Bahraini Crown Prince Appointed Deputy PM
Bahrain appointed Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa to the post of Deputy Prime Minister. Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority stated, "This appointment comes in light of efforts to expedite the reform program and oversee their enforcements to the ...
HRW Issues “Inaccurate” Statement, Bahrain Ministry Says
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior issued a press release Saturday rejecting as "wrong and contradictory" a Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement on the country's progress in addressing human rights violations. On a five-day visit ending February 28, Sarah Leah Whitson, ...
March 4, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Courts and Judiciary, Featured, Human Rights, Reform, Yemen
Weekly Wire – March 4th
POMED's Weekly Wire for the week of March 4th is now available. In this edition, we review these and other top stories: Sec. Kerry Announces Release of $250 Million in Aid to Egypt U.S. to Provide Non-Lethal Assistance to Syrian Opposition Rubio Discusses Importance of Human Rights after Middle East Visit Sen. Durbin Issues Statement on Trip to Bahrain Congressmen Urge Morsi to Revise Controversial Draft NGO Law To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click ...
March 4, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Congress, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Syria, US foreign policy, Weekly Wire
U.S. Congressmen Discuss Bahrain, Aid to Egypt
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke to the Senate this week on his recent trip to Bahrain. He emphasized Bahrain's status as a close ally of the United States and expressed hope that the Government of Bahrain will abide by the ...
March 2, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Legislation, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy, US politics
Jalila al-Salman Fired Despite Ongoing Appeal
Jalila al-Salman, former educator and vice president of the Bahrain's Teachers' Association (BTA), received a letter from the Bahraini government informing her that she was fired from her teaching position days after
POMED Notes: “Two Years Later: Prospects for Reform in Bahrain on the Anniversary of the Uprising”
The Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) and Freedom House co-hosted a panel discussion titled "Two Years Later: Prospects for Reform in Bahrain on the Anniversary of the Uprising." The panel members were Frederic Wehrey, Senior Associate, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Mohammed al-Maskati, President, Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, and Maryam al-Khawaja, Acting President, Bahrain Center for Human Rights. The event was ...
Bahraini Officer Killed; Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Updates
The Bahraini government reported that a police officer has been killed after being targeted by "rioters" in an "unprovoked" attack. A press release says, "Mohammed Asif was targeted by rioters in Sehla who shot a projectile that fatally ...
POMED Notes: “The Precarious Ally: Bahrain’s Impasse and U.S. Policy in the Gulf”
On Wednesday, February 13, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a panel discussion entitled “The Precarious Ally: Bahrain’s Impasse and U.S. Policy in the Gulf.” The panel featured Frederic Wehrey, Senior Associate in Carnegie’s Middle East Center, Toby Craig Jones, Professor and Director at Rutgers University’s Center for Middle East Studies, Matar Ebrahim Matar, former Member of Parliament in Bahrain, and Jon Alterman, Director of the Middle East Center ...
February 14, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Conflict, Freedom, Gulf Cooperation Council, Islamist movements, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “The Arab Spring after Two Years: Prospects for Democracy in the Gulf States”
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED)'s International Forum for Democratic Studies and POMED put on a conference on Wednesday (2/13) titled “The Arab Spring after Two Years: Prospects for Democracy in the Gulf States.” Carl Gershman of NED and U.S. Representative James McGovern (D-MA) gave opening remarks. The first panel, “The Future of Reform in the Gulf,” was chaired by Tamara Cofman Wittes of the Brookings Institution and featured Jafar Alshayeb, a ...
February 14, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Event Notes, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Human Rights, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy
U.S. Welcomes Bahrain Dialogue, Analysts’ Criticisms Continue
U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated on Monday that "The United States welcomes the start of Bahrain’s National Dialogue. We’re encouraged by the broad participation of Bahraini political groups in the dialogue." She added, "We view the ...
Bahrain’s Dialogue Begins with “Positive Step”
Bahrain held the first round of its national dialogue on Sunday with dozens of representatives from the main political groups participating. Bahrain's six main opposition parties participated, as did loyalist parties such as the National Unity Gathering and the Salafi group ...
Weekly Wire – February 11
POMED's Weekly Wire for February 11 is now available. This week, we cover these and other top stories: Bahrain National Dialogue Underway Yemen’s National Dialogue Scheduled, Karman to Boycott Libyan Constitutional Commission to be Elected Tunisia Navigates Political Crisis after Opposition Leader's Assassination Assad Spurns Negotiations Offer,Rebels Capture Dam To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.
Carnegie: The Precarious Ally: Bahrain’s Impasse & U.S. Policy
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a paper by Frederic Wehrey titled "The Precarious Ally: Bahrain's Impasse & U.S. Policy." Wehrey describes Bahrain as "a broken country, wracked by simmering violence and social polarization." He argues that "breaking through Bahrain’s impasse is not just a matter of promoting human rights but mitigating potential security challenges to U.S. assets and people." Wehrey acknowledges that U.S. options are limited, but says that it "must ...
February 7, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Political transition, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy
Atlantic Council Issues Report On U.S.-Gulf Relations
The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East has issued a report titled "The United States and the Gulf States: Uncertain Partners in a Changing Region" examining the current state of relations between the U.S. and the Gulf countries and making recommendations for continued cooperation. In the report, Richard LeBaron argues that although there is "continued congruence of interests between the GCC states and the United States," the democratic ...
February 7, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Gulf, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Political transition, Qatar, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
February 6, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Featured, Political transition, Protests, Reform
Bahrainis Protest Dialogue, Dispersed By Police
Police used tear gas and stun grenades in Manama yesterday to break up protests organized by Shi'ite opposition groups. The Interior Ministry had previously refused to give permission for the demonstration, claiming it was illegal and promising punishment for ...
January 26, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Conflict, Featured, Human Rights, Protests, Reform, Uncategorized
U.S. “Welcomes” Bahrain Govt Call for Dialogue
After King Hamad called for renewed dialogue with opposition, the U.S. State Department welcomed the development. The full statement from Victoria Nuland reads: "The United States welcomes His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s call to launch ...
