With Egypt in the midst of a political transition, this is a crucial time to rethink the U.S.'s relationship with Egypt according to Michele Dunne in POMED's latest policy brief. Although the events of the January 2011 revolution and the ensuing months of political transition have shown strained relations between the two nations, dissatisfaction with the relationship is nothing new to either party, thus making a recalibrated approach to Egypt ...

In response to the ongoing crisis in Egypt concerning the raid of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the ensuing trial involving NGO workers, POMED has released an updated backgrounder on the issue. On February 10, 2012, POMED released an initial backgrounder covering the issue. Since that time, the travel ban on foreign employees has been lifted and most have returned to their respective homes. However, the crisis remains far from resolved. ...

FRIDE published a brief (English) discussing Algeria’s “deceptive quiet” during a period of revolution in the MENA region.  Algeria is due to hold parliamentary elections on May 10, and Senior Researcher Barah Mikail writes that the elections may “open the way for political change.” Mikail’s report (French) explains the “Algerian silence” from a historical perspective, the regression of the population toward the status quo of stability, and “shortcomings in European strategies. Security forces crushed ...

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) remains hesitant that the revolution in Syria is a true democratic movement. While supporting humanitarian aid, Corker is against direct assistance to the Syrian opposition - as he does not think they prove a better alternative to President Bashar al-Assad. "I don't think we know enough about the opposition groups that have become involved or what might happen should Bashar be gone," said Corker. In the briefings Corker ...

On Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim ElKeib in order to discuss the U.S. –Libya relationship as Libya’s continues it democratic transition. Clinton applauded the leadership of the National Transitional Council (NTC) expressed U.S. solidarity with the ruling party. Clinton acknowledged the challenges facing Libya remain extensive, but declared that Libya had made “progress in each of the three key areas of democratic society—building ...

Last week, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced S.2152 to the  Committee on Finance that was cited as the "Syria Democracy Transition Act of 2012." The bill calls for imposing new sanctions directed at foreign financial institutions that President Barack Obama determines who have knowingly conducted any financial transactions with the Central Bank of Syria, but sanctions would not be imposed on foreign financial institutions that involve sales in food, medicine, and medical ...

Questions have been raised as to whether Saudi Arabia’s status as top oil-producing country and trusted ally of the U.S. have kept the U.S. from condemning the overwhelmingly anti-democratic principles of Gulf kingdom. According to Le Monde Diplomatique (English), within the last year Saudi has “crushed democratic protests” in Bahrain, executed 76 people in 2011 (“including a woman accused of ‘sorcery’), threated to execute a blogger who engaged in an ...

On Tuesday, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) hosted a panel addressing the challenges and issues that Yemen must address in order to successfully move forward into a democracy. The speakers were Elobaid Ahmed Elobaid, director of the U.N. Human Rights Training and Documentation Center for South West Asia and the Arab Region, Grant Kippen, the IFES chief of party for Yemen, and Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the ...

On Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard testimony from Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford. The hearing addressed the growing concerns over developing events in Syria. Senator John Kerry (D – MA) presided over the committee, co-chaired by ranking member Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN). To read the full text of the hearing continue reading below, or click here for ...

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs conducted a hearing assessing the U.S. foreign policy priorities amidst difficult economic conditions. The witness was the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State. The hearing was led by Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), chairwoman of the committee. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here for the PDF Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) opened the hearing suggesting the governments of Iraq and ...

Over the weekend former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh officially handed power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The power transfer is part of a deal sponsored by Gulf states, and in which Saleh is granted immunity from prosecution.  Speaking at the ceremony, Saleh said, "I hand over the banner of the revolution, of the republic, of freedom, of security and of stability... to safe hands." Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting for Al Jazeera,  described the atmosphere of ...