POMED Notes: “Different yet Similar: Governance in the West Bank and Gaza”
March 19th, 2010 by Josh
The Palestine Center – the educational arm of the Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development – hosted an event to explore the similarities and differences between systems of government in the West Bank and Gaza. How have they made institutional improvements and has this effected the balance between security and liberty? How sustainable and vulnerable are these state-like systems? Dr. Yezid Sayigh, Professor of Middle East Studies at King’s College in London, addressed these questions and provided an overview of an evolving Palestinian political landscape. Expected speaker Dr. Khaled Hroub from the University of Cambridge was not able to attend.
Click here for POMED’s notes in PDF, or continue below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Hamas, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Talking About Tehran: Can Better Strategic Communications Help the U.S. In Iran?”
March 16th, 2010 by Josh
The New America Foundation hosted an event to explore the value of strategic communications and whether or not the United States should apply various types of public diplomacy as part of the overall strategy toward Iran. Steve Clemons, Director of the American Strategy Program at New American, moderated a discussion featuring James Glassman, Director of the George W. Bush Institute and former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue reading below.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Speculation Surrounding Mubarak’s Health Increases Amid Calls for Change
March 15th, 2010 by Chanan
Despite a recent statement by German hospital administrators that President Hosni Mubarak is “well and recovering” nine days after his purported gall bladder surgery, the Egyptian leader still has not appeared publicly - in photographs or otherwise - sparking burgeoning concerns among Egyptian investors and negatively impacting the country’s stock market. Michael Collins Dunn, editor of The Middle East Journal, posits: “At 81, any surgery is likely to take time to recover, but you normally expect a photo of a smiling President in his hospital bed, perhaps talking on the phone to show he’s on top of things. The fact that the President not only has not appeared in public but that photos have also been absent is starting to spur rumors back home.”
As speculators ruminated about Mubarak’s physical state, four of Egypt’s opposition parties - Al-Wafd, Al-Tagamu, Al-Nasseri and Al-Gabha - issued a statement in Cairo calling on Mubarak to step down as head of the ruling National Democratic Party. The group also urged all opposition forces to unite in upcoming parliamentary elections and to coordinate all protests and vigils.
Aladdin Elaasar, former Egyptian presidential candidate, noted that with Egypt now “at a dangerous crossroads” President Obama should “reevaluate American/Egyptian relations.” Citing serious concerns about human rights abuses and rampant poverty, Elaasar predicts that “the U.S. is facing looming dangers in the largest Arab country.” The Washington Post editorial board also joined the chorus against Mubarak, placing great faith in Mohamed ElBaradei’s movement, which it believes “represents a rare opportunity to liberalize Egypt’s political system.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Human Rights, Political Parties, Protests, US foreign policy, Uncategorized | Comment »
Egypt: Court Rules for Female Judges
March 15th, 2010 by Josh
After weeks of demonstrations demanding that the government allow female appointments to the State Council, Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court overturned the gender-based ban and further ruled that the Council’s general assembly lacked the authority to establish exclusionary provisions. The decision left some feeling unfulfilled, however, including legal expert Nasser Amin who explains that the court was not decisive enough in its judgment to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. “This is a conflict between liberals and conservatives within all institutions of the state. The Constitutional Court could have put an end to it by saying discriminating against women in public office is unconstitutional and must stop.”
Elsewhere, debate continues over potential successors to Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, the moderate yet often polarizing Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University who recently passed away during a visit to Saudi Arabia. Amro Hassan of Babylon and Beyond presents a few front-runners for this prestigious position — arguably the most powerful in all of Sunni Islam — including Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa and the current president of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Tayeb, both of whom are thought to subscribe to relatively moderate strains of Islam.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Judiciary, Women | Comment »
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Crackdown, Blogger Re-Convicted
March 12th, 2010 by Josh
Only days after sources close to the Muslim Brotherhood claimed that the Islamist group was suspending its political program, Egyptian police detained at least 50 Brotherhood members during a demonstration against Israeli settlement policies, with some reports [Arabic] suggesting that the total number arrested exceeded 100. This is the second such crackdown on MB activities in as many months.
In other news, blogger and democracy activist Wael Abbas — previously sentenced to 6 months jail time last November before an appeals court acquitted him in February — was convicted yet again, this time by Egypt’s Economic Court under the charge of “providing a telecommunications service to the public without permission.” During Abbas’ earlier trial last fall, this same charge had been dropped by the public prosecution in favor of indicting Abbas for “vandalizing an Internet connection.” Gamal Eid, executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, blasted the government for its “blatant tampering” with the law. “The case was closed already and Abbas was acquitted after proving to the judiciary that it was a completely fabricated,” he said. “The Ministry of Interior is so keen to jail a blogger…because his blog exposes crimes of torture and corruption in Egypt.”
Urging the Egyptian government to overturn Abbas’ new sentence, the Committee to Protect Journalists stressed that “[manufacturing] one charge after another until one finally sticks makes a mockery of the judicial system.”
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Judiciary, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs | Comment »
Syria: Human Rights Watch Urges Public Rebuke of Syria’s Human Rights Violations
March 12th, 2010 by Chanan
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement yesterday urging leaders of Western countries - specifically Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign relations chief, who will meet with Syrian officials next week - to hold Syria accountable for their repeated human rights transgressions.
“Talking to Syria without putting its rights record on the table emboldens the government to believe that it can do whatever it wants to its people, without consequences,” said HRW’s Middle East director Sarah Whitson. “A message to Syria that says, ‘We only care about your external affairs’ is a green light for repression.” HRW notes that Syria has welcomed a steady stream of high profile Western officials in the past three months, including U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, neither of whom condemned the country’s record of unlawful detentions and harassments.
Gregg Carlstrom believes that “the Syrian case illustrates why it’s bad policy to downplay human rights concerns in the interest of securing a government’s ‘cooperation,’” arguing that since Burns’ unproductive visit was essentially “a wash,” he had nothing to lose by expressing US displeasure with Syria’s human rights record.
Posted in Human Rights, Syria | Comment »
State Department Unveils Human Rights Review
March 12th, 2010 by Josh
On Thursday, the State Department released its 2009 Human Rights Report which explores trends and developments in 194 countries, and provides a thorough accounting of “a year in which ethnic, racial, and religious tensions led to violent conflicts and serious human rights violations and fueled or exacerbated more than 30 wars or internal armed conflicts.” 2009 was also a landmark year for the proliferation of information and connection technology, which, while serving as a positive facilitator for the transmission of democratic ideas worldwide, also prompted governments to “infringe on the personal privacy rights of those who used these rapidly evolving technologies.” Multiple Near East and North Africa country reports focused upon a similar collection of distressing themes, including judicial misconduct, fraudulent or rigged electoral systems, a disregard for basic human freedoms, and general malfeasance by public officials. Below are some highlights from particular MENA countries of concern:
Full summary below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Journalism, NGOs, Political Parties, Protests, Publications, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Yemen | 1 Comment »
POMED Notes: “Iran at a Crossroads: Assessing a Changing Landscape”
March 10th, 2010 by Chanan
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) hosted a morning-long event to discuss the prospects for democracy in Iran and to evaluate the current state of U.S.-Iranian relations.
Following some brief welcoming remarks by Trita Parsi, president of NIAC, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) delivered the opening address by stating that “Iran is at a crossroads like no other.” As members of the Green Movement fight and die for more basic freedoms, “the world is watching how this popular movement plays out.” Eshoo, whose district has one of the largest Iranian-American populations, expressed appreciation for the role played by technology in combating the government’s abuse of power, specifically citing Facebook’s creation of a mobile application that could not be blocked by Iranians and the decision by Twitter to delay maintenance to help dissident Iranians communicate during last summer’s protests. She also criticized the U.S. invasion of Iraq for emboldening Iran and expressed skepticism about the value of sanctions in achieving U.S. goals: “We have to work very hard to educate our colleagues of the very failure of sanctions because they will end up hurting the people we want to help.”
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue reading below.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, DC Event Notes, Elections, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy, Uncategorized, Women, sanctions | Comment »
Egypt: Blogger Released, But Concerns Persist
March 8th, 2010 by Josh
An Egyptian military court has removed blogger Ahmed Mostafa’s case from its list of hearings, effectively ending the 20-year old student’s short-lived trial. His official release from custody should be forthcoming.
The Arab Network for Human Rights Information commended the military tribunal for its “perfectly wise” decision, adding that “We hope that the Egyptian government will take other positive steps and release bloggers imprisoned under emergency law.” Similarly leery of the emergency law’s sweeping powers, Freedom House called upon the Egyptian government to end the 29-year-old act that enables “indefinite detention and trials of civilians in military courts.”
Elsewhere in Egyptian human rights, female members of Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party demonstrated in front of NDP’s Cairo headquarters to protest the State Council’s recent decision to ban female justices. One protester, who identified herself as a member of the Cairo Municipal Council, remarked that “it’s hard to ignore such a backward decision, especially since women are playing a leading role in all fields of national work.”
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Women | 1 Comment »
Morocco: EU Presses Morocco on Human Rights Record
March 8th, 2010 by Chanan
European Union President Herman Van Rompuy chided Morocco for its human rights record at summit-level talks between the EU and Morocco, calling on the country to make progress particularly in the disputed Western Sahara region. “We also wish for improvements to the situation of human rights and their defenders on this issue,” he said referring to Aminatou Haidar, a Western Sahara activist who last year went on a 32-day hunger strike after Moroccan authorities denied her entry into the country.
The summit marked the first such talks between the EU bloc and an Arab nation. In October 2008, the EU granted Morocco ‘advanced status,’ an act that brings “the country closer to Europe than any other [country] from the Southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea” and “paves the way for Morocco to [integrate] into the EU market [similar] to Norway or Switzerland,” according to Joanna Sopinska of EuroPolitics.
Posted in Human Rights, Morocco, Uncategorized | Comment »
Sudan: Fears of Election Fraud
March 4th, 2010 by Josh
As Sudan approaches its first multiparty elections in 24 years, major opposition parties staged a rally earlier today to protest purported bias by the National Elections Commission in favor of President al-Bashir’s ruling party. One of the major presidential challengers, Yasir Arman of the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, went even further by accusing the government of conspiracy to rig the vote. While Elections Commission member Mukhtar el Asam flatly denied the claim, that did little to mollify the over 200 activists who demonstrated in front of the commission’s office in Khartoum.
Today also marks the one-year anniversary of the forced shut-down of three Sudanese NGOs and the expulsion of thirteen other international organizations, an action many interpreted as a response to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for al-Bashir. Amnesty International released a statement calling upon the government to not only reinstate the NGOs, but also to “stop the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders throughout the country.”
Posted in Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, NGOs, Political Parties, Protests, Sudan | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The Struggle for Progress: Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa”
March 3rd, 2010 by Chanan
Freedom House hosted a panel discussion at the U.S. Capitol Visitor’s Center marking the publication of its new report, Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa, 2010 Edition. The 600-pg. study is a five-year retrospective review of improvements or setbacks in the MENA region since the publication of its original report in 2005. This second edition analyzes the status of women from 18 countries and territories in the region “through the prism of international standards embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR).” According to some of the findings, women’s rights advanced in 15 out of the 18 countries surveyed, with progress evident in education, the job market and the political process. Nonetheless, women in the MENA region still suffer from greater inequality than do women elsewhere.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Egypt, Elections, Human Rights, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Women | Comment »
Turkey: Moving Toward Islamism?
March 2nd, 2010 by Josh
David Pryce-Jones from the National Review Online says perhaps, calling Turkey’s recent turbulence the latest in a series of troubling events that call into question Prime Minister Erdogan and the AK party’s commitment to democracy and modernization. Daniel Pipes recognizes a crisis as well, and identifies what he believes are two rather unattractive options for the Turkish military and its leadership as they move forward: “continue selectively to acquiesce to the AKP and hope that fair elections by 2011 will terminate and reverse [the government crackdown]; or stage a coup d’état, risking voter backlash and increased Islamist electoral strength.”
But professor John L. Esposito from Georgetown University pushes back, accusing Pipes of tacitly endorsing military coups when he describes previous military interventions as attempts to “repair a political process gone awry.” Although Erdogan’s behavior is suspect at times, Esposito insists that Turkey has maintained a democratic trajectory. “What we are seeing is not a showdown between secularists and so-called Islamists or the demise of the secular state,” he says, “but a process of normalization and the maturing of Turkey’s democracy, institutions and the rule of law.”
Posted in Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Turkey | 2 Comments »
Egypt: Another Blogger In Jeopardy
March 2nd, 2010 by Josh
In the second highly-publicized blogger trial in as many weeks, an Egyptian military court adjourned until March 7 to give Ahmed Mostafa — an engineering student arrested for “disseminating wrong information” and “tarnishing the image of the military” — more time to prepare with his lawyers. The Arab Network for Human Rights Information previously accused the court of withholding relevant evidence and assigning Mostafa, who is the first blogger to be tried by a military panel, a team of government-affiliated lawyers. “It is not a fair trial,” said Gamal Eid, director of ARHRI. “This case highlights the increasing surveillance and control over blogs and social networks in Egypt and exposes the government’s lies about freedom of expression.”
Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch concurred, admonishing the government for “[saying] one thing in Geneva and then immediately [making] a mockery of the Human Rights Council’s review process” — a reference to Egypt’s recent Universal Periodical Review. Reporters Without Border and the Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned the government’s draconian behavior and called upon Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against the 20-year-old student.
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, NGOs, United Nations | Comment »
Iran: Regime Frees Journalists, Shuts Down Newspapers
March 2nd, 2010 by Josh
Less than one day after releasing six journalists and activists on bail, Iranian officials banned two major opposition newspapers, including the country’s largest reformist publication, Etemad, which had been one of the few opposition journals to withstand the government crackdown after the June 2009 election. According to Etemad’s editor-in-chief, the Iranian Ministry of Culture accused the publication of violating media laws that, among other things, prohibit “insulting Islam [and] libel against authorities and government institutions.”
Mohamed Abdel Dayem of the Committee to Project Journalists welcomed the release of the imprisoned journalists, but cautioned against interpreting this news as an indicator of changed behavior. “We remain alarmed by an escalating crackdown against the press in Iran,” he said. “The revolving door imprisonment policy employed by Tehran continues to detain more journalists than it is releasing.”
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Publications | Comment »
Goldstone Report: UN Votes to Extend Time
March 1st, 2010 by Josh
Via the Majlis, the UN General Assembly voted 98-7 to grant both the Israelis and Palestinians five additional months to investigate the findings from the Goldstone Report. Although a Palestinian Authority official applauded the action as a victory for both the Palestinians and international law, Alejandro Wolff, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN, criticized the resolution and reiterated the administration’s position that the report is deeply flawed (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also briefly addressed this issue in response to a question from Congressman Gary Ackerman at last week’s HCFA hearing). You can read the full GA resolution here.
Posted in Hamas, Human Rights, Israel, Military, Palestine, Terrorism, United Nations | Comment »
Egypt: Would an ElBaradei Candidacy Do More Harm Than Good?
March 1st, 2010 by Josh
Reacting to mania surrounding Mohamed ElBaradei’s meteoric rise within the Egyptian opposition movement, Sarah Topol argues in Newsweek that an ElBaradei presidential candidacy would only serve to “fracture the fragile coalition” of reformists. “Getting on the ballot will require announcing a campaign platform — like where he stands on the role of religion in the Egyptian state — that will divide groups that disagree with each other on fundamental principles,” Topol writes, echoing Nathan Brown of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace whom she quotes as describing the perils of navigating the complex network of opposition ideologies. In a political environment fraught with large yet sensitive egos, Topol fears that an ElBaradei presidential bid will not only inhibit real political change, but also empower the very regime he and other oppositionists hope to subvert.
Over at FP Passport, Blake Hounshell agrees that ElBaradei would be wise to sit the election out. “It allows ElBaradei to portray himself as above politics,” he says, “and it will help him build a popular front that can rally around a set of common demands, rather than being divided over his particular agenda.” But this doesn’t mean that ElBaradei can’t play a role, and Hounshell implores him to “roll up his sleeves” and travel across Egypt to whip up popular support for a reform agenda. Wondering why this hasn’t already happened, David Kenner joins the chorus of those who question ElBaradei’s aspirations, observing that the former IAEA chief’s “utter lack of ego” so clearly differentiates him from the standard political prototype.
Meanwhile, though still refraining from announcing his candidacy, ElBaradei released a statement demanding a number of electoral reforms intended to ensure a base level of fairness in future contests:
- Ending Egypt’s longstanding state of emergency
- Empowering judicial authorities to oversee elections
- Allowing electoral supervision by local civil society and the international community
- Ensuring equal media time for all candidates
- Enabling Egyptian expatriates to vote at Egyptian embassies abroad
- Eliminating the arbitrary restrictions on candidates
- Establishing a two-term presidential limit
- Using national identification numbers on election day
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Human Rights, Political Islam, Reform | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Promoting Security through Diplomacy and Development: The Fiscal Year 2011 International Affairs”
February 26th, 2010 by Josh
In a hearing on the administration’s recently released budget request, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs invited Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to give testimony on particular budgetary items relating to U.S. diplomatic and development efforts abroad. Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) opened the hearing with an affirmation of the value of investing in international diplomacy; not only to promote American values, but also as a method of prevention in order to mitigate the forces that cause international instability. Berman pledged to work with his colleagues to maintain or even increase the overall level of funding – approximately 1 percent of the entire Fiscal Year 2011 federal budget request – but ranking Republican committee member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) disagreed, using the poor economic environment as the basis to call for “selective freezes.” In particular, she questioned the wisdom of unconditionally funding the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), both of which she accuses of stealing hundreds of millions in foreign aid.
Click here for POMED’s notes in PDF, or continue reading below.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Afghanistan, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Hamas, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Morocco, Multilateralism, Palestine, Protests, Sudan, Syria, US foreign policy, Western Sahara, Yemen, sanctions | 1 Comment »
POMED Notes: Foreign Policy Priorities in the President’s FY2011 International Affairs Budget
February 25th, 2010 by Chanan
The Senate Committee of Foreign Relations hosted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss the FY2011 International Affairs Budget for the Department of State. Senator John Kerry (D-MA), chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, commenced the hearing by thanking Secretary Clinton for her hard work and travels. Citing a range of issues from the need to fight HIV/AIDS to the importance of supporting diplomats in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, Kerry acknowledged that he “can’t think of a time in our history when we’ve had a greater need for energetic diplomacy to make the case for America globally.”
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Afghanistan, Congressional Hearing Notes (Senate), Egypt, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Oil, Saudi Arabia | 1 Comment »
Libya: Snapshot of the Regime, Prospects for Reform
February 24th, 2010 by Josh
In an interesting feature for Reason’s March issue, Michael Moynihan draws upon his recent trip to Tripoli in order to elucidate what he views as Libya’s continuing stagnation despite both its tremendous oil wealth and recent efforts to engage in dialogue with the West. Highlighting notable contradictions between the government’s rhetoric of reform and ground-level realities, Moynihan recounts a number of conversations with ex-terrorists who, although touted by the government as fully rehabilitated, were actually taken off death-row or promised reduced prison sentences in exchange for renouncing political violence and aiding anti-terrorism investigations. One such individual, claiming he “saw the light” and had abandoned Islamism to work for Colonel Qaddafi’s government, defended Libya’s freedom of the speech and journalistic diversity — but when asked if one would be allowed to print an anti-Qaddafi slogan, he recoiled questioned why anyone would do that, which Moynihan interprets as an unintentional barometer of Libya’s true level of liberalism.
Despite these encounters, Moynihan retains some hope that Saif Qaddafi, Muammar Qaddafi’s son and presumed heir, will issue in a new generation of leaders that will “loosen their chokehold on power in exchange for a seat at the adult table of international politics.” But the current wave of superficial and cosmetic reforms, he says, “have brought [the Libyan people] no closer to the representative democracy Qaddafi promised 40 years ago.”
Posted in Diplomacy, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
