Since 2011, the Arab world has undergone massive upheavals—geopolitical shifts, climate shocks, mounting economic pressures, and authoritarian restructuring, to name a few. Dynamic responses from governments and citizens are laying the shape of the next decade.

This debate presents two dynamics animating the current political scene in Kuwait. The first article considers the new parliament's prospects for success amidst ongoing political battles while the second piece discusses the nature of the distinctions between Sunni and Shia Islamists in the parliament.

Religious authority is an increasingly influential but poorly understood source of power in governments throughout the Middle East. Who speaks for Islam in the region? How do Islamists and fundamentalists harness and exert religious authority, despite Islam’s largely decentralized power structure?

In the face of poor election results for the last five years, Bahrain’s Sunni Islamists have fallen back on the loyalism and political quiescence common to oil-rich states.