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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
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
Female Political Participation Inspires Confidence In Female Political Leadership in MENA
Gender IssuesPolitical Participation Blog Posts

Female Political Participation Inspires Confidence In Female Political Leadership in MENA

Support for women as political leaders has dramatically increased inmost MENA countries according to Arab Barometer trend data. Disagreement with the idea that men make better political leaders than women is at an all-time high in eight of the eleven countries for which Arab Barometer has trend data.[1] Not only are these changes seen at the population level, but also…

March 6, 2023