LATEST ANALYSIS:
Are Muslim Religious Conservatism and Political Islam Making a Comeback?
A decade on from the devastating defeat of the Muslim Brotherhood at the hands of the Egyptian President Sisi’s military coup, is Political Islam making a comeback? James M. Dorsey investigates.
Who Supports Political Violence in America?
A new political science study looks at the traits of people who support political violence in the United States. They develop a "political violence profile." And the key variables might surprise you. Brian Klaas writes in The Garden of Forking Paths.
In America’s Competition With China, Democracy Could Lose
If the president condemns a manipulated election in Thailand, the U.S. could lose its oldest Asian ally. Ahead of the Thai elections, Brian Klaas reviews the stakes, in The Atlantic.
Erdoğan: a failure of moderate Islamism
Erdoğan was held up as the example of pragmatic Islamism. That was before he became a corrupt autocrat, Islamic State facilitator and enabler of global disorder. Arthur Snell explains, in Not All Doom.
Can TV soaps get Erdoğan re-elected?
Are Turkish soaps helping Erdogan to stay in power? David Patrikarakos investigates the soft power potential of Turkish ‘dizis’, for Unherd.
The End of America’s Title 42
Under Title 42, many migrants to the US were blocked from requesting asylum at all – what lies ahead with the policy expiring? Alexandra Hall Hall explores in Byline Times.
How Trump Could Win
Donald Trump is deeply unpopular outside his base and is facing multiple criminal investigations that could land him in jail. But...he could also win the 2024 US presidential election. Brian Klaas explains how in the Garden of Forking Paths.
The Red States Experimenting with Authoritarianism
Republican States are becoming laboratories for authoritarianism. Brian Klaas explains, in The Atlantic.
The New Tunisian Order
Umberto Profazio explores Tunisian President Kais Saied’s gradual dismantling of one of the most progressive constitutions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the geopolitical implications of this slide into authoritarianism for IRIS.
Putting Hindu Nationalists on the Spot
As Hindu nationalists in government announce themselves at war against an ‘enemy within’, the Supreme Court and Indian Muslims call for an end to hate speech. Meanwhile, international Muslim civil society organisation Nahdlatul Ulama mulls over its approach… James M. Dorsey for the South Asia Journal.
Ukraine: The Crucial Year?
Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive could be its last chance to retake Russian-occupied territory. Is this the crucial year for Ukraine? Arthur Snell explores.
Rule by Law in Florida
Would President DeSantis be worse for American democracy than President Trump? Brian Klaas investigates for The Atlantic…
Iraq and Brexit: A Common Thread of Hubris
Alexandra Hall Hall argues that both the Iraq War and Brexit were driven more by ideological conviction than rational analysis and against the advice of most experts in the Byline Times.
Why do we get the wrong leaders?
Brian Klaas’ lecture for Science & Cocktails on why we get the wrong leaders and what can be done to put better ones in charge.
We need sting operations for politicians
In The Garden of Forking Paths, Brian Klaas argues that corruption, lobbying, and improper political influence plague our political systems, wasting money and creating bad governance, and that randomised sting operations could expose this.
Threatening to Leave the ECHR would be the Perfect Terrain for Next Conservative Election Campaign
The UK Government may do just enough to rile up the Conservative Party’s voter base by engineering yet another pointless row with European bodies, writes Alexandra Hall Hall for the Byline Times.
The Last Arab Spring Democracy is Dying
Tunisia, the only democracy to grow from the Arab Spring, is returning to dictatorship. The West, which is congratulating itself on defending democracy in Ukraine, is letting democracy die elsewhere. Brian Klaas writes for The Atlantic…
Northern Ireland Protocol Deal: Sunak has Recognised Peace is Hard & Conflict is Deadly
Do Boris Johnson, David Frost and the ERG want Northern Ireland to be stuck in a similar spiral of distrust and possible resumption of violence as the Israelis and Palestinians? Alexandra Hall Hall explores in the Byline Times.
Democracy Has a Customer-Service Problem
Can incompetent airlines, hospital-billing errors, or a mix-up at the IRS erode our trust in everything? Brian Klaas thinks so, in the Atlantic.
Ukraine and the myth of peace
David Patrikarakos writes for UnHerd on what one year of war in Ukraine has taught us, highlighting that nations must be able to defend themselves.