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No real alternative: The failure of opposition parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region
Photo by SHWAN MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • No real alternative: The failure of opposition parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region

    Politics in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region is centered on the ruling duopoly of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Other political parties — broadly referred to as the opposition — offer themselves as alternatives to the KDP and the PUK, but are disorganized, divided, and largely unable to capitalize on public grievances about governance. At present, they do not constitute a viable alternative to the ruling parties.

    June 20, 2024

    Evaluating plans for the “day after”
    Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images
  • Commentary
  • Evaluating plans for the “day after”

    To assist government policymakers faced with a plethora of “day after” plans for Gaza, the following proposes a framework for how to consider and decide among such proposals.

    June 12, 2024

    Rafah operation won’t help Israel escape its political doom loop
  • Commentary
  • Rafah operation won’t help Israel escape its political doom loop

    As the ongoing attempts to revive a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are showing minimal signs of success, Israel is moving forward with its plan for an operation in Rafah, the most southern city in Gaza that borders Egypt. On May 6, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for more than 200,000 Gazans in the southern-west part of the Gaza Strip. 

    May 28, 2024

    Human shields or shielding Israel from accountability?
    Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • Human shields or shielding Israel from accountability?

    Israeli leaders insist that the extreme destruction in the Gaza Strip is unavoidable given Hamas’ use of “human shields” and the fact that the militant group has embedded itself among the civilian population and routinely operates from civilian structures like hospitals and schools. But far from explaining the current devastation, the questionable “human shields” charge has become a way to shield Israel from legitimate scrutiny and accountability.

    May 10, 2024

    The way out of the war in Gaza will shape Israel-Egypt relations for years
    Photo by Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images
  • Analysis
  • The way out of the war in Gaza will shape Israel-Egypt relations for years

    March 26, 2024, marked the 45th anniversary of the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Over the years, this bilateral settlement has proven its stability and resilience, despite a series of crucial challenges. Yet the Begin-Sadat legacy, and the benefits it brings, is now in jeopardy.

    May 3, 2024