POMED Notes: “Building a Brighter Future in Syria”
On Friday, May 17, Freedom House hosted a panel discussion titled “Building a Brighter Future in Syria.” Panelists included Kinda Kanbar, a Syrian journalist; Mohammed Aly Sergie, Senior Editor at Syria Deeply; Omar Hossino, a Syria analyst; and Oubab Khalil, Chief of Staff for the National Coalition of Syrian Opposition Forces. Daniel Calingaert, Freedom House Executive Vice President, moderated the discussion. For the full event notes continue reading. Daniel Calingaert introduced the ...
May 17, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Political transition, Sectarianism, Syria, US foreign policy, Women, Youth
Home of Top Shia Cleric Raided in Bahrain
Bahraini authorities raided the home of a prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on Friday. Opposition group al-Wefaq said Qassim was not home at the time of the raid but there were women and children present. A leading human rights activist ...
May 17, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, US foreign policy
Obama Rebuffs Intervention in Syria in Erdoğan Visit
In a White House press briefing Thursday with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Barack Obama reiterated his calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down but offered no new details on the administration's approach to hastening ...
Kerry, Lavrov Optimistic About Syria Talks; UN Passes Resolution
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed optimism Wednesday that the peace talks on the Syrian conflict they're organizing will be successful. After a meeting with Lavrov in Sweden, Kerry said, "Both of ...
May 16, 2013
Category: Conflict, Diplomacy, Featured, Political transition, Syria, United Nations, US foreign policy
Upcoming Event: Iran’s Presidential Election and U.S. Policy
Join POMED for our upcoming event, "Iran's Presidential Election and U.S. Policy," on Friday, May 24 from 10-11:30am at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Choate Room. The panel will include Nazila Fathi, former NYT Tehran correspondent; Ambassador John Limbert, former Deputy Secretary of State for Iran; Mariam Memarsadeghi of Tavaana E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society; and Stephen McInerney, executive director of POMED. Click here to RSVP, and see below for ...
May 16, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Featured, Journalism, Kuwait, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen
POMED Notes: “The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities”
On Wednesday, May 15, the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom held a panel titled, “The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities” to discuss Islamist radicalization in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Panelists included former Pakistani parliamentarian Farahnaz Ispahi; Professor of Iranian, Central Eurasian, and Islamic Studies at Indiana University Jamsheed Choksy; and Executive Director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism Stephen Schwartz. Nina Shea, Hudson ...
May 16, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Sectarianism
POMED Notes – “U.S. Policy Toward Iran”
On Wednesday, May 15, 2013, the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing titled "U.S. Policy Toward Iran." Wendy Sherman, State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs, and David Cohen, Treasury Department Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, testified. Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) presided. For full event notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. In Chairman Menendez's opening statement, he said the United States needs to "double ...
May 15, 2013
Category: Democracy Promotion, Elections, Freedom, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, US foreign policy
Discussing Bill, Brotherhood Upends Morsi’s Judicial Compromise
Egypt's top jurists suspended participation today in a government-backed conference to move forward on judicial reform, reigniting a political showdown with the country's judges. Lawmakers in the Muslim Brotherhood dominated Shura Council announced it would reexamine a contentious proposal opposed ...
May 15, 2013
Category: Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Featured, Legislation, Muslim Brotherhood, Parliament
U.S., Russia to Sponsor Conference on Syria Conflict
During a visit to Russia last week Secretary of State John Kerry announced that Russia would participate in a conference dedicated to the issue of Syria. Russia is among Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest international allies and has regularly
Blogger Escapes from Bahrain, Government Responds
Bahraini blogger and free-speech advocate Ali Abdulemam recently escaped from the Kingdom of Bahrain after more than two years in hiding. A team of people and outside supporters, including artist Tyler Ramsey and human rights groups Amnesty International and the American ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Featured, Human Rights, Protests, Reform
POMED Notes: “American Foreign Policy in Retreat? A Discussion with Vali Nasr”
The Brookings Institution held a discussion titled “American Foreign Policy in Retreat? A Discussion with Vali Nasr” to explore the future of American power and foreign policy engagement. Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Vali Nasr contributed thoughts from his new book. Robert Kagan, Brookings Senior Fellow, contributed to the discussion and Martin Indyk, Vice President and Director for Foreign Policy at Brookings, moderated. For full event notes continue reading or click here for ...
US: Ahmed Maher Arrest “Step Backward” for Egypt
The U.S. State Department has called last week's arrest of April 6 co-founder Ahmed Maher a "step backward" for Egypt's democratic transition. The U.S. has expressed concern about what it sees as a growing trend of arrests against political ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Political Islam, Political transition, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Egypt’s Litigious Transition”
The Atlantic Council hosted an event for the release of their new issue brief titled "Egypt's Litigious Transition." The event featured Mahmoud Hamad, author of the issue brief and Assistant Professor at Drake University, and Yussef Auf, a nonresident fellow at The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. The event was moderated by Dr. Michele Dunne, Director of The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
May 13, 2013
Category: Elections 2012, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Tunisia
Libyan Militias End Gov Siege; Protests Prompt Diplomatic Withdrawal
This weekend saw the end of the nearly two week siege of the foreign and justice ministries by armed militias in Tripoli. The armed groups had besieged the ministries beginning in late April demanding the passage of a ...
May 13, 2013
Category: Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Legislation, Libya, Parliament, Political transition, Protests, US foreign policy
Moroccan Party Withdraws from Government; Obama Calls King
Morocco's second largest political party, Istiqlal, is withdrawing from the coalition government. Istiqlal spokesman Adil Benhamza said, “The party can never remain in a government that continues to pursue policies targeting the buying power of the citizens by raising prices ...
Controversial Iranian Leaders Register as Presidential Candidates
Candidate registration for Iran's upcoming presidential election closed Saturday as two controversial figures, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, registered to appear on the ballot in June. Mashaei, a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani, ...
Press Release: POMED Condemns Arrest of Ahmed Maher
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2013 Project on Middle East Democracy Condemns Arrest of April 6 Leader Ahmed Maher The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) condemns the arrest of April 6 leader Ahmed Maher in Egypt today, Friday, May 10. According to an interior ministry official, Maher is accused of inciting a protest outside the house of Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and is to be detained for four days pending an investigation. ...
POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Tunisia’s Transition: A View from the Field”
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) held a panel discussion on the role of human rights in Tunisia’s constitution-writing process titled “Human Rights in Tunisia’s Transition: A View from the Field” featuring Amel Azzouz, a deputy in Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly from the Ennahda party; Amna Guellali, Human Rights Watch Tunisia Researcher; Stephen McInerney, Executive Director of POMED; and Joyce Kasee, ...
May 9, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Parliament, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia