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 »
Arab Reform Bulletin: New Format, New Release
February 19th, 2010 by Josh
After two years as a monthly publication, the Arab Reform Bulletin, a product of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has altered its format and will now issue one or two articles per week. Its two most recent releases focus on the Muslim Brotherhood’s newly elected leadership and how Iraq’s forthcoming elections have exposed gaps in U.S. policy.
In trying to analyze the significance of a reconfigured Brotherhood, Husam Tammam writes that Mohammed Badie’s ascension to General Guide empowered a conservative MB faction that is “more interested in working from within to cultivate a strong, disciplined movement than in engaging with other political forces and intellectual currents in Egyptian society.” However, the Brotherhood has long been known for its “steadiness and pragmatism,” and Tammam is convinced that “the group’s major strategic choices—renouncing violence as a tool, participating in politics, and adopting a gradualist approach—are unlikely to shift suddenly.”
Brian Katulis worries that the U.S. has yet to articulate a “strategy for the broader Middle East,” and, more precisely, how Iraq fits into this regional approach. Iran’s international belligerence only heightens Iraq’s geopolitical importance, and Katulis wants the Obama administration to “more clearly define how it sees the bilateral relationship with Iraq fitting into a larger plan to deescalate tensions and foster stability in the broader Gulf region.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Iraq, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
Islamism: Can the U.S. Prevent Islamist Electoral Victories?
February 18th, 2010 by Josh
An article [PDF] from a recent edition of the FAO Journal answers this question in the affirmative, and attempts to identify mechanisms to “defeat Islamists at the ballot.” Co-written by Khairi Abaza of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and Dr. Soner Cagaptay from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the piece dismisses the notion that engaging or empowering moderate Islamists can be a useful counterbalance toward those who subscribe to a more extreme Islamist brand. “The term ‘moderate Islamist’ is offensive to all Muslims,” the authors claim. “It does not matter how Washington qualifies Islamists; once it acknowledges them as partners, parties who believe in liberal democracy will see this as a sign that Washington has allied itself with the Islamists,” which ostensibly creates an environment of disaffection and perhaps stagnation.
Using the history of post-WWII U.S. policy toward Italy as a guide, Abaza and Cagaptay analyze the tools used by U.S. officials to discourage and eventually reverse the proliferation of popularly-elected Communist politicians, and modify them to fit a Middle Eastern context. This leads them to four general recommendations:
- Do what Islamists do, and do it better. Fund what the Islamists fund, and fund it better. To combat the pervasive influence of Islamist groups, who use their phenomenal level of financial support to marginalize and squeeze out competition, the authors believe that the U.S. should sufficiently resource secular and liberal groups so they can establish quality educational and healthcare facilities to challenge the Islamist monopoly on social services.
- Apply different speeds: The piece maintains that the U.S. must understand the political and cultural differences among Arab countries in order to appropriately identify entry-points for engagement.
- Create a cost for being Islamist: Piggy-backing off the U.S. approach toward mid-20th century Italy, the authors advocate banning the immigration of Islamists to the U.S. “Immigrating is a privilege that should be granted only to America’s friends.”
- Take bold steps at home: This includes restructuring the U.S. government to meet the challenges of “Muslim-majority countries” and investing heavily in “area and language studies of Muslim countries” to “create tens of thousands of experts who are fluent in the politics and languages” of the region.
Posted in Diplomacy, Elections, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political Parties, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | 1 Comment »
Egypt: New Government Crackdown on MB Leadership
February 8th, 2010 by Jessica
Al Jazeera reports that Egyptian security forces have detained at least 13 members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The arrests are widely seen as the start of an effort by the Egyptian government as an effort to crackdown on Egypt’s most powerful opposition group ahead of parliamentary elections. Those arrested included Essam el-Erian, Abdul-Rahman el-Bir, and Mahomoud Ezzat, the organization’s newly elected deputy leader. Though a banned political entity, the Muslim Brotherhood won one-fifth of the seats in the 2005 parliamentary elections, running as independent candidates. An anonymous police official acknowledged that detainees were arrested for engaging in banned political activity.
Mohamed el-Katatni, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s guidance bureau commented on the arrests, “This is part of the state’s campaign against the group. The group is now getting ready for parliamentary elections and this campaign is to stem such activities.” Mohammed Badie, the Muslim Brotherhood’s General Guide, fears that the recent arrests will negatively affect the ability of the organization to succeed in upcoming parliamentary elections.
Gregg Carlstrom at the Majlis reports that this is likely the first wave of arrests according to a police official who asked to remain anonymous. Muslim Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maksoud has issued as statement saying, “the campaign of arrests is unjustified and we expect that more people have been arrested as Brotherhood lawyers are still receiving the names of those detained from the various provinces.” Carlstrom speculates that the arrest of Ezzat, a conservative, was a message to Mohammed Badie, the organization’s new General Guide. Via twitter, Shadi Hamid supports Carlstrom’s theory saying that Ezzat’s arrest has one of two meanings: either the start of wide crackdowns or that the current regime “has no idea” what it is doing. This is the first high-profile arrest of Brotherhood members since the election of Mohammed Badie as the group’s General Guide.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Islamist movements | 1 Comment »
POMED Report: “Strategies for Engaging Political Islam”
January 29th, 2010 by Josh
Political Islam is the single most active political force in the Middle East today. To offer insights into this critical issue, the Project on Middle East Democracy partnered with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung to bring together scholars and experts from the Middle East, the United States, and Europe. Moderated by Nathan Brown, Director of George Washington University’s Institute for Middle East Studies, guests discussed the topic “Strategies for Engaging Political Islam: A Middle East, U.S. and EU ‘Trialogue.’” Panelists included Ruheil Gharaibeh, Deputy Secretary-General of Jordan’s IAF; Mona Yacoubian, Special Adviser to the Muslim World Initiative at the United States Institute of Peace; Zoé Nautré, Visiting Fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations; and Shadi Hamid, former research director and current vice-chair of POMED’s Board of Directors, and also currently the Deputy Director of the Brookings Doha Center.
To read the full report, which draws upon the participants’ observations and recommendations, click here. Otherwise, continue reading below the fold.
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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Reform, Reports, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Bahrain’s Vision Amidst Regional Realities”
January 29th, 2010 by Josh
The Middle East Policy Forum along with the Distinguished Women in International Affairs Series sponsored an event featuring Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Nonoo presented remarks on the relationship between the United States and Bahrain and commented on Bahrain’s role in the Persian Gulf.
Ambassador Nonoo began with an overview of Bahrain’s diplomatic posture towards a number of pertinent issues. She echoed Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s call for a fresh start to peace talks and quoted the king as saying: “The biggest mistake has been to assume that you can simply switch on peace like a light. We should move towards real peace now by consulting our people and by reaching out to Israelis to highlight the benefits of a genuine peace.”
For POMED’s notes in PDF, please click here. Otherwise, continue below the fold.
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Posted in Bahrain, DC Event Notes, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Assessing ‘A New Way Forward’: One Year of the Obama Administration in the Middle East”
January 21st, 2010 by Josh
The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted an event to analyze President Obama’s first year in office and present ideas for a more substantive engagement in democracy promotion moving forward. In his inaugural address on January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama declared, “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” This vision of a “new way forward” became a theme of the Obama administration’s interactions with the Arab and Muslim world during its first year. President Obama further articulated this vision in his major speech in Cairo, in which he identified seven major challenges that the U.S. and the Muslim world must confront together: violent extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, nuclear nonproliferation, democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, and economic development. Now, on the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration, we gather to assess the Obama administration’s first year and to examine further opportunities for the administration to implement its vision of a new beginning with the Arab and Muslim world.
POMED’s Executive Director Andrew Albertson provided opening remarks and introduced the keynote speaker, Senator Robert Casey, Jr (D-PA). Daniel Brumberg of the U.S. Institute of Peace then moderated a panel of six speakers, each of whom participated in one of POMED’s three regional conferences in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan: Mohammad Azraq, 2010 Leaders for Democracy Fellow in Jordan; Karim Bayoud, Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections; Cole Bockenfeld, International Foundation for Electoral Systems; David Linfield, Fulbright Fellow in Jordan; Bassem Samir, Egyptian Democratic Academy; and Jessica O’Higgins, International Student Exchange Programs.
Albertson moderated the second panel, which consisted of: Adel Abdellatif, Arab States Bureau, UN Development Programme; Michele Dunne, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Steven Kull, Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA) provided closing remarks.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, please click here. Otherwise, continue reading below the fold.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Jordan, Kurds, Lebanon, Legislation, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Publications, Reform, sanctions | 1 Comment »
Jordan: Islamists Challenge Government over Role in Afghanistan
January 14th, 2010 by Josh
Via the New York Times, Jordanian Islamists recently issued a statement titled, “It Is Not Our War,” in which they decry Jordanian participation in, and cooperation with, U.S. military operations in the Afghan theater. In addition to calling for the withdrawal of Jordanian forces from Afghanistan, they demanded “an end to the policy of what is called cooperation or security coordination with the Zionist enemy or the American intelligence agencies.” The Times noted that the deadly suicide attack on CIA operatives carried out by Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, a Jordanian doctor, spurred a round of heated internal debate as various segments of society found themselves caught between two national interests: Jordanian pride and American partnership. In fact, political analyst Hasan Abu Hanieh described a largely confused population who “[did] not even know that there are Jordanian forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Zaki Saad, a former director of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing in Jordan, blamed the government for initiating policies that drove “radical young people into the arms of Al Qaeda.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Diplomacy, Islamist movements, Jordan, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, Terrorism | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood Divisions
December 22nd, 2009 by Zack
The election of new members to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Executive Guidance Bureau (see our post) illustrates growing rifts in the movement. The Christian Science Monitor writes that the MB is divided largely along generational lines about how to oppose President Hosni Mubarak. The older conservatives seek to focus on building organizational strength, while younger members who entered the MB in the 1970’s are more committed to external outreach. The Brotherhood’s General Guide Mahdi Mohammed Akef has tried to bridge the gap between the two camps. With Akef planning to step down in January and his successor likely to be from the old-guard, the article warns the next general guide will put an end to the in-fighting and will likely drive reformists out of the party.
BikyaMasr presents an in-depth interview with Gamal Al Banna, the brother of the Muslim Brotherhood’s founding member Hasan Al Banna. The article discusses Gamal’s role as a progressive thinker in the “ever-growing radicalism of Egyptian society.” Recently, Al Banna stirred a new controversy about the hijab and public displays of affection, arguing “that Islam is a religion of the people and that it should be the individual who chooses how to practice their faith outside movements or religious groups.”
After Egyptian officials confirmed that they will build an underground barrier next to the Gaza border, Al Masry Al Youm reports the government has denied a request by international activists to stage a march from Egypt to the Gaza Strip to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has given an interview with Al-Arabiya in which he argues that Egypt, as a sovereign state, has the right to do whatever it wants to guarantee its full security, including building security barriers and using eavesdropping equipment.
The FreeKareem blog reports that Egyptian blogger AbdelKareem Nabil Soliman’s final appeal was rejected and he will remain in prison until November 2010.
BikyaMasr also highlights increasing Coptic persecution ahead of Christmas and the U.S. Copts Association’s efforts to pressure the Obama administration to take action. Discussing sectarian violence, one interviewee argues that large-scale violence tends to grow out of personal revenge attacks. In response the Copts Association’s demands include the removal of religious affiliation from national ID card to prevent discrimination.
Posted in Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Brotherhood Chooses New Guidance Bureau
December 21st, 2009 by Jason
The Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Mahdi Akef, announced the results of the elections for the organization’s Executive Guidance Bureau. According to Akef, the Shura Committee used elections to show “the Movement’s ideology promotes the adherence to democracy, respect of freedom of opinion and expression.”
The new members are: Dr. Ossama Nasr el-Deen, Gomaa Ameen Abdul Aziz, Rashad Albayoumy, Saad Esmat Elhosseiny, Dr. Abdul Rahman Albar, Dr. Essam Eleryan, Dr. Mohamed Badee, Dr. Mohamed Saad Alkatatny, Dr. Mohamed Abdul Rahman Almorsy, Dr. Mahmoud Morsy, Dr. Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Dr. Mahmoud Ezzat, Dr. Mahmoud Ghozlan, Dr. Mohyee Hamed, and Dr. Mustafa Alghoneimy.
According to Marc Lynch, “the election has produced a dramatic turn towards the conservative end of the spectrum.” Notably, both Abdel Mounim Abou el-Fattouh and Mohammad Habib failed to win a seat in the Guidance Bureau. At the same time, Lynch notes that “virtually no other Arab political movement, party, or government holds such free or fair internal elections to positions of real power.” Lynch predicts the Brotherhood will now likely disengage from democratic politics in the face of regime pressure and instead focus on religious outreach. Meanwhile, Akef has rejected claims from some MB members that the elections are illegitimate because they did not adhere to typical procedures as a result of fears for arrest. Furthermore, Lynch notes that the elections are notable from the level of media scrutiny they have received, prying open internal Brotherhood differences.
Finally, Lynch observes that the Brotherhood must still decide who will replace Akef as the new Supreme Guide and argues this election will increase the likelihood that new leader will take a “less politically engaged stance, concentrating on social work and religious outreach rather than public politics.” This change of course will please the Egyptian regime “which wants no turbulence as it manages the transition from Hosni Mubarak to his successor. If a conservative is chosen as the next Supreme Guide, then Lynch believes the “real question is whether the frustrated reformists will split” from the Brotherhood.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties | 1 Comment »
Yemen: Al Qaeda Killed, Captured
December 17th, 2009 by Jason
Al Arabiya reports that Yemeni security forces have killed 34 al-Qaeda militants and arrested 17 more , foiling several planned terrorist attacks. However, Gregory Johnsen at Waq al-Waq worries that the number of innocent people killed in the raids will “create a problem for the government with regards to retaliatory attacks in the future.” Furthermore, he observes it’s not clear that all the militants killed were, in fact, members of al-Qaeda.
Joost Hiltermann contends in Foreign Affairs that the Houthi rebellion is misunderstood, arguing the “insurgency is more a reaction to a dysfunctional government than an inspired, centralized ideological movement.” In fact, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi gained his popularity because “he voiced popular discontent about the Yemeni political system - its corruption and perpetuation of social inequalities, its allegiance to Saudi and U.S. foreign policy objectives, its support of Salafi encroachment, and its repression of Zaydi revivalists.” As such, Hiltermann warns that Saudi intervention will only exacerbate the conflict.
Yesterday, Houthi rebels accused the U.S. Air Force of cooperating with the Yemeni government in an attack that killed at least 120 people. The U.S. has not responded to the accusation. At the same time, Human Rights Watch has criticized the Yemeni government for abusing the human rights of southern Yemeni secessionists.
Posted in Human Rights, Islamist movements, Military, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Future of US-Egypt Relations: A View from the Next Generation”
December 13th, 2009 by Zack
The Hollings Center, in coordination with the Woodrow Wilson Center, hosted a panel to present findings from a conference hosted over the summer by the Hollings Center and Egypt’s International Economic Forum in Istanbul that convened a select group of 25 Egyptians and Americans from their late 20s to early 40s for a unique dialogue on how each country perceives the other and how to strengthen the relationship in the coming decade. The panel featured Amy Hawthorne, Executive Director, Hollings Center for International Dialogue, Ashraf Swelam, Acting Director General, Egypt’s International Economic Forum, Lara Friedman, Director of Policy and Government Relations, Americans for Peace Now, and Norann Zaghloul, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and former Vice President, Egyptian American Cultural Association. The event was moderated by former ambassador Nicholas Veliotes, Chair of the Hollings Center Board of Directors.
Follow the break to read POMED’s Notes
Or click here to download a .pdf version
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Islamist movements, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political Parties, Reform, Turkey, US foreign policy, US politics, Women | 2 Comments »
Report: Human Rights on the Decline Part II
December 12th, 2009 by Jason
As we reported earlier, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) has released a comprehensive and thorough report, called “Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform,” on the state of human rights throughout the Arab world. The full report in Arabic spans 254 pages and chronicles in detail the backsliding on human rights in the region while also identifying a few points of optimism. In addition to the full report, CIHRS has released a translation of the report’s introduction written by their general director, Bahey eldin Hassan, as well as a 21-page summary of the report in English.
According to Hassan’s introduction, while there have been important strides to “ease repressive measures” in the Middle East under the Forum of the Future regional initiative, in no country were there “real constitutional, legislative, or institutional gains that could upset the balance of power between authoritarian regimes and the forces of reform.” Hassan blames this failure on the narrow focus on electoral reform at the expense of human rights, the contradictory actions of the G-8 countries, attempts by the Arab League to co-opt reform with their own homegrown initiatives, and the European and American fear of Islamist electoral victories. Finally, Hassan contends “the last spark in the initiatives was quashed once and for all with the arrival of a new US administration” apparently unwilling to support democracy rhetorically.
Now, Hassan warns that the minor gains made over the past five years are under a “counterattack by Arab governments. Among other examples of backtracking, the Arab league disabled the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which only had 10 of 22 signatory countries to begin with. As with the CIHRS report last year, Hassan concludes that “lack of political will on the part of most regimes in the Arab region was the key to understanding and explaining chronic human rights problems in the region.”
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Posted in Algeria, Arab League, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, EU, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Hamas, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Israel, Jordan, Journalism, Judiciary, Kurds, Lebanon, Legislation, Military, Morocco, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Palestine, Political Islam, Political Parties, Protests, Public Opinion, Publications, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, United Nations, Western Sahara, Women, Yemen | 1 Comment »
Lebanon: Government Approved
December 11th, 2009 by Zack
Al-Arabiyya reports that Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s national unity government won a resounding 122 out of 128 vote of confidence from the Lebanese parliament, which came despite discontent voiced from Christian MPs over Hezbollah’s arms. The vote has paved the way for Hariri to meet with Syrian president Bashar Assad.
Michael Young has a piece questioning if the Maronite movement can reinvent itself. He argues the Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir has been a “beacon on matters of legitimacy,” but his recent comments that Hezbollah should disarm and his adherence to Lebanon’s confessional system may cause the Maronites to suffer. Young believes that the Christian community is too hung up on holding the presidency and that, instead, Sfeir should embrace Walid Jumblatt’s rotation idea and renegotiate the structure of the Senate now while the Christians are still in a position of strength.
The Daily Star reports on a study, organized by the Masar Association in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, that shows Islamic movements in Lebanon share many goals with civil society organizations, including “tackling corruption, fighting the misspending of funds and advocating a fair election law.” The report is a response to the social tension Masar’s youth development program faced from Islamists. Highlighting Islamic movements’ demographic strengths, the group calls for development agencies and Islamists to build greater cooperation.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Hezbollah, Islamist movements, Lebanon, Political Parties, Reform | Comment »
Lebanon: Responding to Hezbollah
December 4th, 2009 by Zack
Jonathan Spyer at Haaretz writes that Hezbollah has managed to delude the importance of the March 14 victory through protracted coalition negotiations. Meanwhile, it is consuming smaller Shi’ite movements as it puts forth a new organizational manifesto calling for a greater sectarian inclusion. However, despite this full-spectrum advance, Spyer argues the party, which “remains the prisoner of its ideological perceptions,” is fueled by the delusional energy of a rising Islamist movement that will peak and eventually be accommodated and dealt with pragmatically.
The Daily Star has an interview with Phillippe Skaff, head of the Green Party of Lebanon (GPL), which is preparing to confront corruption and confessionalism as is builds a secular platform around environmental protection. The party is planning a road tour of at least 100 municipalities, which it believes will contribute to a strong showing in the 2010 municipal elections. The story also relates that almost half of the party’s 900 official members are women, without any national recruitment campaigns.
Posted in Elections, Hezbollah, Islamist movements, Lebanon, Reform | Comment »
Iran: Dissident Sentenced, Policy Fears
December 3rd, 2009 by Zack
The NY Times reports that Saeed Leylaz, an Iranian economist and journalist, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his prominent involvement in election protests. He is one of the more than 100 journalists, activists and former officials arrested sine the June 12 election. Human Rights Activist News Agency also reported the sixth death sentence for an opposition detainee on Wednesday.
NiacINsight carries an AP story reporting that Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani, a doctor at the Kahrizak detention facility in Iran who spoke out against prisoner abuse, was poisoned through a salad. The story of his death sparked controversy when authorities first reported he was killed in a car accident and later called it a suicide. Pourandarjani’s father comments that he doesn’t believe any of the explanations provided, but has yet to directly blame the authorities.
On the international scene, Barbara Lerner writes that Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons has the potential to embolden all Islamist movements, swelling their ranks and shifting the entire international political spectrum. She argues the U.S. needs to focus on “mad” Iran like a laser by not wasting time with sanctions or negotiations, but initiating a air strike campaign against all Iranian military facilities. Victor Davis Hanson argues that the Obama administration is giving tacit approval for Iran to go nuclear through “serial deadlines” and “hope-and-change rhetoric,” in the same way the U.S. emboldened Saddam Hussein with its disinterest in the Kuwait-Iraq border dispute. He calls for ramped up sanctions, boycotts, embargoes, coupled with strong support for reformers, and possibly a total blockade of Iranian ports.
This comes while President Ahmadinejad is threatening to withdrawhis plans to reform Iran’s subsidy system, which has been approved by Parliament, over worries that it will serve as a lightning rod for the opposition and because of concerns that Ahmadinejad will not have complete control over the spending of saved revenue.
Posted in Diplomacy, Human Rights, Iran, Islamist movements, Journalism, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Turkey: Questioning the Future
December 2nd, 2009 by Zack
Soner Cagaptay examines the seven years of AKP rule in Turkey for the Washington Institute. He writes that the AKP started out as a moderate Islamist movement indifferent to Turkey’s E.U. hopes, but with European Court of Human Rights decision to uphold the Turkish ban on headscarves and the military’s failed attempt to unseat the party, the AKP has eroded its E.U. aspirations and moved towards an authoritarian regime based on orthopraxy. The AKP has also worked to undermine liberal principles, including free speech, and continues to align itself with anti-Western and Islamist regimes, resulting in an “a la carte moralistic foreign policy.” Cagaptay believes the AKP “demonstrates that Islamists distort Islam, re-imagining it as inherently illiberal at home” and proves that “Islamism may not be compatible with the West, after all.”
David Schenker argues that Turkey has moved away from the West and towards Syria for two reasons: first, Turkey is no longer dependent on Israel to pressure Syria into not providing a safe haven for Kurdish extremists and, second, the Islamist shift in Turkish politics has shifted the country’s foreign policy paradigm. Damascus has naturally embraced rapprochement because the new face of Turkey is more amenable and Turkey can provide an avenue to facilitate diplomatic relations with Europe.
Michael Rubin writes that PM Erdogan is the new Vladimir Putin in his disdain for the free press and Rubin laments President Obama’s decision to turn a blind eye towards journalist abuses. Rubin, then, advertises a meeting of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Thursday morning at 10:30 on Turkey.
The Daily Star reports that Negar Azizmoradi, the head of the Iranian branch of the Rael sect, a group that rejects the “existence of any god and believe extraterrestrials created the earth,” faces deportation from Turkey to Iran, where she faces execution.
In other news, The Daily Star reports that Turkey has signed a free-trade agreement with Jordan that “is key to enhancing bilateral economic cooperation and boosting trade as well as investments between Jordan and Turkey.”
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Kurds, Middle Eastern Media, Political Parties, Reform, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
Jordan: Parliament Dissolved
November 24th, 2009 by Zack
In a surprise move, King Abdullah II of Jordan has dissolved parliament and called for early elections (see our earlier post). Reuters reports that the move came amid the Abdullah’s frustration over the inability to pass investor friendly laws after parliament had blocked tax reform legislation and ahead of the introduction of the 2010 budget, which was expected to have a rough ride. Black Iris reports that the move is being overwhelming supported by the Jordanian public as the parliament was viewed as incompetent and, as Sameeh al-Maitah says (in Arabic), the move may represent larger changes needed to restore public confidence. Jamil Nimri worries (in Arabic) that the elections will be based on the old election law that disadvantaged Islamists.
Posted in Elections, Islamist movements, Jordan, Legislation, Reform | Comment »
Jordan: King Dissolves Parliament
November 23rd, 2009 by Jason
King Abdullah of Jordan unexpectedly announced the dissolution of parliament and called for early elections. No election date was given, however Jordan last held legislative elections in November 2007. In the face of a slowing economy, the cabinet tried to pass several pieces of financial and economic legislation, such as a new corporate tax law, but the parliament proved resistant to such measures. According to some experts, Abdullah may also be seeking to capitalize on the relative weakness of the Islamic Action Front with a surprise election.
According to AFP, the initial reaction by many Jordanians has been largely positive, revealing frustration felt by many citizens who perceived the last parliament as both corrupt and unresponsive.
Posted in Elections, Islamist movements, Jordan, Political Parties | 1 Comment »
Middle East Democracy Promotion
November 20th, 2009 by Jason
Marina Ottaway of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has released a new policy brief entitled, “Middle East Democracy Promotion Is Not a One-way Street.”
Ottaway enumerates three factors that have changed the political landscape of democracy promotion in the Middle East. One, Islamist movements, who represent the strongest opposition forces, are both losing the ability and interest in participating in political processes. Two, Arab citizens remain politically active, especially in the use of new media, but have failed to leverage their energy on traditional political institutions. Three, Arab governments are increasingly unable to adapt to new challenges while a few states have a hard time governing at all.
So far, President Obama has necessarily focused on Afghanistan and Iran, as well as the Middle East Peace Process, as opposed to pushing for democratic reform. But given the unlikelihood of near-term solutions on any of these issues, Ottaway contends “the issue of political reform must be addressed” as well. She proposes that the Obama administration should follow the example of the Helsinki process by creating a comprehensive two-way dialogue between Arab states and the United States that delineates universal principles agreeable to both sides.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, Islamist movements, Mideast Peace Plan, Multilateralism, Reform, US foreign policy | 1 Comment »
