tests. Although this may sound like progress, the changes mean little for this year's election. For one thing, candidates must first be approved by the Supreme Constitutional Court, which is appointed by Assad. This fact, coupled with the ongoing state of war, the vast number of displaced citizens, and the heavy role of regime

ck the removal of Morsi) from political negotiations. Without their support, the new executive led by interim president Adly Mansour (former head of the Supreme Constitutional Court) now lacks Islamist players. Indeed, the new cabinet sworn in on July 9th does not comprise a single Islamist. Nonetheless, the executive continues