POMED Notes: “Empowering Civil Society After the Arab Spring”
On Friday, Freedom House hosted their Director in Egypt and Tunisia at their office in order to share updates on socio-political situations in the respective countries, and NGO operations in the current challenging environment. Dr. Nancy Okail, director of Freedom House in Egypt and Fathi Zabaar, director of Freed House in Tunisia shared thoughts on the developing situation. Charles Dunne, director of the Middle East and North Africa programs at ...
April 20, 2012
Category: Civil Society, DC Event Notes, Egypt, Political transition, Reform, Rule of Law, Tunisia, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: The Islamists Are Coming: Who They Really Are
On Wednesday, the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted an event discussing the first book to analyze the rise of Islamist groups in the wake of the Arab Spring. The speakers were Robin Wright, a USIP-Wilson Center distinguished scholar, Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at Georgetown University, Samer Shehata, an assistant professor of Arab politics at Georgetown University, and David Ottaway, a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center. ...
April 20, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Constitutional Issues, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Event Notes, Morocco, Tunisia
The Arab Spring: One Year Later
On Wednesday, the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, along with the French Embassy to the United States and the Alliance Française hosted a discussion titled “The Arab Spring: One Year Later.” The panelists discussed the rapidity of the events which are irreversibly altering the face of the Middle East that have unequivocally called into question the ability of political analyses to provide the necessary tools for ...
From Transitional Justice to National Reconciliation in Tunisia
On April 14, a National Dialogue on Transitional Justice was launched (French) by the three leaders of the Government Troika: the President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki (Congress for the Republic party), the Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali (Ennahda movement) and the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly Mustapha ...
Tunisian’s Government Lift Ban on Demonstrations on Tunis Main Boulevard
On Wednesday, the Tunisian government reversed the law banning demonstrations on Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis. Bourghiba avenue was the focal point where Tunisians demonstrated until the step down of former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The decision to ban demonstrations ...
Rami Khoury: The Counter-Revolution is in Full Swing
Rami Khoury writes in the Daily Star today that the fight to “beat back the revolutionary democratic waves” sweeping across the Arab world “is now in full swing.” This counterrevolution, he writes, is evidenced in Washington’s “rock solid ...
April 11, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Countries, Egypt, Featured, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Monarchy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
“Martyrs Day” Commemoration in Tunisia Met With Violence
Reuters reported that police clashed with some 2,000 anti-government protesters marching on Monday to commemorate “Martyrs Day,” a day remembering the suppression of pro-independence demonstrators by the French. The protesters marched on Habib Bourguiba Avenue defying a ban ...
POMED Notes: “Islamists in Power: Views from Within”
On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a conference with high-level representatives of Islamist parties from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Libya. Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, gave opening remarks. The first panel, titled “Building New Regimes After the Uprising,” featured Mustapha Elkhalfi, Moroccan minister of communication, Abdul Mawgoud Rageh Dardery, member of parliament for the Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt, Nahil ...
April 6, 2012
Category: Egypt, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
POMED Notes: “Economic Challenges of Transition”
On Thursday, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a one-day conference with high-level representatives of Islamist parties from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya. The Third panel of speakers discussed the “Economic Challenges of Transition,” featuring Mondher Ben Ayed, president and CEO of TMI and Oradist (Tunisia), Nael Al-Masalha, chairman and director of Al-Essra Hospital (Jordan), and Hussein Elkazzaz, managing director and co-founder of SKPOS Consulting (Egypt). Massood Ahmed, Director ...
“The Decline of Political Islam in the Arab World”
In Time Magazine, Tony Karon writes that the U.S. may be happy with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) nominating Khairet al Shater for the presidency, and desire a MB dominated Egypt. Liberals, seculars, and even members of the Brotherhood ...
April 4, 2012
Category: Egypt, Elections, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Tunisia, US foreign policy
State of Emergency Extended in Tunisia
A video about the security situation in Tunisia On Sunday, the current state of emergency was extended until the end of April. Tunisian interim president Moncef Marzouki originally extended the state of emergency from December 2011 until March 31, 2012. The state of emergency was applied the first time in January1978, by former president Habib Bourguiba and put again into effect three times in 2011. The decision to extended the state of emergency was made after Marzouki consulted with the ...
No Sharia’a Law in the New Tunisian Constitution
A performance by Tunisian Association for Drama Arts was was interrupted when members of the Salafi movement disrupted the cultural events and damaged equipment in the main theater of the city on Bourguiba Avenue. The protests lead by the radicals group gathered thousands of Tunisian who ...
March 26, 2012
Category: Constitutional Issues, Elections, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Legislation, Middle Eastern Media, Political transition, Protests, Secularism, Tunisia
POMED Notes: “The Rise of Islamist Parties in the New Middle East”
On Thursday, the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University hosted a discussion entitled ‘The Rise of Islamist Parties in the New Middle East’. The panel featured Dr. Jocelyne Cesari, Director of the Harvard Islam in the West Program and Dr. Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Aaron Lobel, President of America Abroad ...
March 25, 2012
Category: DC Event Notes, Egypt, Event Notes, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Israel, Political Islam, Political transition, Tunisia
Analysis of Tunisian Law Regarding Freedom of the Press
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) published an 8 page analysis of law No.2011-115 dated 2 november 2011, relating to freddom of the press, printing and expression. The analysis commented on the separate articles of the law, highlighted the positive achievements, also made necessary recommendations. RWB is approved the article 1 that described freedom of expression as "the freedom to exchange, publish and receive any kind of information, opinions and ideas”. However, RWB added that "this stated principle should be confirmed ...
March 21, 2012
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Category: Featured, Freedom, Legislation, Media, Reform, Secularism, Tunisia
Freedom of Expression under Debate in Tunisia
Amna Guellali, researcher at Human Rights Watch, reacts to the Consitutional draft that proposed by Tunisia’s leading Ennahda saying, “freedom of thought, expression, press, and publication are guaranteed while taking into consideration the sanctities of peoples and religions.” In February, Egyptian cleric Wajdi ...
Clash Between Extremists and Students in a Tunisian University
Yesterday, violence erupted in the University of Manouba, after an ultra-conservative Salafi Muslim climbed to the roof of a building on the campus to replace the Tunisian flag with a black flag bearing the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith. Members of the University's Student Union tried to intervene but clashed with Salafi supporters. 5 students reportedly suffered severe injuries. Mohammed Bakhti, a spokesman for the Salafi students said “we demand a prayer room and access for all students wearing ...
March 8, 2012
1 comments
Category: Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Protests, Tunisia
Little Progress for Women Rights After the Arab Spring
While women played a critical role in the Arab Spring their improvements in society have been limited, stated Senior Director of International Law and Policy at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, Widney Brown. Brown expressed concerns about the ...
March 8, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Featured, Human Rights, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Women, Women's Rights
POMED Notes: The Success Story of the Arab Spring? An Update on Tunisia’s Transition
On Wednesday, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a panel at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to address the progress that Tunisia has made thus far in its democratic transition, and to discuss the challenges that lie ahead. Panelists were Omezzine Khelifa, Tunisian civil society activist and former candidate for Tunisia's National Constituent Assembly (Ettakatol Party), Mohamed Malouche, president of Tunisian American Young Professionals, and Alexis Arieff, ...
March 1, 2012
Category: Event Notes, Events, Featured, Government, Political transition, POMED, Reform, Tunisia, US foreign policy
Thousands Demonstrate In Tunis Against Government
On Saturday, thousands of people protested against the coalition government, led by the moderated Islamist party Ennahda. The demonstration was organized by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), which suspected Ennhada members to be part of the campaign of vandalism, and to have stolen documents. The ...
