Publications

In this text, Nathan Brown explores the modern roots of the Arab world’s ‘religion-state complex’. While Arab regimes may hold sway over official religious structures, their ability to bend these institutions to suit their own purposes remains a mixed bag, primarily because...chevron_right

Having achieved strategic deterrence with India, Pakistan is now in a position to clarify its commitment to widespread nuclear norms and practices. As Toby Dalton and Michael Krepon see it, that could involve signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and taking other needed steps towards ‘nuclear normalcy’.chevron_right

The book looks at the military, technical, political and legal issues impacting nuclear proliferation, the outlook for nuclear weapons nonproliferation, and what must be taken into account if attempts...chevron_right

This book provides a detailed picture of the sprawling nuclear complex in Russia and in the other post-Soviet states. It examines the composition of the Russian nuclear weapons arsenal, the status of ...chevron_right

Harith Hasan and Kheder Khaddour write that over the last two decades, the border area between the Bukamal in Syria and Qa’im in Iraq has become highly militarized and volatile. Indeed, it has developed into the focal point of a regional geopolitical rivalry populated by Iranian-backed militias and frequent US and Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks targeting them. In this publication, Hasan and Khaddour explore how this has come to pass and why this heavily securitized part of the border will likely remain a magnet for conflict for years to come.chevron_right

This paper focuses on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which was the largest independent organization to step in and secure Iraq following the collapse of the state’s armed forces in 2014. The text’s authors specifically review 1) the popularity of the PMF; 2) the different...chevron_right

This text examines the past and present importance of large private enterprises to Egypt’s economy. The paper specifically contends that following the 2011 uprising in the country, the enterprises lost their political standing, primarily because of their close ties to the Mubarak regime. However, Egypt’s subsequent economic crisis pushed successor regimes to reverse...chevron_right

This paper examines the Kurdish Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) efforts to control Syria’s Jazira region after the al-Assad regime withdrew from it in 2012. The text’s author also reviews the history of governmental control in Jazira, the interests of external actors in the region, and what the future holds for the area. As a result of his analysis, the author ultimately concludes that...chevron_right

This paper 1) looks at how the Assad regime relied on local intermediaries to enforce its authority in Syria prior to the current civil war, and 2) wonders whether the regime can revive its ‘network of control’ anytime soon. The text’s author ultimately concludes that the Syrian Civil War has crucially and irreparably changed local politics in Syria, and that a return to the pre-2011 status quo is impossible. The author also suggests that any negotiated settlement to the conflict will have to take account of these changes if it is to be sustainable.chevron_right

This paper argues that no political settlement of the Syrian Civil War will be sustainable if it doesn’t focus on the repatriation of refugees and internally displaced persons. To facilitate the negotiating process, the text provides seven principles that could...chevron_right

This paper examines the tribal communities in Eastern Syria, which form the main part of the population in the area, and their future importance for the country. While exploring this overarching theme, the text’s authors also examine 1) the history of the tribes and their interaction with ruling authorities in Syria; and 2) how numerous parties involved in the Syrian conflict...chevron_right

This paper argues that the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the first case, the country’s current economic crisis is depriving the government of the financial and economic resources it needs to...chevron_right

This paper explains why the Syrian Army, despite not being combat ready when the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, has over the last five years withstood a public revolt, a war of numerous fronts a...chevron_right

This paper examines the status of Tunisia’s ongoing socio-political transition five years after the demise of the Ben Ali government. The paper’s conclusions include the following: 1) Tunisia has made...chevron_right

Why have post-transition Arab states failed to spread security sector reforms amongst their police and internal security forces? Today, Yezid Sayigh blames restrictive constitutional frameworks, intense political polarization, the spread of informal economies and deepening illegality, and other pathologies.chevron_right