Chatham House Middle East and North Africa

Syria: One year after al-Assad What kind of Syria is the new government trying to build? And what challenges is it facing?

'People are celebrating the 1st year of a free Syria from the Assad regime... that doesn't change the fact that many are struggling financially. Many are asking whether next year will be better than the year before,' says @haidhaid22.bsky.social via Al Jazeera. www.aljazeera.com/video/inside...

Will clerics lead Iraq’s next protest movement? - Kalam The results of Iraq’s 2025 national elections have crystallised several long-term trends. The withering of ideological politics has

Iraq’s Shia majority in Baghdad and the southern provinces... is finding new avenues for activism, with religious actors adopting a new and influential role in Iraq’s protest politics,' writes Benedict Robin-D'Cruz in a new #IraqInitiative article for Kalam.

kalam.chathamhouse.org/articles/wil...

One year of Syria’s transition: Progress, challenges and prospects Experts discuss achievements, challenges, and questions facing Syria’s transitional government one year since the fall of the Assad regime.

📢 Upcoming webinar: One year of Syria’s transition: Progress, challenges and prospects

Join Rime Allaf, Haid Haid and Raya Jalabi for a virtual discussion ahead of the 1 year anniversary of the Assad regime's fall.

📅 2 Dec
🕐 15.00 GMT
📍 Zoom
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/r...

Iraq’s 2025 Elections: What comes next? Experts and policymakers explores the political, governance and societal implications of Iraq’s 2025 electoral outcomes.

📢 Upcoming event: Iraq’s 2025 Elections – What comes next?

Experts and policymakers explore the political, governance and societal implications of #Iraq’s 2025 electoral outcomes in this #IraqInitiative webinar.

📅 26 Nov
🕐 13.00 GMT
📍 Zoom
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/r...

Iraq elections 2025: How votes are won and what the results could mean for Iraq’s fragile stability Iraq goes to the polls on 11 November. But with few Iraqis expected to actually vote, the real contest lies in how power will be divided among the elites who dominate the system.

2025 marks 20 years since Iraq’s first post-2003 elections — a moment that once inspired hope for democracy and reform.

In this @chathamhouse.org explainer, @renadmansour.bsky.social examines what it will take to rebuild trust in Iraq’s political system.

🔗 www.chathamhouse.org/2025/10/iraq...

Voter turnout will define Iraq’s 2025 election - Kalam When Iraqis head to the polls on 11 November 2025, the central issue will not be which parties win seats but whether enough people turn out to vote. Turnout

Turnout will be a decisive factor in this election. In a recent #IraqInitiative analysis, Munqith Dagher reveals that turnout could range between 25%-40%. Low participation is not an abstract concern but an issue that will shape the distribution of power.

kalam.chathamhouse.org/articles/vot...

Iraq’s elections come at a crucial moment for the region – and not for the first time | The National The stand-off between Israel and Iran is not over, and the prospect of a less predictable White House has only heightened anxiety in Iraq

The elections aren’t just domestic – they’re a regional pivot. As Baghdad balances ties with the US, Iran and the Gulf, the vote could reshape its role in the region and affect the country’s stability.

Read @renadmansour's analysis for the @TheNational. www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comm...

Iraq’s Leader Seeks an Improbable Prize: Independence From the U.S. and Iran Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is running for re-election Tuesday after managing to keep his country out of the region’s recent conflicts.

A key factor in this election is the political and economic influence of armed groups, which have managed to retain their power as the state has yet to demonstrate full capacity or will to enforce broad disarmament, says @haydersh.bsky.social in @wsj.com.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Deep-Seated Politics of Hopelessness Political patronage, corruption, and economic pressures have left Iraqi Kurds with little optimism for the region's future.

As @wrodgers2.bsky.social explains, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is no different - people struggle with much of the same issues of corruption, political patronage and disillusionment. Read his analysis: inkstickmedia.com/in-iraqi-kur...

Deep Dive: Iraq’s civic parties face uphill battle in upcoming elections Once poised to  dominate Iraq’s political future, figures and parties emerging from the October (Tishreen) 2019 protest movement now face widespread public apathy. These declining fortunes follow a pr...

In this @amwajmedia.bsky.social, @haydersh.bsky.social explains how 4 years after Tishreen-linked MPs entered parliament, reform efforts have stalled. Structural and organisational barriers kept them sidelined, while entrenched elites continue to control the system.

amwaj.media/en/article/w...

How ‘service-broker MPs’ undermine Iraq’s parliament and what needs to be done - Kalam As each election season approaches, Iraq’s walls and billboards fill with candidates’ photos and slogans. Social media overflows with images of campaign gifts

Iraq’s election campaigns promise services, instead of programmes tied to the two core functions of parliament: legislation and oversight.

Lina Musawi explains how ruling elites have built a system that weakens parliament and entrenches impunity.

kalam.chathamhouse.org/articles/how...

Oversight is optional: How Iraqi democracy is being hollowed out The posters are new, the promises familiar, but the political parties law of 2015 sits idle, allowing money and militias to define who competes, and wins

Iraq’s 2015 Political Parties Law was designed to regulate campaign financing & party ties to armed groups — but it’s never been enforced.

In The New Arab, @haydersh.bsky.social explains how this leaves Iraq’s democracy suspended between legality & impunity.
www.newarab.com/analysis/ove...

YouTube video by Chatham House Iraq is having elections, but will Iraqis actually vote?

While the 2025 election is unlikely to bring reform and accountability, it remains deeply contested as it presents an opportunity for deeply entrenched party elites to recalibrate power among themselves. @renadmansour.bsky.social explains why:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Bo...

Tomorrow, Iraqis head to the polls in a pivotal election that could test Iraq's stability. Which bloc is the frontrunner in the race? How might the balance of power shift – and what’s at stake for reform and Iraq’s regional position?

Read the latest #IraqInitiative analysis ↓

Saudi-Pakistan defence pact: What are the implications for regional power and security? How the new Saudi–Pakistan defence pact could reshape power dynamics across the Middle East and South Asia.

Last week I hosted a @chathamhouse.org webinar discussing the #Pakistan-#Saudi defence pact with Talmiz Ahmad (former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia), Farzana Shaikh from the @chasiapacific.bsky.social and Bilal Saab from @chmenap.bsky.social. Watch it here: www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/o...

A foreign policy for the new Syria Asaad al-Shaibani, foreign minister of Syria, speaks at Chatham House to describe the hopes and ambition for a new Syria’s role in the region and world.

📢 Upcoming event: A foreign policy for the new Syria

Asaad al-Shaibani, Foreign Minister of Syria, speaks at Chatham House to describe the hopes and ambition for a new Syria’s role in the region and world.

📅 12 Nov
🕐 12.30 GMT
📍 @ChathamHouse & Zoom
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/o...

Israel-Hamas: A fragile ceasefire tested from the word go A stream of American senior officials to Israel indicates that the White House is keen to ensure that ceasefire violations do not derail Trump’s so-called peace plan.

A stream of American senior officials to Israel indicates that the White House is keen to ensure that ceasefire violations do not derail Trump’s so-called peace plan, writes Yossi Mekelberg.

Read the new Expert Comment ⤵️
www.chathamhouse.org/2025/10/isra...

What's next for Gaza? A panel of experts discuss reconstruction, governance, security and the future of Palestinian statehood.

🚨 Upcoming webinar: What's next for Gaza?

A panel of experts discuss reconstruction, governance, security and the future of Palestinian statehood.

📅 30 October
⏰ 14.00 GMT
📍 Zoom

Register now ⤵️
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/r...

Iraq elections 2025: How votes are won and what the results could mean for Iraq’s fragile stability Iraq goes to the polls on 11 November. But with few Iraqis expected to actually vote, the real contest lies in how power will be divided among the elites who dominate the system.

Iraq goes to the polls on 11 November. But with few Iraqis expected to actually vote, the real contest lies in how power will be divided among the elites who dominate the system.

Read the new #IraqInitiative explainer by @renadmansour.bsky.social ⤵️
www.chathamhouse.org/2025/10/iraq...

Netanyahu’s concepts collapsed, one by one, as Trump piled on pressure: What next for his government? With the return of hostages, the illusion of ‘total victory’ has passed. Calls for elections in Israel may grow, but Netanyahu will be keen to delay.

With the return of hostages, the illusion of ‘total victory’ has passed, and Netanyahu’s position has changed dramatically. But how likely is it that he loses his grip on power?

Read the new analysis by Ksenia Svetlova ⤵️

www.chathamhouse.org/2025/10/neta...

Egypt is crucial to Trump’s Gaza plan – but fears a security vacuum after an Israeli withdrawal Egypt wants to lock in a long-term commitment from other countries to ensure it is not left to secure Gaza alone.

Egypt is wary of being drawn into a power and security vacuum in Gaza — and left to enforce the peace alone.

Read the latest analysis from Associate Fellow David Butter (@chmenap.bsky.social) for @chathamhouse.org⤵️

Iraq Initiative Conference 2025 At the seventh annual Iraq Initiative conference, Iraqi and international policymakers, experts and civil society, convene in London to explore Iraq’s trajectory in the year ahead.

🚨TODAY: The 2025 #IraqInitiative Conference!

Watch all sessions live 🔽
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/r...

International recognition of Palestine provides hope. Now Palestinians must unite around a national plan Palestinian political factions must come together under the umbrella of the PLO and work with supportive countries to agree an inclusive agenda of reform.

'It is crucial that recognizing countries immediately follow up their commitments by taking concrete measures to help realize the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and counter Israel’s illegal settlement policy,' writes Zizette Darkazally.
www.chathamhouse.org/2025/09/inte...

Palestine is now recognised by the UK. What happens next? After the UK and other leading western nations recognised the State of Palestine, our panel of experts looks at whether and how a functioning state can be brought into being.

🚨TODAY | Palestine is now recognised by the UK. What happens next?

Sanam Vakil, Zizette Darkazally, Stephen Farrell and Yossi Mekelberg look at whether and how a functioning state can be brought into being.

⏲️13.00 BST

Watch the livesteam at 13.00 BST ⬇️
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/s...

International recognition of Palestine provides hope. Now Palestinians must unite around a national plan Palestinian political factions must come together under the umbrella of the PLO and work with supportive countries to agree an inclusive agenda of reform.

'Recognition has been a consistent demand by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and its diplomatic missions. Now that their demand has been realized, what should the Palestinians do?'

Read the new analysis by Zizette Darkazally ⬇️
www.chathamhouse.org/2025/09/inte...

Israel’s attack on Qatar shows why it’s time for a Gulf defence union Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab states would be better served by integrating their defences than relying on other external partners.

'The solution to enhanced Gulf security lies within. It always has, and it’s based on defence integration, or at the very least much improved defence cooperation between the six countries of the GCC,' writes Bilal Y. Saab.

Read the analysis ⬇️
www.chathamhouse.org/2025/09/isra...

Israel has replaced Iran as the biggest security threat to the Gulf states | Sanam Vakil As the US waits on the sidelines, Israel’s actions – as evidenced by the attack on Doha – are becoming increasingly audacious, says Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Afric...

Arab states in the Middle East are concluding that Israel is now the biggest threat to stability in the region.

Read Sanam Vakil's (@chmenap.bsky.social) analysis following Israel's airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar in @theguardian.com ⤵️

Iraq Initiative Conference 2025 At the 7th annual Iraq Initiative conference, Iraqi and international policymakers, experts and civil society, convene in London to explore Iraq’s trajectory in the year ahead.

🚨 Join us on 1 Oct at the 2025 #IraqInitiative Conference!

Only ONE WEEK left to register interest to attend in person at Chatham House. Registration closes on 10 September!

Registration for virtual attendance will remain open.
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/r...

Empowering local actors to ensure climate resilience in Libya - Kalam Political fragmentation and instability have harmed Libya’s ability to manage its natural resources and mitigate the rising impacts of climate change. In

Political fragmentation & instability have harmed Libya’s ability to manage natural resources & mitigate the rising impacts of climate change. Empowering local government, CSOs & the private sector offers the most viable path forward, writes Malak Altaeb.
kalam.chathamhouse.org/articles/emp...

In conversation with HE Dr Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom Next steps on ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and the future for a Palestinian state.

🚨 Upcoming event: In conversation with HE Dr Husam Zomlot, Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK

📅 2 September
🕐 13.00 BST
📍 @chathamhouse.org & online

Register now ⬇️
www.chathamhouse.org/events/all/o...