POMED Notes: Dynamic Gulf Conference-”A New Ruling Bargain- Reform and Gulf Elite Dynamics”

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) co-hosted a conference titled "Dynamic Gulf: Forces of Change in a Strategic Region." The second panel, “A New Ruling Bargain? Reform and Gulf Elite Dynamics,” was moderated by Prof. Marc Lynch, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the George Washington University, and featured panelists Andrew Hammond, former Reuters correspondent for Saudi Arabia, Ali Al Shihabi, ...

Photo Credit: State Department

Sec. Kerry Visits Oman; Al-Wefaq Suspends Dialogue Participation

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Oman on Tuesday to help finalize a $2.1 billion defense pact. In a joint statement, the U.S. and the Government of Oman announced "a deal for the acquisition of a U.S. manufactured ...

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Sec. Kerry to Travel to the Middle East

From May 21 to May 27, Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to the Middle East. His visit will begin in Oman, and then he will move to Jordan, Israel, the West Bank. In Jordan, Kerry will ...

Photo Credit: AFP

State Department Human Rights Country Report: Oman

The State Department's 2012 report on human rights practices in Oman found the principal problems to be "the inability of citizens to change their government, limits on freedom of speech and assembly, and discrimination against women, including political and ...

Photo Credit: Reuters/Mona Sharaf

State Dept. Releases 2012 Human Rights Country Reports

The State Department released the 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. These reports provide detailed assessments of the status of human rights around the world. Uzra Zeya, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,

Photo Credit: AP

Oman Pardons Activists, Analyst Criticizes UAE

Omani Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed has pardoned all activists who were imprisoned for insulting the Sultan and violating the country’s cyber laws.  The state news agency said, "His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has issued a royal pardon for those convicted of ...

Photo Credit: Reuters

Opposition Groups Create New Coalition in Kuwait

Opposition forces in Kuwait  announced the formation of a new alliance Sunday. The Opposition Coalition will bring together a wide spectrum of political groups under one umbrella, with the objective of reinvigorating the country's protest movement. The announcement was ...

Photo Credit: EPA/MAZEN MAHDI

Bahrain Dialogue, “UAE 94″ Case, Oman Hunger Strike Continue

Bahrain's national dialogue continued Wednesday evening with the pro-government participants demanding that the opposition publicly condemn street violence. The spokesman for the opposition groups, Jameel Kadhem, refused to single out the street violence, saying before the session that "all ...

Bahraini protestors clash with security forces

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 ...

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 ...

Photo Credit:  Mashable

Omani Cyber Activists’ Prison Convictions Upheld

An Omani appellate court on Wednesday upheld the convictions of eight bloggers charged with cyber crimes and insulting the country's leader, Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed, last spring.  The convictions were originally handed down in a court of ...

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Freedom House: “Middle East Gains Provoke Intensified Repression”

Freedom House released on Wednesday a report titled "Freedom in the World 2013: Middle East Gains Provoke Intensified Repression."   Freedom House found "impressive gains" in the past year despite being a region "notable for sectarian polarization, ...

Photo Credit: Oman Observer

Oman Holds Municipal Elections; Kuwait Closes al-Youm

Omanis abroad began voting earlier this week in Oman's first municipal council elections, which will conclude with the official voting day of December 22. Omanis have a choice of 1,475 candidates, including 46 women, to fill ...

Photo Credit: Middle East Online

Oman Announces Date for Municipal Elections

Interior Minister Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal al-Busaidi of Oman announced today that elections for Municipal Councils will be held on December 22. Roughly 1,636 candidates, including 49 women, will compete for a total of 192 seats in ...

Photo Credit: Arabian Business

Toby Jones: Embracing Crisis in the Gulf

Toby Jones, in a featured article for the Middle East Research and Information Report, discussed how opposition movements in the Gulf countries are affecting the United States. Jones argues the key task for the U.S. "is to aid ...

Photo Credit: POMED

POMED Notes: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf

The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted a panel discussion Wednesday, titled "Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf." The panel included Maryam al-Khawaja, Acting President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Deputy Director of ...

Upcoming POMED Event: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf

The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) presents: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf  Wednesday, September 26, 2012 SEIU Headquarters, First Floor Conference Room (1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW) 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (A light lunch will be available at noon.) While 2011 and 2012 have witnessed unprecedented changes across the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and ...

Oman's Sultan

Six Men Jailed for Slander in Oman

Six men were sentenced  to prison for slander by an Omani court on September 10. The sentences, ranging from 1 year to 18 months, referenced the defendants' criticism of the government. The men, Is’hac bin Sultan bin Yusuf al-AghbariIsmail bin Ali ...

Photo Caption: Muhammed Muheisen/AP

BBC Profiles Arab Uprisings, Country by Country

The BBC has published a brief overview of uprisings across the Middle East, from the incremental reform movement in Morocco, to the sectarian clashes in Bahrain. In Egypt, the BBC reports that protests were "driven by poverty, rising prices, ...

Photo Credit: Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Ali Shuaib

Oman Jails 12 for Illegal Gathering, 8 for Incitement

According to Reuters, an Omani court sentenced 12 people to up to one year in jail for "illegal gathering" Wednesday, in what appears to be continued dissent over joblessness and the pace of reform. The 12 defendants are  now arranging ...

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