Tahrir Forum

Saudi-Backed Extremism Is Fueling Yemeni Outrage

September 12, 2016

Blaming Saudis and Americans for civilian casualties and growing extremist violence, Yemenis are upping their own media and military campaigns.

Saudi Arabia’s Struggle for Sunni Leadership

By Hala Al-Dosari

September 11, 2016

Recent changes to Saudi religious institutions are not a sign of wider reform but an indication of the struggle to redefine Saudi Arabia’s religious character.

Israel-Palestine Clarity on the F-Train from Brooklyn

By Rami G. Khouri

September 8, 2016

Popular sentiments in the U.S. and the Middle East have started to play a more significant role in determining what happens in this conflict that is almost a century old.

A Call to Action for Law and Human Decency in Yemen

By Rami G. Khouri

September 1, 2016

The top United Nations human rights official has called for the establishment of an independent body to carry out comprehensive investigations of human rights violations in Yemen.

Israelis, Palestinians: Desperately Seeking Leadership

By Rami G. Khouri

August 23, 2016

Small majorities of both people still cling to the idea that a negotiated two-state solution could happen. What is lacking is leadership.

Beating ISIS in the Battlegrounds of its Birth

By Rami G. Khouri

August 17, 2016

Unless and until the Arab world’s political and socioeconomic dimensions are addressed and significantly improved, the Islamic State group or other movements like it, or even worse than it, will continue to emerge from Arab societies.

Lessons from the Turkish Coup Attempt

By Pinar Tank

August 12, 2016

Turkey’s failed coup attempt suggests the military’s political role has reached a nadir, but politicization of the institution continues.

Aleppo Captures the Generational Battle of the Whole Arab World

By Rami G. Khouri

August 11, 2016

The outcome of military and political developments in Aleppo in the coming months will clarify critical dimensions of the Syria conflict that also reverberate widely across the region.

The Meaning of Lebanon’s Stalled Governance System

By Rami G. Khouri

August 7, 2016

The Lebanese are very able, resilient, and creative, and they will have to draw on all their assets to get out of this embarrassing and unprecedented situation.

Saudi Vision 2030: Winners and Losers

August 4, 2016

Saudi Arabia’s grand plan for economic reform might expand employment and transparency, but there would also be losers.

The Gulf’s Global Moment

By Tarek Osman

August 4, 2016

A major business deal tests the aspirations of Gulf business leaders.

Many Early Warning Signs Signaled Current Arab Disarray

By Rami G. Khouri

August 3, 2016

Ten significant developments across the Arab world since the mid-1970s—early warning signs that raise the question of whether today we acknowledge and act on early warning signs, or just repeat the mistakes of the past.

Why the Strong Words from the United States on Israel?

By Rami G. Khouri

August 1, 2016

The Obama administration would do the entire world a service if it replaced its failed legacy in Arab-Israeli peace-making with a precise, global consensus that might form the foundation for more successful future efforts.

Iran’s Iraqi Market

By Tamer Badawi

July 28, 2016

The rise of the Islamic State has created both challenges and opportunities for Iranian trade networks in Iraq.

Iran’s Evolutionary Road to Reform

By Ellie Geranmayeh

July 28, 2016

Reformists leaders have disappointed hopes for change before. Yet Hassan Rouhani benefits from a unique opportunity.

Arab Summits Remind Us of Our Frivolous Governance Systems

By Rami G. Khouri

July 27, 2016

The dismal state of collective and individual Arab leadership is far more troubling today than it has been in recent decades, due to the deteriorating conditions across our region.

Syria Becomes Ever More Complicated

By Rami G. Khouri

July 24, 2016

Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran effectively have to be seen as a single geo-strategic arena in which hundreds of local and national actors engage one another—and many have links to other regional players and global powers.

Egypt’s Ad Hoc Economy

By Mohamed Elmeshad

July 21, 2016

Grand projects, though moving quickly, are doing nothing to address the underlying structural problems plaguing Egypt’s economy.

Banning Opposition Groups Is a Failed Arab Legacy

By Rami G. Khouri

July 20, 2016

It is perplexing to see Arab governments today continue to dissolve and ban certain political groups (mostly Sunni or Shiite Islamists) in trying to resolve serious, homegrown political struggles.