The political stand-off in Libya's capital continued after armed militias, who were demanding passage of a political isolation law, refused to leave their posts after the law was passed by parliament. Instead, after having their demands met, the militias formed an ...

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation that would significantly increase the U.S.'s involvement in the Syrian conflict. The Syria Stabilization Act of 2013 has five components: the authority to provide weapons, training, and non-lethal supplies to ...

After weeks of speculation on an imminent cabinet reshuffle, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Tuesday named nine new ministers to his government. The overhaul, the second by Morsi since his election in June, adds two additional members of the ...

POMED has released its latest policy brief, "Reform Politics and Iran's June Presidential Election," by Farideh Farhi. As the Islamic Republic of Iran approaches its eleventh presidential election, the conflicting impulses that have shaped its 34-year life are once again manifest. ...

Bahraini lawmakers are urging their government to stop the U.S. ambassador from "interfering in domestic affairs," and attending "repeated meetings with those who inspire sedition." The government has agreed to the proposal and said they would take diplomatic measures, but ...

Libya's parliament passed a law on Sunday that will ban a wide range of Gaddafi-era officials from positions in the new government, following demands from armed militias who surrounded government buildings in Tripoli last week. Following the vote, parliament spokesman Omar Hmaiden ...

Results of Iraq's provincial elections, which took place two weeks ago, were released on Saturday. The results indicate that the Shia-dominated coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki received the most votes in seven of twelve districts. However, ...

Iranian politicians and clerics have increased their vocal criticism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a continuation of recent public infighting. In a variety of media outlets, they have blamed Ahmadinejad rather than international sanctions for the poor state ...

On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Alliance announced that its ministers and members of parliament would resume participation in Iraq's government. The State Department's Acting Deputy Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said that the U.S. urges "all parties to build on this ...

General Salim Idris, the top commander of the Free Syrian Army, is urging President Obama to intervene in the country's conflict and help defeat Assad's army after American officials confirmed last week the use of chemical weapons ...

In April, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) issued its annual report covering February 2012 through January 2013. From the MENA region, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were listed as "Countries of Particular Concern" and Bahrain and Turkey were ...

Freedom House released its annual report on freedom of the press around the world in 2012. The report identified a global decline, asserting that "the percentage of people worldwide who enjoy a free media environment fell to its ...

Increasing incidents of violence have swept across Iraq in recent weeks and Reuters reports that "tensions are at their highest in Iraq since U.S. troops pulled out more than a year ago." Bombings on Monday and Wednesday ...

On Tuesday, Bahrain's foreign ministry and members of its parliament rejected the U.S. Department of State's 2012 report on human rights practices in the country, released on April 19th. The foreign ministry stated that "the report lacks objectivity ...