The United Nations released its 2010 Human Development Report yesterday, titled "The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development." This year's report, which includes new indices to adjust for inequality, women’s disadvantage, and multidimensional poverty, found that of the countries measured, Oman's Human Development Index (HDI) score improved the most over the last 40 years. Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco also improved considerably. Overall, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and ...

The second annual Asda’a Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey reveals overwhelming support for democracy among those between the ages of 18 - 24, ranging from a low of 85 percent in Oman to a high 99 percent in Kuwait. Also notable are the figures relating to technology and preferred methods of communication: Four out of five own a mobile phone; 60 percent use the Internet at least once daily; Google, Facebook, ...

Middle East Online reports that the media scene is growing in Oman after a royal decree "heralded a new era in broadcasting, bringing to an end more than three decades of dominance by the state-owned electronic media." The country now boasts four English newspapers and several mainstream Arabic papers and journals.  There are now three privately owned radio stations and the government is attempting to draw new investment into the ...

The NY Times has an interesting article on the "stirrings of discontent" in Oman. Michael Slackman explains, "as the quiet calls for change spread, there are some signs that Oman is taking the familiar approach of authoritarian states in the Middle East, relying on security services and restrictive laws to silence and frighten the people. A recently amended law allows the government to prosecute anyone associated with a web site ...

The control of central governments is growing weaker throughout the Arab world writes Rami Khouri from the Daily Star. The power has begun to shift “into the hands of Islamized urban quarters, armed militias, ethnic-based parties, neighborhood thugs, autonomous regional authorities, multinational corporations, and private-sector commercial real estate firms.” The influence of non-state actors was shown during the 2006 battle between Hezbollah and Israel, when Israel was forced to accept a ...

Bernd Debusmann, in an article in the Daily Star, points out that for the first time in their history the Gulf states are setting aside more money for education than for arms. He suggests this will lead to more reform. However, he points out that "while those driving the education train see it as the start of an Arab renaissance, religious conservatives see an assault on traditional values." ...

Event Summary Yesterday, Project on Middle East Democracy and Freedom House presented a panel of speakers addressing the issue of reform in Saudi Arabia and the other Arab Gulf states. Thomas Melia, Deputy Executive Director of Freedom House and former Director of Middle East Programs at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and Ali Alyami, Executive Director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, spoke on ...

Ellee Seymour contrasts the election of Argentina's first woman president with the election in Oman where no women candidates were elected. She notes that it is particularly disappointing because a record number of women ran this time and it is reported that more women than men turned out to vote at some polling stations. She gives some possible explanations for this result.An article in The Peninsula, an English ...

On Saturday, Omani citizens voted for representatives to their country's consultative council, which serves in an advisory role to the monarch and government ministers. Despite a record number of female candidates, no women won a seat on the council, though a high voter turnout has been hailed as a positive sign by Oman's government.

Rafiah Al-Talei, in the Daily Star, argues that Oman's Shura Council, though touted as a step toward democracy, has no power and is essentially meaningless. He discusses many problems with the council, including that the president is appointed by the Sultan and that its role is not even truly consultative.

The September issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is now available. It includes a look at scenarios for the presidential election in Lebanon, an examination of the election in Morocco, and an article about aspirations for electoral changes in Oman. It also contains news and views about human rights issues in the Middle East. The whole issue is a highly ...