Islam

There is no Indonesia Model for the Arab Spring

Yes, Muslim-majority Indonesia has made a successful transition to democracy. But no, that doesn’t make it an example for the Arab Spring.

BY TOM PEPINSKY | FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Uncharitable Organizations

Islamist groups are bankrolling terror groups across the Middle East and pretending it's aid work.

BY DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS, AARON Y. ZELIN | FEBRUARY 26, 2013

It's Not About Us

Forget about the “war on terror.” The next few decades will be dominated by the bitter divide within Islam itself.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Inside the Islamic Emirate of Timbuktu

An exclusive trove of al Qaeda documents found in this fabled city shows a theocracy in the making in Mali.

BY HARALD DOORNBOS, JENAN MOUSSA | FEBRUARY 14, 2013

On a Military Wing and a Prayer

Europe thinks it can separate Hezbollah's political activities from its terrorist operations. But the Party of God isn't built that way.

BY MATTHEW LEVITT | FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Revolution, Interrupted

There's a reason Egyptians keep taking to the streets: The Muslim Brotherhood has proved to be little more than the old Mubarak clique with beards.

BY HANI SHUKRALLAH | FEBRUARY 8, 2013

A Murder in Tunis

The assassination of a leftist politician has thrown the poster child for the Arab Spring into chaos.

BY FADIL ALIRIZA | FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Martyrs of the Revolution

If history is any guide, today’s assassination in Tunisia could set off a dangerous revolutionary dynamic.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Tehranimal Farm

How George Orwell explains Iran.

BY ROLAND ELLIOTT BROWN | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

France on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Think Americans hate their politicians? The moody French are disgusted -- and looking for a new de Gaulle.

BY ROBERT ZARETSKY | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

The Egyptian Treadmill

Why Washington isn’t panicking about Egypt’s latest crisis.

BY MARC LYNCH | JANUARY 31, 2013

The First Lab Results Are In

Democracy Lab is celebrating its first anniversary. Here are some of the things we've learned over the past year -- and where we're headed in year two.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 31, 2013

The Republic of Port Said

An insurrection along the Suez Canal represents the greatest threat yet to the Muslim Brotherhood's rule in Egypt.

BY EVAN C. HILL | JANUARY 30, 2013

Mali Is Not a Stan

When it comes to covering Africa's latest conflict, it's suddenly amateur hour.

BY LAURA SEAY | JANUARY 30, 2013

Think Again: The Muslim Brotherhood

How did so many Western analysts get Egypt's Islamist movement so wrong?

BY ERIC TRAGER | JANUARY 28, 2013

The Man Who Brought Down Bibi

Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself besieged by a resurgent Israeli left and an old ally-turned-rival on the right.

BY NICOLAS PELHAM | JANUARY 23, 2013

The Eradicateurs

Why Algeria doesn't talk to terrorists -- even if that means killing hostages.

BY GEOFF D. PORTER | JANUARY 18, 2013

A More Sacred Union

How two words -- forged nearly a century ago -- help explain France's military intervention in Mali.

BY ROBERT ZARETSKY | JANUARY 17, 2013

The Year in Unfreedom

An encouraging number of the world's people voted in 2012. But voting does not a democracy make.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JANUARY 4, 2013

The Year the Arab Spring Went Bad

Hopes for a democratic Middle East have faltered amid sectarian animosities and ideological divisions. Did it have to be this way?

BY F. GREGORY GAUSE, III | DECEMBER 31, 2012

Feeling the Pain in Tehran

As sanctions bite, some of Iran's leaders are signaling a willingness to come back to the negotiating table.

BY NAZILA FATHI | DECEMBER 21, 2012

The Midlife Crisis of Bangladesh

Bangladeshis want a reckoning with their bloody past. But they can do it without partisanship?

BY JOSEPH ALLCHIN | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Moving On Up

Turkey is now a solidly middle-income state. But there are still plenty of roadblocks on the path ahead.

BY HILTON L. ROOT | DECEMBER 21, 2012

What Africa Did Right in 2012

Africans are getting better at finding their own solutions to African problems.

BY JON TEMIN | DECEMBER 20, 2012

Beating the Brotherhood

Egypt's long-suffering opposition is fighting back against the Islamist government. But can they get their act together in time?

BY EVAN HILL | DECEMBER 17, 2012

Born Free, But Not Indifferent

Yes the government should protect free speech. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t speak out.

BY COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER | DECEMBER 12, 2012

Yemen's Rocky Roadmap

Yemenis hope that a planned National Dialogue will save the revolution. But what abut the guys with the guns? 

BY ADAM BARON | DECEMBER 10, 2012

Turkey's Weakest Export

Turkey says it wants to be a model for democracy in the Middle East. But so far its actions lag behind its achievements.

BY GAMZE COŞKUN | NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Words Are Weapons of Mass Destruction

Why Hamas should watch its language.

BY DAVID KEYES | NOVEMBER 19, 2012

The Secret of Islamist Success

Islamist political parties aren't succeeding in the Middle East because they stand for Islam. It's because they have a well-established political brand.

BY DALIBOR ROHAC | OCTOBER 31, 2012