Noteworthy report from the Arab Reform Initiative

The second annual report of the Arab Reform Initiative has just been released. The first report remains available. The reports include analytical studies, particularly noteworthy for the Maghrib, systematic data, and a ranking of the reform progress of ten Arab states based on 40 evaluative dimensions. The latest report shows some limited progress, with Jordan scoring 620 points on a 1,000 point scale. Jordan is followed by Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Kuwait, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, with Saudi Arabia bringing up the end of the column of slowly reforming states. The report emphasizes that the institutional apparatus of democratic reform are often in place, but the will to implement change remains weak.