Social and Political Change

Analyzing social and political trends throughout the region

For more than a decade, calls for social and political change have ricocheted throughout the region. Governments have responded, and their citizens have responded as well. The consequences of the resultant alliances and struggles affect events in individual countries, inspire regional observers, and help shape how governments engage regionally and globally. The Middle East Program tracks social and political trends on a national and regional level to better understand where the region is heading over the next few decades and where it came from.

 

Featured Analysis

Photo: OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Syria’s Promise and Challenges One Year After Assad’s Fall

A year after Assad’s fall, the promise of a new Syria hinges on the transitional government’s ability to garner domestic and international support. 

Brief by Mona Yacoubian and Will Todman — December 4, 2025

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Featured Projects

Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images

Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism

The Arab world is experiencing a revolution. States have relied on pyramids of authority that reach down through society, often through tribes into families. Yet those ties are fraying, and individualism is rising.

Report by Jon B. Alterman — December 2, 2019

Photo: NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images

Work on the Move

Bolstering livelihoods for displaced populations in the Middle East

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Lebanon Finally Elects a President

On January 9, Lebanon’s parliament elected General Joseph Aoun as president following 12 failed attempts to elect a president. Middle East Program deputy director and senior fellow Will Todman answers critical questions about Lebanon’s latest political developments.

Critical Questions by Will Todman — January 10, 2025

Audio Briefs

Lebanon Finally Elects a President

An audio version of “Lebanon Finally Elects a President,” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Will Todman. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Will Todman — January 10, 2025

Audio Briefs

The Elected Autocrat: Why Rigged Elections Matter

Autocrats care about the results of their elections. The United States has new opportunities to use recent elections in North Africa and Latin America to push for reform in closed political environments.

Commentary by Martin Pimentel and Rubi Bledsoe — October 23, 2024

Do Leaders Want Gaza Negotiations to Succeed?

The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have called for Israel and Hamas to come together on Thursday to reach a ceasefire deal. While the meeting may take place, there is no good public evidence that either leadership believes it is done fighting.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — August 9, 2024

A Fishy Business in Port Said

As Egypt’s economic crisis continues, price hikes have hit the fish market especially hard. In response, Egyptians in Port Said have turned to a fishy boycott to express displeasure. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Blog Post by Salmah Elmasry — July 30, 2024

Israel’s Not-Quite-Founder’s Syndrome

As Israel becomes increasingly bogged down in Gaza, Jon Alterman argues that Israeli leadership does not have a strategy to exit the conflict.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — March 11, 2024

A Different Two-State Solution

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has brought the two-state solution back to the forefront. Jon Alterman explains that reviving the solution will require expanding definitions and reimagining relations between Israel and Palestine.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — January 10, 2024

Israel’s Third Juncture in History

Jon B. Alterman, director of the Middle East Program, argues that Israel is facing a third juncture in its history. The current judicial reform bill will shape the kind of democracy it becomes and risks permanently disenfranchising millions of Israelis.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — July 24, 2023