Democracy and Institutions

The recent MRT collision has once more raised eyebrows and, as PM Lee acknowledged, “hurt public confidence a lot”. Azfer A. Khan writes that a rise in public distrust is precipitated by poor communication, which has projected an image (whether true or not) of a secretive, misleading, and bureaucratic government structure.

BY DEVASHISH CHANDRA In Japan, video game developers recently designed a game, Rehabilium Kiritsu-kun, that motivates stroke patients to do their daily exercises. In Africa, MTV introduced a new TV soap opera, Shuga, that fuses sexual-health messaging with gripping storylines. A group of popular musicians in Mali, Troupe De Haire, recently created a music album targeting […]

By HALA AL-HARIRI “In this room, the honorable Bchara El Khoury, President of the Republic of Lebanon, was arrested from November 11 until November 22, 1943.” This is written on a plaque on the wall of The Rashaya Citadel, also known as the Citadel of Independence. Another plaque says the same for the honorable Prime Minister Riad […]

On this week’s episode of the Middle East Weekly, we discuss Sa’ad Hariri’s resignation from his post as Prime Minister of Lebanon; the earthquake that struck the Iran-Iraq border; and a coalition deal that allowed IS fighters to leave Raqqa.

On November 10, panelists at the Arab Conference at Harvard assessed the history and path forward for the Syrian conflict.

Prince Turki al Faisal spoke at the Arab Conference at Harvard on November 10th, insisting that Saudi Arabia stood united, even during a time of major political upheavals in the kingdom.

BY JEFF ROUSSET Be prepared for eight years of President Trump. Van Jones recently offered that warning at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. That’s the cost if Democrats fail to learn from 2016. We can’t just blame Russia for Trump, and it’s not enough to criticize Republicans. We need to understand the problems facing […]

BY BOB PAYNE A year after the 2016 election, stuck with a scandal-mired President and a Congress pushing an unpopular agenda, the country faces a genuine crisis of confidence in government. Democrats could have stopped this if they delivered their supporters as voters. Instead, they are the minority and out of power. To get back […]

What may have been a political strategy on the part of the Saudi regime may have cost them enormous amounts of political leverage in Lebanon.

BY DINA MONTEMARANO Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) was elected to Congress in 2008. While in Congress, he served as the Chairman of the Oversight and & Government Reform Committee. He left Congress in June of 2017. Previously, Congressman Chaffetz served as Chief of Staff for the Governor of Utah. This interview was conducted on Monday, November […]

BY STEVEN BRANDT A few weeks ago, right after the Mandalay Bay shooting in Las Vegas, I traveled to Dallas to see my grandfather…

BY MATTHEW ERIC SPECTOR Throughout a fraught 2017, my home state of New Jersey has been frequently, even exquisitely, dragged through the mud on the national stage. Governor Chris Christie will leave office as the most unpopular governor in the state’s history. This summer, Christie even outed himself as a “shoobie,” a term Jersey natives […]