Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Turkey Coup Attempt
Turkey’s elected government survived last weekend’s failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but there’s no reason to think that Turkey’s democracy will be strengthened by the outcome. Erdogan is responding to the threat by rounding up all his enemies, real and imagined, and pushing for new powers that will set back Turkey’s reputation, […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Middle East Authoritarianism
The Middle East has a long history of authoritarianism, and the legacy of that history is illustrated in contrasting ways by two key states in the region. Turkey, a flawed but functioning democracy for most of a century, is returning to a more authoritarian model, while Iraq has replaced its strongman with a more normal […]
Ellen Laipson quoted in Courthouse News Service on Future U.S. Leaders and their Middle East Policies
WASHINGTON (CN) — With the United States set to elect its next U.S. president in 130 days, Middle East scholars gathered at the National Press Club to weigh Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump. -snip- Ellen Laipson, distinguished fellow and president emeritus of the Stimson Center, summed up the priorities of the next […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Brexit’s Impact on the Middle East
The Brexit bombshell is bad news for the Middle East region on a number of scores, in particular what it says about Western attitudes toward migrants and Muslims, and about loss of support for economic integration, a big idea that would improve prospects for the Arab world. To read the full article click here.
When It Comes to Defining Moderate and Radical Islam, Who Decides?
By Ellen Laipson: One of the secondary effects of the terrible shooting in Orlando, Florida, has been to relaunch the debate on whether public officials have misidentified the terrorist threat at home by failing to call it “radical Islam” or “Islamic extremism.” At another point along the spectrum of Islamic political activism is Tunisia’s Ennahda […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Defining Moderate and Radical Islam
One of the secondary effects of the terrible shooting in Orlando, Florida, has been to relaunch the debate on whether public officials have misidentified the terrorist threat at home by failing to call it “radical Islam” or “Islamic extremism.” At another point along the spectrum of Islamic political activism is Tunisia’s Ennahda party. Often described […]
Ellen Laipson op-ed in World Politics Review on Europe and the Mediterranean
The countries around the Mediterranean basin are a diverse lot, ranging from the European Union and NATO’s southernmost members to the states of the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa. One thing almost all of them share is a constant tension from the seemingly contradictory trends toward separation and integration. In the early 21st […]
Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr. op-ed in The National Interest on Iran
Obscured by the drama of America’s presidential campaign, one major foreign policy issue—the future direction of the U.S. approach to Iran—is at a crossroads. President Obama stood before world leaders at the UN General Assembly in September 2013 and stated, “If we can resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, that can serve as a […]