resignation of president Abbas rises, and for the first time…

March 15, 2023
Iraq’s Pulse Twenty Years After The Invasion
CorruptionDemocracyEconomyGovernancePolitical InstitutionsPolitical Systems Blog Posts

Iraq’s Pulse Twenty Years After The Invasion

On March 20, 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.  The U.S. then set about a political transformation of Iraq with the stated goal of bringing about democracy, including instilling a parliamentary system with regular elections.  Since that time, Iraq has suffered significant turmoil, including an armed resistance against the U.S., civil conflict, and the…

March 13, 2023
UN Envoy to Libya proposes a new initiative, what do Libyans want?
Political InstitutionsPolitical Participation Blog Posts

UN Envoy to Libya proposes a new initiative, what do Libyans want?

Following months of political deadlock, a new political body is in the making to shake up Libya’s political impasse. On February 27, 2023, UN special envoy to Libya, Abdullah Bathily, told the UN Security Council he plans “to establish a High-level Steering Panel for Libya.” Bathily’s plan aims to facilitate the organization of elections, both legislative and presidential in the…

March 1, 2023
As great power competition in the Middle East heats up, polling data shows a complex picture of popular attitudes
International Relations Blog Posts

As great power competition in the Middle East heats up, polling data shows a complex picture of popular attitudes

This piece is part of a four-part series published by the Middle East Institute in cooperation with Arab Barometer analyzing the results of the seventh wave of the Arab Barometer surveys. Apart from Europe and the South China Sea region, the Middle East and North Africa is one of the epicenters for what the U.S. has termed “great power competition” especially between the…

February 21, 2023
Citizen priorities on the environment and climate change in MENA
Environment Blog Posts

Citizen priorities on the environment and climate change in MENA

This piece is part of a four-part series published by the Middle East Institute in cooperation with Arab Barometer analyzing the results of the seventh wave of the Arab Barometer surveys.   The results of the seventh wave survey from Arab Barometer, a non-partisan research network that provides insight into Arab citizen views, shed light on regional perspectives on issues of climate change, water resources,…

February 14, 2023
Gender gaps in MENA remain stubbornly entrenched, despite positive trends
Gender Issues Blog Posts

Gender gaps in MENA remain stubbornly entrenched, despite positive trends

This piece is part of a four-part series published by the Middle East Institute in cooperation with Arab Barometer analyzing the results of the seventh wave of the Arab Barometer surveys. Key findings from the latest Arab Barometer survey, its seventh wave, reveal that clear majorities in the 12 countries in which the survey was conducted still hold traditional views on gender norms. Despite…

February 8, 2023
Citizens’ views on Egypt’s economic woes
COVID-19EconomyFreedomsSocial Justice Blog Posts

Citizens’ views on Egypt’s economic woes

Egypt’s National Nutrition Institute (NNI) recent recommendation to “eat chicken feet” as a budget-friendly form of protein animated pundits and the public this past December 2022. The attempt to help citizens navigate increasingly dire economic conditions was lambasted and ridiculed. The declaration, which was put forward earnestly,  highlighted just how grim Egypt’s predicament had become. Fielded 11 months before the…

February 6, 2023
Support for a two-state solution among Palestinians and Israelis declines
Blog Posts

Support for a two-state solution among Palestinians and Israelis declines

Support for a two-state solution among Palestinians and Israelis declines to just one-third on each side, along with growing opposition to the detailed items of a permanent peace agreement for implementing a two-state solution. Slightly more Israeli Jews support one unequal state under Israeli rule than the two-state solution; but both publics still prefer two states to any other democratic…

January 30, 2023
Libyans want citizenship for children of women married to foreigners
Gender IssuesSocial Justice Blog Posts

Libyans want citizenship for children of women married to foreigners

On October 19, 2022, the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Libya decreed that children of Libyan women married to foreigners must enjoy the same rights as Libyan citizens, including access to free healthcare and education inside the country and acceptance at Libyan schools abroad. The decree also waived visa requirement for the group. Children of Libyan women married to…

October 20, 2022