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Libya’s Former Foreign Minister’s Interview Reignites Public Outcry Over Normalization
International Relations Blog Posts

Libya’s Former Foreign Minister’s Interview Reignites Public Outcry Over Normalization

Najla El Mangoush, the former Foreign Minister of Libya, appeared in her first media interview since her dismissal from her post in August 2023. The minister was suspended by the prime minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU) following leaks regarding her meeting with the former Israeli foreign minister. The meeting took place in Rome, Italy in mid August…

January 6, 2025
Lebanon Migration Insights: 2024 Public Opinion Factsheet
Migration Blog Posts

Lebanon Migration Insights: 2024 Public Opinion Factsheet

In the eighth wave of Arab Barometer, we interviewed 2,400 Lebanese citizens between February and April 2024 to help shed light on their migration preferences. This survey provides a snapshot of how current economic, political, and security challenges—including the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah—are shaping these migration aspirations. About AB Wave VIII Survey This factsheet highlights key findings from…

August 20, 2024
Iran’s position on Palestine is not enough to win the favor of MENA citizens
International Relations Blog Posts

Iran’s position on Palestine is not enough to win the favor of MENA citizens

During his speech to U.S. Congress in late July, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments conflating support for Palestine with blind allegiance to Iran were not just factually unsubstantiated. They were also built on a faulty and falsifiable assumption: that the convergence of stances on Palestine automatically implied a causal relationship between the actions of citizens protesters on the one…

July 31, 2024
Kuwait’s Suspended Parliament: Where Does the Public Stand?
DemocracyPolitical InstitutionsPolitical Systems Blog Posts

Kuwait’s Suspended Parliament: Where Does the Public Stand?

In a televised address on May 10, Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, firmly stated, “I will not let democracy be exploited to destroy the state.” This address came as he dissolved the National Assembly for the second time in three months and enacted temporary suspensions of specific constitutional provisions for up to four years. Subsequently, the Emir sanctioned…

May 23, 2024
Tunisian political views: splintered and confused
DemocracyEconomyPolitical Systems Blog Posts

Tunisian political views: splintered and confused

Combined with fractured views about political systems, voter indifference is not what Tunisia needs today. As many countries around the world head for elections this year, surveys show the democratic ideal to be very much alive in most nations while scepticism is also growing about the way political systems have evolved. In the Arab region, democracy building remains as elusive…

April 16, 2024
Youth Outlooks: Life Quality and Economic Conditions (PART II)
EconomyWellbeingYouth Blog Posts

Youth Outlooks: Life Quality and Economic Conditions (PART II)

What drives differences in future optimism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region? Part I of this series suggested  that there is no perfect correlation between quality of life and evaluations of economic conditions. MENA citizens can believe that their quality of life in the future will be better, even if they simultaneously have less faith in the…

July 25, 2023
Making sense of the Kuwaiti June 2023 Elections
DemocracyMediaPolitical ParticipationYouth Blog Posts

Making sense of the Kuwaiti June 2023 Elections

For political scientists monitoring the Arab world, the Kuwaiti elections typically pose two questions. First, how is it that only one woman is elected to parliament in a country where 13 women were candidates and a country with several women chief executive officers? Second, why are there so many elections in general? According to 2022 Arab Barometer data, younger Kuwaitis…

June 23, 2023
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