May 13, 2013
Category: Elections 2012, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Tunisia
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
Freedom House: Press Freedom Declined in MENA, Globally
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 ...
May 1, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Journalism, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Tunisia
The State Department released its 2012 Human Rights Practices Report for Tunisia, which details a number of challenges including “security force laxity regarding extremist crimes, the use of excessive force during protester arrests, and some constraints on freedom of ...
April 23, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Courts and Judiciary, Featured, Human Rights, Journalism, NGOs, Protests, Tunisia, US foreign policy
April 20, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Political transition, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
Senator McCain Visits Libya; Tunisia a “Militant Haven”
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) visited Libya on Thursday for the fifth time since the country's revolution. He met with Prime Minister Ali Zidane, the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Defense, and Justice, and the president of Libya's General National ...
April 4, 2013
Category: al-Qaeda, Conflict, Congress, Featured, Islamist movements, Libya, Political transition, Tunisia
Islamist Vigilantism Threatening Tunisia’s Future
In a piece for Foreign Policy, David Gartenstein-Ross urges the U.S. and the international community to press Tunisian officials to prosecute vigilantes responsible for acts of violence , obstruction of justice and threats to freedom of expression throughout the ...
March 27, 2013
Category: al-Qaeda, Civil Liberties, Featured, Freedom, Islamist movements, Secularism, Tunisia
POMED Notes: “The Struggle for Democracy in Tunisia”
On Wednesday, March 20, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Georgetown University, and the Conflict Management Program at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies hosted a two-panel discussion featuring a delegation of prominent Tunisian academics. For complete event notes, continue reading or click here for the PDF. Daniel Brumberg, Senior Adviser at USIP and Co-Director of Georgetown University's Democracy and Civil Society Program, gave ...
March 22, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Freedom, Political Islam, Political transition, Tunisia, Women
Reform in Morocco “Real” but “Modest,” Pollock Says
In a recent piece for Al-Monitor, David Pollock outlines two prevalent and opposing views of Morocco’s political transition since the Arab Spring. Some analysts and Moroccan officials point to Morocco’s ability to change while maintaining stability as a possible ...
March 17, 2013
Category: Elections, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Morocco, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia
Weekly Wire – March 11
POMED's Weekly Wire for March 11th is now available. This week we highlight the following top stories: Deputy Sec. of State Burns Attends Friends of Yemen Meeting Tunisia Announces New Cabinet U.S. Calls for Transparency in UAE Dissidents' Trial Egypt's Parliamentary Elections Delayed; Police Begin Strike Sen. Rubio Critical of Recently Pledged Egypt Aid To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.
Tunisian PM Announces New Cabinet Line-up
Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh announced a new Ennahda-led coalition government Friday. Political uncertainty followed the assassination of leftist politician Chokri Belaid in February and left the Tunisian government in a state of paralysis over the formation of ...
Video of the Day: BBC Interview with Ennahda President Rachid Ghannuchi
In the video above, Stephen Sackur interviews Rachid Ghannuchi, the president of Tunisia's ruling Islamist Ennahda party.
POMED Notes: “Constitutionalism and Human Rights in Tunisia: The Islamist-led Democratic Transition Post-Arab Spring
On Tuesday, March 5, 2013, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at The Johns Hopkins University and the Maghreb Center hosted a conference titled "Constitutionalism and Human Rights in Tunisia: the Islamist-led Democratic Transition Post-Arab Spring." The opening remarks for the conference were conducted by Dr. Nejib Ayachi, President of the Maghreb Center, Dr. Mohammed Mattar, Executive Director of The Protection Project at SAIS, and Issam Saliba, Secretary of ...
March 7, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Courts and Judiciary, Democracy Promotion, Economics, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Journalism, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia, Women, Youth
POMED Notes: “The Resistible Rise of the Islamists?”
The Woodrow Wilson Center held an event titled “The Resistible Rise of the Islamists?” on February 27th featuring Marina Ottaway, Senior Scholar at the Wilson Center, and Les Campbell, Senior Associate and Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa at the National Democratic Institute. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, moderated. The event coincided with the release of Ottaway’s paper “The Resistible Rise of Islamist Parties.” For full event ...
February 28, 2013
Category: Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Islamist movements, Morocco, Muslim Brotherhood, Tunisia
POMED’s Weekly Wire – February 25
POMED's Weekly Wire newsletter for the week of February 25th is now available. In this edition, we cover the following top stories: Sec. Kerry Preps for Egypt Visit, Morsi Announces Election Date Sen. Corker Meets with Tunisian Officials, New PM Chosen Lebanese Legislative Committees Approve Draft Elec. Law Yemeni Dialogue Planning Stalls amid Resignations, Protester Deaths Iranian Supreme Leader Meets with Reformists To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.
POMED Video of the Day: POMEPS Conversation with Matthew Buehler on Morocco’s PJD, Mauritanian Politics
In its latest conversation, the Project on Middle East Political Science's Marc Lynch hosted a conversation with doctoral candidate Matthew Buehler. In the interview, Buehler discusses the political landscape in Morocco and the PJD's role since the November 2011 elections, as well as the political situation in Mauritania. Buehler's doctoral dissertation compares the success and failure of opposition alliances between Islamists and leftists in the Arab Spring, specifically in Tunisia, Morocco, and ...
February 22, 2013
Category: Mauritania, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia
Ex-Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali Declines Return
After discussions with Ennahda leaders and President Moncef Marzouki, Hamadi Jebali declined Ennahda's offer for him to resume his post as Tunisia's Prime Minister. After failing to gain enough support for his technocratic government proposal over the weekend, Jebali kept his ...
Video of the Day: Shadi Hamid Talks Political Islam
In a recent interview with Tunisia Live, Shadi Hamid, Research Director at Brookings Doha Center, discusses political Islam in Tunisia and the political landscape in which Ennahda operates.
Tunisian PM Resigns After Technocrat Government Proposal Fails
Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned from his post on Tuesday after Ennahda, his own party, rejected his plan to form a government of technocrats. "I vowed that if my initiative did not succeed, I would resign and I have ...