by Paul R. Pillar The acquisition of power, through the ballot box, in a democracy by political forces that undermine that very democracy—by surreptitiously channeling the influence of a foreign state or by using authoritarian tactics to retain power—is the… Continue Reading
by Paul R. Pillar An old fear about Islamist political parties entering government is that once in power, even if they’d gained their position through democratic means, they would subvert democracy for the sake of maintaining power. The U.S. government… Continue Reading
by Emile Nakhleh Middle East leaders and publics, like the rest of the world, were stunned by the election results and the ascendance of Donald J. Trump to the White House. Middle East autocrats, like those elsewhere in the world,… Continue Reading
by Giorgio Cafiero Unsettled by years of expanded and consolidated Iranian influence across the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and its regional allies launched a war in Yemen last March to crush a Zaidi Houthi rebellion. Yet for the Saudis and… Continue Reading
by Nick Turse “Africa is a challenging place today and one that, if left unattended, is likely to be the birthplace of many more challenges in the future,” Army Secretary John McHugh said recently. Since 9/11, in fact, the continent… Continue Reading