Author Archive

Shadi Hamid

Shadi Hamid
Shadi Hamid is a fellow at the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center, and the author of Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in a New Middle East. Hamid's research focuses on democratization and the role of Islamist movements in the Arab world. Prior to joining Brookings, he was director of research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. He has written on the Middle East and U.S. policy for The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, Slate, The National Interest, Foreign Policy, Journal of Democracy, and many other publications. He has appeared as a guest on NBC Nightly News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour, and Al Jazeera. Hamid received his B.S. and M.A. from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and his Ph.D. in political science from Oxford University. His previous publications can be found at the Brookings Institution.
Ideas

China Is Avoiding Blame by Trolling the World

Beijing is successfully dodging culpability for its role in spreading the coronavirus.

Ideas

The Lessons of 'American War'

What holds a society together in the absence of common ideas?

Ideas

Seven Dubious Arguments for Not Fighting Assad

Intervention may not be the right choice. But we should at least be clear about what we are—and aren’t—debating.

Ideas

The World Needs the American Military

It’s fiction to pretend that the most powerful nation can ever be truly “neutral” in foreign conflicts.

Threats

Is ISIS Rational?

Why trying to think like ISIS is so hard—and risky.

Ideas

Was the Iran Deal Worth It?

Obama has secured an admirable agreement, but at tremendous cost.

Ideas

The Roots of the Islamic State's Appeal

ISIS's rise is related to Islam. The question is: How? By Shadi Hamid

Ideas

Democracy's Future in the Middle East

Across the region, power struggles mask a more fundamental divide over the meaning of the modern nation-state. By Shadi Hamid

Policy

Why Did We Suspend Aid to Egypt Again?

It's business as usual between Washington and Cairo, and the so-called-cuts were nothing but slaps on the wrists of Egypt's generals. By Shadi Hamid

Threats

Why America Has to Work With Syria's Islamist Rebels

Washington's policymakers need to put the affiliation of Syria's rebel groups in the context of local politics. By Shadi Hamid

Policy

The Winner of the U.S.-Russia Deal? Bashar Al-Assad

Syria's strongman was effectively strengthened by a deal that lets him stay in power without the possible threat of U.S. military involvement. By Shadi Hamid