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 ...
May 22, 2013
Category: Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Featured, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Political transition, Protests
POMED Notes: “Building a Brighter Future in Syria”
On Friday, May 17, Freedom House hosted a panel discussion titled “Building a Brighter Future in Syria.” Panelists included Kinda Kanbar, a Syrian journalist; Mohammed Aly Sergie, Senior Editor at Syria Deeply; Omar Hossino, a Syria analyst; and Oubab Khalil, Chief of Staff for the National Coalition of Syrian Opposition Forces. Daniel Calingaert, Freedom House Executive Vice President, moderated the discussion. For the full event notes continue reading or click here for ...
May 17, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Political transition, Sectarianism, Syria, US foreign policy, Women, Youth
Home of Top Shia Cleric Raided in Bahrain
Bahraini authorities raided the home of a prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on Friday. Opposition group al-Wefaq said Qassim was not home at the time of the raid but there were women and children present. A leading human rights activist ...
May 17, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, US foreign policy
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: “The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities”
On Wednesday, May 15, the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom held a panel titled, “The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities” to discuss Islamist radicalization in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Panelists included former Pakistani parliamentarian Farahnaz Ispahi; Professor of Iranian, Central Eurasian, and Islamic Studies at Indiana University Jamsheed Choksy; and Executive Director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism Stephen Schwartz. Nina Shea, Hudson ...
May 16, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Sectarianism
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 ...
May 15, 2013
Category: Democracy Promotion, Elections, Freedom, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, US foreign policy
Blogger Escapes from Bahrain, Government Responds
Bahraini blogger and free-speech advocate Ali Abdulemam recently escaped from the Kingdom of Bahrain after more than two years in hiding. A team of people and outside supporters, including artist Tyler Ramsey and human rights groups Amnesty International and the American ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Featured, Human Rights, Protests, Reform
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
Additional Demands from Libyan Militias; U.S. Responds
The political stand-off in Libya's capital continued after armed militias, who were demanding passage of a political isolation law, refused to leave their posts after the law was passed by parliament. Instead, after having their demands met, the militias formed an ...
May 9, 2013
Category: Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Libya, Political transition, Protests, Reform, US foreign policy
Sen. Menendez Proposes “Syrian Stabilization Act”
Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation that would significantly increase the U.S.'s involvement in the Syrian conflict. The Syria Stabilization Act of 2013 has five components: the authority to provide weapons, training, and non-lethal supplies to ...
May 8, 2013
Category: Conflict, Featured, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Legislation, Political transition, Syria, US foreign policy, US politics
POMED Notes: “Amidst Iraq’s Turmoil: What Can We Do?”
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted a panel discussion titled "Amidst Iraq's Turmoil: What Can We Do?" The event featured Ambassador James Jeffrey, the Philip Solondz Distinguished Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Daniel Serwer, Senior Research Professor of Conflict Management at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Mike Pillinger, Chief of Mission in Iraq for the International Organization for Migration; and ...
May 7, 2013
Category: Conflict, Diplomacy, Event Notes, Human Rights, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Parliament, Political transition, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy
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.
May 2, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Conflict, Featured, Human Rights, Iraq, Parliament, Protests, Sectarianism, US foreign policy
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Report
In April, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) issued its annual report covering February 2012 through January 2013. From the MENA region, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia were listed as "Countries of Particular Concern" and Bahrain and Turkey were ...
May 1, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Egypt, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey
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
POMED Video of the Day: Michele Dunne, Tamara Wittes on Egypt
In an interview with Egyptian channel CBC, Michelle Dunne, Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, and Tamara Wittes, Director of the Brookings' Saban Center for the Middle East discuss the current situation in Egypt. Topics of focus include U.S. policy towards Egypt, the Egyptian opposition, and ongoing negotiations between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund.
May 1, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Economics, Egypt, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, NGOs, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
Secretary Kerry Meets with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister
Secretary of State John Kerry met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa Monday morning to discuss Bahrain's reform process and regional issues including Syria and the peace process. State Department Acting Deputy Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said ...
April 30, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Diplomacy, Featured, Human Rights, Parliament, Reform, US foreign policy
State Department Human Rights Country Reports: Syria
The State Department's 2012 Human Rights Report on Syria noted a number of human rights problems, the most significant of which were "the regime’s massive, countrywide attacks and strategic use of citizen killings to intimidate and control; specific ...
April 28, 2013
Category: Conflict, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Protests, Syria, US foreign policy
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Saudi Arabia
The State Department's 2012 report on human rights practices in Saudi Arabia cited the leading problems as "citizens’ lack of the right and legal means to change their government; pervasive restrictions on universal rights such as freedom of expression, ...
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Israel/Occupied Territories
The State Department's annual human rights report on Israel and the occupied territories focused their findings on Israel and Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and had an annex to the report for their findings on the occupied territories including areas subject to ...
April 26, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Featured, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, US foreign policy