Century International
@centuryintl.bsky.social
@tcfdotorg.bsky.social's Center for International Research and Policy, focused on the human impact of global policy. We are independent, critical, and progressive.
US leaders should instead concern themselves with Iraq’s democratic maturity, writes @sajadjiyad.bsky.social. After all, Iraq's development—more than the ideology of its government—is the true key to making it a more positive influence in an unstable region. (3/3)
November 6, 2025 at 2:21 PM
US leaders should instead concern themselves with Iraq’s democratic maturity, writes @sajadjiyad.bsky.social. After all, Iraq's development—more than the ideology of its government—is the true key to making it a more positive influence in an unstable region. (3/3)
Jiyad argues that there should be a completely different concern about Iraq’s election: the apathy of voters in the face of a serially disappointing Iraqi political class. tcf.org/content/comm... (2/3)
Apathy and Skepticism Cloud Iraq’s Upcoming Election
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Jiyad argues that there should be a completely different concern about Iraq’s election: the apathy of voters in the face of a serially disappointing Iraqi political class. tcf.org/content/comm... (2/3)
Technical snafu, apologies! Link is open now tcf.org/content/comm...
A Catch-22 of Suspicion Imperils Syria’s Transition to Democracy
There was a brief moment after Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed last December when the impossible felt possible in Syria. As Ahmed al-Sharaa’s jihadists
tcf.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Technical snafu, apologies! Link is open now tcf.org/content/comm...
Technical snafu, apologies! Link is open now tcf.org/content/comm...
A Catch-22 of Suspicion Imperils Syria’s Transition to Democracy
There was a brief moment after Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed last December when the impossible felt possible in Syria. As Ahmed al-Sharaa’s jihadists
tcf.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Technical snafu, apologies! Link is open now tcf.org/content/comm...
@anasjoudeh.bsky.social writes that, until Syria addresses its trust deficit with steps like measured decentralization, its transition to democracy will remain stalled before it begins. tcf.org/content/comm... (5/5)
A Catch-22 of Suspicion Imperils Syria’s Transition to Democracy
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
@anasjoudeh.bsky.social writes that, until Syria addresses its trust deficit with steps like measured decentralization, its transition to democracy will remain stalled before it begins. tcf.org/content/comm... (5/5)
A cold and familiar suspicion—between communities, and between citizens and the government—has again settled across the country. (4/5)
A Catch-22 of Suspicion Imperils Syria’s Transition to Democracy
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
A cold and familiar suspicion—between communities, and between citizens and the government—has again settled across the country. (4/5)
Since then, initiatives that might have opened space for cooperation have repeatedly failed, not because the goals were impossible, but because each party assumed betrayal. (3/5)
A Catch-22 of Suspicion Imperils Syria’s Transition to Democracy
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Since then, initiatives that might have opened space for cooperation have repeatedly failed, not because the goals were impossible, but because each party assumed betrayal. (3/5)
By March, paramilitary groups allied with the new government were massacring Alawite civilians on the coast—spurred on by prejudice and rumors of regime sympathizers. (2/5)
A Catch-22 of Suspicion Imperils Syria’s Transition to Democracy
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
By March, paramilitary groups allied with the new government were massacring Alawite civilians on the coast—spurred on by prejudice and rumors of regime sympathizers. (2/5)
The “bad borders” myth has only masked the true sources of problems in the region. tcf.org/content/repo... (5/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
The “bad borders” myth has only masked the true sources of problems in the region. tcf.org/content/repo... (5/5)
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social ‘s history of Middle Eastern border creation, richly illustrated with historical maps, shows that there is nothing exceptionally conflict-prone about the shape of regional states. (4/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social ‘s history of Middle Eastern border creation, richly illustrated with historical maps, shows that there is nothing exceptionally conflict-prone about the shape of regional states. (4/5)
Rather, those borders only became problematic because of the way MENA regimes and their colonial antecedents tied citizenship rights to ethnic and religious identity. (3/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Rather, those borders only became problematic because of the way MENA regimes and their colonial antecedents tied citizenship rights to ethnic and religious identity. (3/5)
But in a new report, fellow @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social argues that it’s not the location of borders in the Middle East that has predisposed some regional countries to strife. (2/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
But in a new report, fellow @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social argues that it’s not the location of borders in the Middle East that has predisposed some regional countries to strife. (2/5)
As Iraq looks toward the future, the central tension between militias and the state remains the single greatest obstacle to its stability. Read more: tcf.org/content/repo... (5/5)
Integrate, Normalize, or Fight: Choices Facing the Shia Armed Factions in Iraq
Iraq’s two-decade-long state-building project is facing a precarious moment. On the one hand, the country is closer than ever to having a functioning
tcf.org
October 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
As Iraq looks toward the future, the central tension between militias and the state remains the single greatest obstacle to its stability. Read more: tcf.org/content/repo... (5/5)
In a new report, CI fellow @sajadjiyad.bsky.social argues that to forge a stable state, Iraqis need space to resolve their disputes independently and on their own time. (4/5)
Integrate, Normalize, or Fight: Choices Facing the Shia Armed Factions in Iraq
Iraq’s two-decade-long state-building project is facing a precarious moment. On the one hand, the country is closer than ever to having a functioning
tcf.org
October 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
In a new report, CI fellow @sajadjiyad.bsky.social argues that to forge a stable state, Iraqis need space to resolve their disputes independently and on their own time. (4/5)
US and international policymakers want to sideline the Islamic Resistance groups because of their ties to Iran, and for other other geopolitical reasons—but US pressure hampers Iraqi governance efforts. (3/5)
Integrate, Normalize, or Fight: Choices Facing the Shia Armed Factions in Iraq
Iraq’s two-decade-long state-building project is facing a precarious moment. On the one hand, the country is closer than ever to having a functioning
tcf.org
October 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
US and international policymakers want to sideline the Islamic Resistance groups because of their ties to Iran, and for other other geopolitical reasons—but US pressure hampers Iraqi governance efforts. (3/5)
At the heart of the struggle for the state is the rivalry between competing Shia coalitions: the Coordination Framework, which wants a modern state, and the Islamic Resistance groups, which prefer fragmented authority. (2/5)
Integrate, Normalize, or Fight: Choices Facing the Shia Armed Factions in Iraq
Iraq’s two-decade-long state-building project is facing a precarious moment. On the one hand, the country is closer than ever to having a functioning
tcf.org
October 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
At the heart of the struggle for the state is the rivalry between competing Shia coalitions: the Coordination Framework, which wants a modern state, and the Islamic Resistance groups, which prefer fragmented authority. (2/5)
Time is running out. The international order is collapsing. Progressives need to offer an alternative policy when it can still save lives. tcf.org/content/comm.... (5/5)
Progressives Can Lead With a Just Foreign Policy. First, They Must Confront Their Mistakes.
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
September 23, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Time is running out. The international order is collapsing. Progressives need to offer an alternative policy when it can still save lives. tcf.org/content/comm.... (5/5)
And progressives need a bold new vision based on three core features: the rule of law, moral clarity, and accountability. (4/5)
September 23, 2025 at 1:24 PM
And progressives need a bold new vision based on three core features: the rule of law, moral clarity, and accountability. (4/5)
Progressives need to stop running from fights and start embracing tough debates—about Palestine, counterterrorism, and how to deliver security without authoritarianism and forever war. (3/5)
September 23, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Progressives need to stop running from fights and start embracing tough debates—about Palestine, counterterrorism, and how to deliver security without authoritarianism and forever war. (3/5)
In a new commentary, CI’s @eamonka.bsky.social and @tcambanis.bsky.social argue that progressives need a radical change in their approach on foreign policy. tcf.org/content/comm... (2/5)
Progressives Can Lead With a Just Foreign Policy. First, They Must Confront Their Mistakes.
The Century Foundation The Century Foundation The Century Foundation
tcf.org
September 23, 2025 at 1:24 PM
In a new commentary, CI’s @eamonka.bsky.social and @tcambanis.bsky.social argue that progressives need a radical change in their approach on foreign policy. tcf.org/content/comm... (2/5)