Content

MENASource

Jul 30, 2025

After Swaida: How Syria’s periphery is shaping its future

By Ibrahim Al-Assil

What comes next in Syria will not be determined by battlefield victories or summit declarations, but by the evolving realities on the ground.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jul 24, 2025

Wartime protests prove Ukraine’s democratic instincts are still strong

By Peter Dickinson

This week’s nationwide protests are a reminder that Ukraine’s grassroots democratic instincts remain exceptionally strong despite the current wartime conditions in the country, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society Conflict

MENASource

Jul 24, 2025

In a sectarian Syria, the winners should refrain from taking all

By Marie Forestier 

To avoid the complete supremacy of HTS-supporting Sunnis, it is crucial to adopt power-sharing mechanisms ensuring inclusiveness

Democratic Transitions International Norms

MENASource

Jul 22, 2025

Why the violence in my hometown, Swaida, goes beyond ‘rivalry.’

By Majd AlGhatrif

US officials described the events as “a rivalry” between Syria's Druze and Bedouins. But this framing strips the crisis of its historical and political context.

Civil Society Conflict

Issue Brief

Jul 10, 2025

Two US policy options for Venezuela: Shaping reform vs. ‘maximum pressure’ toward regime collapse

By Venezuela Solutions Group

The White House faces a choice: Should it use sanctions leverage to try to extract concessions from Nicolas Maduro on energy security, migration, and democratic reforms? Or should it bet on a return to “maximum pressure" in the hopes of precipitating a transition in Caracas?

Democratic Transitions Economic Sanctions

MENASource

Jul 2, 2025

Why al-Sharaa’s success in Syria is good for Israel and the US

By Itai Melchior and Nir Boms

Israel will be wise to align its policy with those who seek to integrate Syria rather than with those who seek to fragment it.

Democratic Transitions Israel

MENASource

Jun 26, 2025

Dispatch from Damascus: Church attack shows transition’s fragility

By Ibrahim Al-Assil

The bombing at Mar Elias Church is more than an isolated tragedy. It is a signal that Syria’s transition remains vulnerable to sabotage.

Democratic Transitions Middle East

Report

Jun 23, 2025

2025 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: How political freedom drives growth

By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, Joseph Lemoine

As the Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show political freedom declining worldwide for the twelfth straight year, new data analysis shows its importance for lasting prosperity: Though authoritarians promise economic rewards, democratizing countries gain an 8.8 percent GDP per capita boost over twenty years than their autocratic peers. With democracy on the ropes, what else can the Indexes tell us?

China Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2025

Addressing Georgia’s slide away from European integration

By Matteo Mecacci

Officials in Brussels and Tbilisi must act to rebuild trust and address the deteriorating relationship between Georgia and the European Union, writes Matteo Mecacci.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jun 10, 2025

Modern Ukraine’s national journey can be traced on Kyiv’s central square

By Peter Dickinson

Since 1991, Kyiv's Maidan square has emerged from Ukraine’s post-Soviet identity crisis via two popular uprisings to become the sacred ground zero of a nation forged in the crucible of revolution and war, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society Conflict
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Experts

Fellow

Michel Duclos

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Conflict Crisis Management

Fellow

Daniel Fried

Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative Eurasia Center

Eastern Europe Democratic Transitions

Staff

Uri Friedman

Senior Editorial Director

Coronavirus Democratic Transitions

Staff

Abbas Kadhim

Resident Senior Fellow, Iraq Initiative

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Iraq Middle East

Fellow

Adrian Karatnycky

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Ukraine Democratic Transitions

Fellow

Laura Linderman

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

The Caucasus Political Reform
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