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Iran’s Guardian Council Chooses Candidates for Presidential Election

Iran's Guardian Council announced the list of approved candidates for Iran's June presidential election. The council approved eight candidates, six of which are "ultraconservatives" loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The approved candidates include Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear ...

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Analysts: Algeria “Teetering on the Brink of a Crisis”

Algeria and its president Abdelaziz Bouteflika have weathered the storm of Arab Spring revolutions that toppled governments in many surrounding countries. The Atlantic Council's Karim Mezran writes, however, that the country "may be teetering on the brink of a crisis, with the ...

Upcoming Event: Iran’s Presidential Election and U.S. Policy

Join POMED for our upcoming event, "Iran's Presidential Election and U.S. Policy," on Friday, May 24 from 10-11:30am at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Choate Room. The panel will include Nazila Fathi, former NYT Tehran correspondent; Ambassador John Limbert, former Deputy Secretary of State for Iran;  Mariam Memarsadeghi of Tavaana E-Learning Institute for Iranian Civil Society; and Stephen McInerney, executive director of POMED. Click here to RSVP, and see below for ...

POMED Notes – “U.S. Policy Toward Iran”

On Wednesday, May 15, 2013, the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing titled "U.S. Policy Toward Iran." Wendy Sherman, State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs, and David Cohen, Treasury Department Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, testified. Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) presided. For full event notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. In Chairman Menendez's opening statement, he said the United States needs to "double ...

POMED Notes: “Egypt’s Litigious Transition”

The Atlantic Council hosted an event for the release of their new issue brief titled "Egypt's Litigious Transition." The event featured Mahmoud Hamad, author of the issue brief and Assistant Professor at Drake University, and Yussef Auf, a nonresident fellow at The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. The event was moderated by Dr. Michele Dunne, Director of The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle ...

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Moroccan Party Withdraws from Government; Obama Calls King

Morocco's second largest political party, Istiqlal, is withdrawing from the coalition government. Istiqlal spokesman Adil Benhamza said, “The party can never remain in a government that continues to pursue policies targeting the buying power of the citizens by raising prices ...

Photo Credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images

Controversial Iranian Leaders Register as Presidential Candidates

Candidate registration for Iran's upcoming presidential election closed Saturday as two controversial figures, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, registered to appear on the ballot in June. Mashaei, a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  and Rafsanjani, ...

Video of the Day: Iran’s Pre-Election Crackdown on Journalists

This video from the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran examines the crackdown on journalists leading up to Iran's June elections. 

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Iraqi Provincial Election Results Show Maliki Coalition Win

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, ...

Photo Credit: Behrouz Mehri / AFP

Political Infighting, Voter Apathy Precede Iran’s Elections

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 ...

photo credit: REUTERS/Louafi Larbi

Bouteflika in “Good Health,” Speculation on Succession Grows

The office of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that the president suffered a small stroke, revealing the reason for the president being airlifted to a French military hospital outside of Paris on Saturday.  The public statement, a first from ...

POMED Notes – The Stakes in Egypt: Political Action and Democratic Change

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted an event titled "The Stakes in Egypt: Political Action and Democratic Change." The event featured a presentation from Amr Hamzawy, founder of the Free Egypt Party, and was moderated by Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment. For full event notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. Amr Hamzawy began by discussing the events that have unfolded in Egypt over the past week. ...

Photo Credit: Khalil Al-a'Nei/European Pressphoto Agency

Clashes Erupt Between Iraqi Government and Protesters

A gun battle broke out at a Sunni protest camp north of Baghdad early Tuesday. Officials have reported that at least 20 people died and dozens injured. The clash occurred after government security forces entered the camp to make arrests, but ...

Photo Credit: Al Jazeera

State Department Human Rights Country Report: Iran

In its annual report on the status of human rights in Iran, the State Department determined that the country's most egregious rights violations were "the government’s severe limitations on citizens’ right to peacefully change their government through free ...

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani

Iraq Holds Provincial Elections Amid Violence

Iraq held its first elections since the withdrawal of U.S. troops Saturday. Voting took place in 12 of Iraq's 18 provinces. Elections in the Kurdish region will occur in September, and elections in the largely Sunni ...

Photo Credit: Reuters/Mona Sharaf

State Dept. Releases 2012 Human Rights Country Reports

The State Department released the 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. These reports provide detailed assessments of the status of human rights around the world. Uzra Zeya, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,

Photo Credit: Mohammed Ameen/Reuters

Despite Assassinations, Violence, Iraq to Hold Elections

Iraq will hold Governorate Council Elections in 12 of its 18 provinces on Saturday despite increased violence and a wave of assassinations. On Monday, approximately 20 separate attacks across the country killed nearly 50 and wounded more than 200. In recent months, ...

Photo Credit: Hassan Ammar/Associated Press

Lebanon Chooses New Prime Minister

Tammam Salam has been nominated to become Prime Minister of Lebanon. Salam received 124 out of 128 votes in Parliament, receiving support from across the political spectrum. His first challenge will be forming a ...

Photo Credit: Mohammad Hassanzadeh/Fars News Agency, via Associated Press

Iranian Coalitions Vie for Power Ahead of Elections

In the New York Times, Thomas Erdbrink describes a presidential power struggle as Iran prepares for elections this summer. Tensions are rising between outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters and a traditionalist coalition that includes members of ...

POMED Notes: “Algeria Between Reform and Stability”

The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) hosted a public discussion focused on political reform and security in Algeria featuring SAIS faculty members, Profs. William Zartman and Eamonn Gearon. The event was moderated by Prof. Daniele Moro. For full event notes, continue reading or click here for the PDF. Dr. William Zartman began the discussion with remarks about the struggle between reform and stability in the Middle East and North ...

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