In his new
@ChathamHouse
@XCEPT_Research
paper, Peter Tinti focuses on Agadez in Niger. He argues that the city is not only a key transit hub for migrants but also holds an important position within the Libyan conflict economy 🧵⬇️1/8
أحمد البشير: أعتقد أن دور الإعلام هو توجيه الجمهور، و ليس إصدار الأوامر... و عندما أُوظف السخرية، فإني أوجهها للتفاعل و لانتقاد للأفعال و التصرفات، و لا أُوظفها للمس بالأشخاص أو بكرامتهم.
#مبادرة_العراق
#IraqInitiative
We are delighted to welcome the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
@masrour_barzani
to
@ChathamHouse
.
PM Barzani will discuss political, economic and regional issues related to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
#IraqInitiative
"He was an Iraqi nationalist that wanted the best for his country. I asked him if he was scared and he said 'there is fear, but the duty is bigger.'"
@renadmansour
reflects on the life and work of Hisham al-Hashemi and the impact of his assassination on Iraq's politics.
The tragedy in
#Derna
is the latest in a series of disasters in MENA after the Beirut blast & hospital fires in Iraq. A new paper by
@renadmansour
,
@el_khawaga
and
@LinaKhatibUK
argues that these disasters stem from corrupt elite bargains.
🧵1/7
📢We are delighted to announce the appointment of
@SanamVakil
as
@CH_MENAP
's Director!
Since joining in 2019,
@SanamVakil
has spearheaded our research and analysis of MENA geopolitics & security, the US role in the region, and domestic dynamics of GCC countries and Iran.
🇮🇶 | انضموا إلى مؤتمر #مبادرة_العراق مع صانعي السياسات و أكادميين وقادة المجتمــع المدني من داخل و خارج #العراق لمناقشـة آخر التطورات في السياسة و الاقتصاد و البيئة و المجتمع في العراق وتبادل الأفكار حول ما هو قادم.
#IraqInitiative
🔗 للتسجيل:
The single most glaring deficiency in Iraq is the collapse of the state not in terms of range of control or as a failed state as such, but in terms of capability of managing a modern state. The entire structure is deficient, says
@AliH_Allawi
#IraqInitiative
🇮🇶 NEW | Networks of Power: The Popular Mobilization Forces and the State in Iraq
In this new research paper,
@renadmansour
examines the nature of PMF networks and their connection to state power in Iraq.
Read here:
🇱🇾 Much of the coverage on Libya has focused on the daily violence and political turmoil.
In a new longread piece,
@k_ramali
and
@el_khawaga
take a step back to ask: how are Libyan women dealing with the country's ever-present armed groups?
Out tomorrow on
@ChathamHouse
website
A ceasefire is urgently needed to curb a rising death toll in
#Gaza
, and bring the region back from the brink. The possibility of an extended, violent conflagration engulfing the region is very real, writes
@elhamfakhro
.
Read in full ⬇️
🇱🇾 NEW Longread
Based on in-depth interviews with women from across Libya,
@k_ramali
and
@el_khawaga
shed light on what life is like for Libyan women today as they deal with the country’s ever-present armed groups.
Read more ⬇️
🇾🇪🧵on latest developments in Yemen's conflict by
@almuslimi
:
Attention is currently focused on de-escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, but this positive development may be overshadowed by heightening tensions between KSA and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen.
1/10
This week
@LinaKhatibUK
is stepping down as Director of
@CH_MENAP
and moving on to an exciting position
@SOAS_MEI
. Thank you,
@LinaKhatibUK
, for 6+ years of spectacular leadership, incredible professionalism and world-class analysis of Middle East affairs!
We are thrilled to welcome Mahmoud Shehrah to the MENA Programme team!
@shehrah_mahmoud
joins us an Associate Fellow and will support our work on Yemen.
🚨WE'RE HIRING!🚨
Join us as an Iraq-focused Research Associate!
✅ Interested in governance & political economy in Iraq
✅ Experienced in mixed method research approaches
✅ Fluent in English & Arabic
Visa sponsorship is possible.
Apply ➡️
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Amjad Iraqi as an Associate Fellow with the MENA Programme!
@aj_iraqi
will support our work on Israel and Palestine.
📢We are happy to introduce you to Kalam,
@CH_MENAP
's microsite!
On Kalam, we look beyond the news headlines to explore understudied issues affecting
#MENA
countries and their societies, including:
✔️state-building
✔️accountability
✔️social protections
✔️regional security
🇮🇷 🇹🇷 🇷🇺 | Iranian President Raisi, Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Putin are meeting in Tehran today. Symbolically this visit is important.
🧵 by
@SanamVakil
and
@GalipDalay
Please join us in welcoming Dr Bader Al-Saif to the Chatham House MENA Programme!
@bmalsaif
joins us as an Associate Fellow and will contribute to our research on the Arabian Peninsula.
(1/7) 📢 🇮🇶 | Speakers at our annual
#IraqInitiative
conference will analyse recent developments in Iraq’s politics, economy, environment and society, and share insights into what the future might look like.
🗓️ 15 – 16 Nov.
🔗 Information & registration:
After 8 yrs of war b/n the Houthis & Saudi Arabia, a Houthi delegation has landed in Riyadh. Contrary to media reports, this is not the first time Houthi negotiators have visited KSA since operation Decisive Storm in 2015. But it is a significant step.
@AlMuslimi
explains👇1/9
The United Arab Emirates has emerged as an influential player in the region.
What is the UAE’s overarching strategy and tactics? And what future foreign policy trends can we expect?
Find out more in a new research paper by
@peterjsalisbury
- published tomorrow on
@ChathamHouse
.
"Iraqis are giving up on their political system, the political system that, since 2003, has failed to represent most Iraqis."
@renadmansour
on the reasons behind
#IraqProtests
and what we can expect to see in the coming days.
Watch the full interview:
NEW | The ‘state’ in
#Iraq
&
#Lebanon
is not confined to official structures. It should be understood instead as the embodiment of power relationships between diverse actors. Read the full argument of
@renadmansour
&
@LinaKhatibUK
in their new research:
Congratulations to our Associate Fellow
@AAlsharekh
who has been named one of the most inspiring and influential women in the world by
@BBC100women
for her work tackling gender inequality in the Middle East.
Read more about Dr Alanoud's work:
#100women
'Young people's penetration and recruitment into armed groups is a way for them to exercise agency in a social reality dominated by conflict'.
@emad_badi
reflects on youth experience since the 2011 revolution.
How Will Qasem Soleimani's Assassination Actually Impact the Middle East?
Read the latest expert comment by
@SanamVakil
,
@renadmansour
and
@LinaKhatibUK
as they explore the potential fallout of Soleimani's assassination for Iran, Iraq and Lebanon
Q&A session moderated by the Director of
@ChathamHouse
Dr.
@RobinNiblett
with PM of KRI
@masrour_barzani
discussing the KRI’s regional, environmental, educational, political issues in addition to the current relationship with the central government in Baghdad.
#IraqInitiative
After the defeat of ISIS, endemic corruption is now the main threat to
#Iraq
’s stability, alienating the population from its ruling elite and driving young people into a protest movement that demands radical change, writes
@ProfTobyDodge
.
#IraqInitiative
"Iraqis are not rejecting a single leader or a single party, they're rejecting a system that has been imposed on them for 16 years."
@renadmansour
on why Iraqis have taken to the streets in mass protests.
Read the latest analysis on
#IraqProtests
:
🧵1/6 Today
#Turkey
's President Erdogan embarked on a 3-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar & UAE.
Given previous rivalries & tense relations b/n Ankara, Riyadh & Abu Dhabi, the visit builds on region-wide de-escalation and normalization trends.
@SanamVakil
&
@GalipDalay
explain👇
Tunisia’s president is rolling back rights & freedoms previously guaranteed under the constitution. Can this slide to authoritarianism be halted?
@Said_Benarbia_
@SMGhannoushi
@Tmegrisi
&
@el_khawaga
will discuss this key question on 15 June.
Register 👉
🇱🇾 Join
@UlfLaessing
,
@k_ramali
,
@hassanmorajea
and
@el_khawaga
in a new webinar where they will discuss local and international coverage of Libya, societal impact and competition for media space.
📆 Wednesday 15 July
⏰ 14:00 - 15:00 BST
📍 Register:
"It's hard to be hopeful...when a majority of the elite are willing to use violence, to use external intervention to stop the people from having a voice."
@renadmansour
on the use of state violence against protesters in Iraq.
Watch the full interview:
Today, the
#IraqInitiative
welcomed
@Bafeltalabani
to
@ChathamHouse
for a discussion on the evolving internal and external dynamics in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, the future of the power-sharing agreement, and what can be done to get the KRI's economy and politics back on track.
'The Israeli response on destroying Hudaydah port will not have a significant impact on the Houthi ballistic weapons or drone capabilities. Rather it will actually worsen the already severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen', says
@almuslimi
via
@Newsweek
.
NEW: Our latest research paper by
@renadmansour
and
@peterjsalisbury
analysing stalled state transformations in
#Iraq
and
#Yemen
is out now:
Here is a quick thread summarising the main points and policy recommendations of the report. (1/15)
We are excited to welcome
@almuslimi
to the
@CH_MENAP
team! As a Research Fellow with the MENA Programme,
@almuslimi
will expand our research on Yemen and contribute to our work on the wider Gulf region.
(1/7) 📢 📢🆕 New research paper! 📢 📢
🇮🇶 | In a new
@ChathamHouse
paper, Victoria Stewart-Jolley examines the impact of changes to
#Iraq
’s
#election
laws since 2005 on the government formation process following each election.
#IraqInitiative
🌐 Can Iraq's New government Overcome the Challenges Ahead?
Join us next week from 14:00 BST for a conversation with former Iraqi Prime Minister,
@HaiderAlAbadi
.
▶️ This event will be livestreamed on Facebook:
#IraqInitiative
‘Even though 🇮🇶 has one of world’s highest numbers of female MPs, they are faced with constrained decision making power,’ argues
@ALKTaif
. ‘We need to think about how women can influence the political process in
#Iraq
,’ she adds.
#IraqInitiative
"It is one of the most powerful expressions of Lebanese society taking a stand against sectarian divisions.”
@LinaKhatibUK
on protests in Tripoli and across other major cities in Lebanon.
#لبنان_ينتفص
To understand why some Iraqi groups have used violence to suppress protests in Baghdad, we must first look back to protests in Basra.
Read the latest analysis by
@renadmansour
and
@Benrobinz
on the 'Basra Blueprint' and the future of
#IraqProtests
.
"if an internationally-accepted political settlement to the Syrian conflict is reached, the White Helmets have the potential to play a big role in Syria’s reconstruction." says
@AsaadHannaa
in his latest analysis on Syria from Within platform
"Bashar Al Assad has become much more in control of Syria to the point now where he can challenge someone like Rami Makhlouf."
▶️ Watch the full discussion with
@LinaKhatibUK
,
@samdagher
and
@BBCLinaSinjab
from our
#CHSyria
conference:
(1/8) 📢 🆕 🇱🇧 | Read ⬇️ our recently published paper “Breaking the curse of corruption in Lebanon”.
@karim_merhej
explores the systemic nature of corruption in
#Lebanon
.
Ignoring the roots of violence in
#Israel
-
#Palestine
conflict challenges any future peace.
@HayderSH
,
@el_khawaga
&
@renadmansour
discuss why failure to address the forms of violence experienced by Palestinians is only likely to exacerbate the conflict.
A warm welcome to
@SanamVakil
who joins the MENA Programme team
@ChathamHouse
today in a full-time capacity as Senior Research Fellow, covering the Gulf and more.
Suggestions of an anti-Iran alliance emerging in the Middle East are overenthusiastic and fail to grasp the complexity of the region’s challenges, write
@dassakaye
and
@SanamVakil
via
@ForeignAffairs
.
(1/8) 📢🇮🇶 | Read
@RenadMansour
&
@ProfTobyDodge
new research paper where they trace the evolution of the post-2003 political system in
#Iraq
, & analyse the role of politically sanctioned corruption as the key barrier to reform in
#Iraq
.
🌐🇱🇾 Libya: Political Fragmentation, War and Foreign Intervention
Join us next week for an in-depth discussion with
@el_khawaga
,
@HananMSalah
,
@W_Lacher
and
@Tmegrisi
on the latest developments in Libya.
▶️ This webinar will be livestreamed on Facebook:
🌐 Chatham House MENA programme is going online!
In our first
#IraqInitiative
virtual roundtable, experts will discuss how Iraq is dealing with COVID-19, the US-Iran spat, ongoing protests and a government without a Prime Minister.
More details ➡️
We are delighted to share the news that
@SanamVakil
is now Deputy Head of the MENA Programme
@ChathamHouse
. Warmest congratulations on behalf of all the team!
The
#MENA
region seems to be entering a new era of cooperation & de-escalation.
A new paper by
@BurkleCenter
's
@dassakaye
&
@SanamVakil
argues that this moment offers a historic opportunity to build a sustainable regional forum for cooperation.
🧵1/8
Our workshop with
@kfcris_en
, part of our Future Dynamics of the Gulf project, took place in Riyadh today with
@Jessica_Obeid
,
@DrMarkGS
and
@DrAishaAlSarihi
discussing economic, environmental and political developments in the Gulf region.
Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA diminishes US influence in the Middle East and could reshape geopolitical dynamics in the region write
@NeilQuilliam1
and
@SanamVakil
in Chatham House Expert Perspectives 2018
📢 PROJECT LAUNCH📢
UCLA’s
@BurkleCenter
and
@CH_MENAP
are excited to partner on a new initiative led by
@dassakaye
and
@SanamVakil
exploring the current prospects for a cooperative regional security architecture in the Middle East. 1/10
"They have been consistent for many years now that they're not against one certain leader or a certain political party, but they're against this entire system."
@renadmansour
on the demands of Iraqi protesters.
Watch the full interview:
#IraqProtests
📣 Announcing the 2024
#IraqInitiative
Conference!
On 20 November, join Iraqi & international policymakers, experts & civil society
@ChathamHouse
& online to discuss critical questions for
#Iraq
’s future, and the country's trajectory in the year ahead.
We are excited to welcome
@almuslimi
to the
@CH_MENAP
team! As a Research Fellow with the MENA Programme,
@almuslimi
will expand our research on Yemen and contribute to our work on the wider Gulf region.
Join us at 12pm on March 23
@RichMixLondon
for the premiere of the documentary Syrian Metal is War about the impact of the war on music in Syria, followed by Q&A with filmmaker Monzer Darwish & Damascus-based musician Jake Shuker. RSVP to event chair
@LinaKhatibUK
.
'Israel’s technology has enabled it to deepen its control over millions of Palestinians.'
Read
@MairavZ
's review of
@antloewenstein
's book 'The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World' in
@TheWorldToday
‘Corruption is the ultimate impediment to reform. If you talk to people who have tried reform initiatives … you hit a ceiling, and that ceiling is political will,’ says
@renadmansour
during the 1st panel of the 2023
#IraqInitiative
conference
Join
@el_khawaga
&
@emad_badi
to explore the findings of a new Chatham House paper on the evolution of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces. The webinar will be moderated by
@amandabkadlec
.
🗓️3 June
🕑15h30-16h30 BST
ℹ️
Register:
🇲🇦 Can Morocco Effectively Handle the COVID-19 Crisis?
In Morocco, the pandemic has increased public trust in government, but people still have doubts about the healthcare system.
Read the latest expert comment by
@MasbahMohammed
and
@AnnaLeaJacobs
China’s increased influence in the Gulf could help shape regional reforms, which could gradually undermine Western influence and interests in the region, writes
@AAboudouh
in a new Contentious Politics piece.
Read in full 👇
📢Registration for our
#IraqInitiative
Conference 2022 is now open! Join speakers at Chatham House or attend online via Conference+. Explore the conference agenda and register your interest now!
🗓️14 November
📌Chatham House & Online
❗️Register interest👇
A Libyan MP was recently abducted from her home after criticising Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's offensive on
#Libya
's capital, Tripoli.
Read
@el_khawaga
and
@emad_badi
's analysis for
@TheWorldToday
as they retrace how Libya got to this point.
Arab states do not want to join a bloc explicitly working against Iran & its global supporters, such as Russia. They prefer to balance multiple regional & global relationships, not to burn bridges, write
@dassakaye
&
@SanamVakil
via
@ForeignAffairs
.
We are excited to welcome Dr Carmen Geha to the MENA Programme team!
@CarmenGeha
joins us an Associate Fellow and will contribute to our work on gender, migration, and civil society.
📢 Starting in ONE HOUR: How is regional instability impacting Syria?
In this virtual discussion
@jobahout
,
@HaidHaid22
,
@dkhalifa
&
@rimamaktabi
will assess the impact of instability in the Middle East on
#Syria
.
⏰ 14.00 BST
Register now ⬇️