Yemen: U.S. Aiding “Downward Spiral” on Human Rights?
August 25th, 2010 by Jennifer
Amnesty International issued a statement today arguing that “the Yemeni authorities must stop sacrificing human rights in the name of security.” Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program, commented that “an extremely worrying trend has developed where the Yemeni authorities, under pressure from the USA and others to fight al-Qa’ida, and Saudi Arabia to deal with the Huthis, have been citing national security as a pretext to deal with opposition and stifle all criticism.” The statement notes a pattern in Yemen of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, forced disappearances, and unfair trials of those accused of involvement in Al-Qaeda, Zaidi Shi’a rebels in the north, and Southern Movement activists. The Amnesty document also observes an uptick both in the use of the death penalty as punishment, as well as the use of the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) to try critical journalists and political activists. The statement concludes, “It is particularly worrying that states such as Saudi Arabia and the USA are directly or indirectly aiding the Yemeni government in a downward spiral away from previously improving human rights record.”
Posted in Human Rights, Judiciary, Middle Eastern Media, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Uncategorized, Yemen | Comment »
Iran: Infiltrating Schools With Clerics
July 12th, 2010 by Farid
In order to combat Western influence and political opposition, Iranian authorities have ordered to send 1,000 clerics into Tehran schools, according to Mohammad Boniadi, deputy director of Tehran’s education department. According to a piece in The Washington Post, these same measures were taken right after the 1979 revolution, when morality police were placed in schools to “promote the government ideology.” Seeking to enhance the government’s influence on the Internet, Fars News Agency has also reported that they will increase the number of pro-government blogs. Head of the Basij militia force, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, has also declared that the Basij will “increase its Internet capability threefold” by the Persian New Year, March 21. Ali Akbar Mousavi Khoini, former reformist member of the Iranian Parliament who is currently a visiting fellow at Stanford University, argued that despite the government’s attempts to enhance its epistemological influence over the youth, it will inherently fail. In spite of years of attempts to Islamize universities in Iran, last year’s uproar around campuses during and after the presidential elections showed that Iranian youths have already “developed their own political and cultural views,” which according to Khoini will be difficult to change.
On the same note, the Hejab and Chastity Conference that has been announced in Iran, has gained significant critique from the rest of the world, since the government’s intentions are to ensure people’s adherence to Islamic dress code and to punish public socializing between opposite sexes while outside of marriage. According to a very interesting observation at Tehran Bureau, “While free expression within the rigid legal and cultural confines of the Islamic Republic has never been easy, enforcement of these draconian guidelines becomes ever more difficult as more and more Iranians adopt Western styles.”
Posted in Freedom, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Middle Eastern Media, Secularism | Comment »
POMED Rejects Distortion of Our Online Reporting
June 14th, 2010 by Farid
Recently, The Fars News Agency misrepresented one of POMED’s notes summarizing a public event at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in which former Austrian Ambassador Michael Postl was misquoted (In Farsi) as saying that “The Austrian Ambassador Confesses that 22 European Embassies Were Spying…” Another news source, tabnak.com, published an article (In Farsi) on their website with the title “22 Embassies Spying in Tehran,” also referencing our notes.
In reality, POMED’s notes stated the following regarding Ambassador Postl’s remarks:
He then shifted to the role of the EU, which was represented by 22 embassies in Tehran out of 27 member states. In the weeks following the election, the EU had daily crisis meetings and called on Iran to investigate the results, allow unrestricted access to journalists, cease violent crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations, and guarantee the right of assembly. “We got a lot of information from twitter and also foreign embassies who had diplomats out on the street,” he recalled. “But we were also intimidated and asked by the Iranians formally to not go out and report, that this was an internal situation and there should be any interference by foreigners.”
The EU also held four rounds of dialogue, with a particular focus on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Since 2004, Postl said, the EU has worked for a diplomatic solution
to Iran’s nuclear program. But in order to understand Iranian foreign policy, “one has to understand Iran’s domestic political situation.”
It is clear that the reporting by Fars News Agency and by tabnak.com misrepresents Ambassador Postl’s remarks according to POMED’s summary of the event. Please click here for the full, original version of POMED’s notes.
POMED rejects and condemns any distortion of the content of POMED’s publications or online materials and urges the Fars News Agency and tabnak.com to engage in honest reporting that adheres to journalistic integrity.
Posted in Iran, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media | Comment »
Egypt: Emergency Laws Extended for Another Two Years Amid Temperate Protests
May 11th, 2010 by Chanan
Less than 12 hours after Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif formally proposed extending the three decade old emergency law for another two years, Egypt’s parliament voted in favor of the measure by an overwhelming majority. The new law modifies elements of previous versions by abolishing powers, such as media censorship, property confiscation and telephone surveillance, originally given to the police. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moufid Shehab told the Associated Press that “for the first time” the government is limiting the law’s jurisdiction to issues of terrorism and narcotics. “This step,” said Prime Minister Nazif, “shows the world that we are a state that respects its commitments in the area of human rights, and respects the rights and freedoms of its citizens.”
Activists, such as Human Rights Watch’s Heba Morayef, find these statements puzzling if not whole inaccurate. “The government has stated repeatedly that it would limit the emergency law’s use to narcotics and terrorism. This isn’t a new position,” she said. Backers of potential presidential contender, Mohamed ElBaradei, agreed with Morayef’s assessment. “It’s just a new look for the old emergency law,” said George Ishak, a senior member of ElBaradei’s coalition, the National Assembly for Change (NAC).
Prior to the government’s vote, a couple hundred protestors led by former presidential candidate Ayman Nour demonstrated in front of the parliament. Questioning the effectiveness of these, and other, protests by young Egyptian anti-government movements, Amro Hassan of the Los Angeles Times argued that they lack the organization, experience and resolve necessary to mount forceful pressure on the Mubarak government. “It takes more than Twitter messages, leftist slogans and the indignant musings of bloggers to challenge a regime with a history of crushing dissent,” he wrote.
In related news, Tariq Alhomayed, editor of the Saudi-funded Asharq Al-Awsat, expressed concern that ElBaradei is casting too broad a coalition that might lead to his “drown(ing) in the corridors of Egyptian politics.” Citing the recent drama surrounding a potential mistranslation of a quote attributed to ElBaradei that suggested he persuaded the Muslim Brotherhood to “work for justice, democracy and a secular state, away from religious suppression of the public,” Alhomayed stressed that ElBaradei must make a decision about his constituency: “The question is does ElBaradei believe in a secular civil state that believes in everybody’s right to life, or is he accepting of a group that brought about injecting religion in politics and has its own goals and approach that are harmful to Egypt.”
In the meanwhile, ElBaradei’s coalition, the NAC, announced the formation of satellite offices throughout the United States in cities such as New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Michigan.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Legislation, Middle Eastern Media, Muslim Brotherhood, Protests, Saudi Arabia, Secularism, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
POMED Notes: “The United States and Turkey: A View from the Obama Administration”
March 17th, 2010 by Chanan
The Brookings Institution, in collaboration with Sabanci University, held the sixth annual Sakip Sabanci Lecture with Philip H. Gordon, Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs, to discuss the Obama administration’s perspective on Turkey, its relationship with the United States and the European Union, and its role across the Middle East and throughout the world.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, click here. Otherwise, continue reading below.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, EU, Iran, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Israel, Middle Eastern Media, Pakistan, Political Parties, Turkey, Uncategorized, sanctions | Comment »
Iraq: Elections Widely Perceived as a Success
March 8th, 2010 by Chanan
As millions of Iraqis braved scattered attacks and flooded the polls over the weekend to vote in the country’s second parliamentary elections, politicians and pundits alike hailed what Steven Lee Meyers of the New York Times described was “arguably the most open, most competitive election in the nation’s long history of colonial rule, dictatorship and war.” President Obama praised the “milestone” elections; Marc Lynch asserted that they “went off remarkably well”; and Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary for public affairs, lauded the “impressive number of people [who] went to the polls.”
In reality, 62.4% of Iraq’s 19 million eligible voters participated in the elections, which was down from the 79.6% who turned out for the first parliamentary elections in 2005 but was higher than the January 2009 provincial elections. Seeking to explain the decrease in voter participation between 2005 and 2010, one analyst reasoned that large numbers of Iraqis have emigrated since the first election and that “overseas, it is not as easy to vote.” At the same time, a larger percentage of Sunni voters went to the polls on Sunday than had gone in the 2005 election, which at the time was under a country-wide Sunni boycott. The New York Times’ Anthony Shadid surmises that this increase reflects a growing Sunni desire for political relevance but also a burgeoning distrust of Shiite leaders and concerns about meddling Iranian influence.
Despite fears of post-election sectarianism, The Atlantic’s Max Fisher viewed the elections themselves as “successful” and sought to explain why. He quotes Peter Beinart of the Daily Beast who credits the presence of 90,000 American troops for overseeing the elections. This stands in slight contrast to an assessment by Lynch, who attributes the “relative calm election day” to the Iraqi security forces.
Nonetheless, press coverage in the Arab world of the historic elections appeared to have been quite minimal. As Nadia Taha points out, “while newspapers from the Arab world made mention of the elections, many led their Web sites with news of the weekend’s fighting in Jerusalem.”
Posted in Elections, Iran, Iraq, Middle Eastern Media | 1 Comment »
Meedan: New Website Eliminates Language Barrier
February 22nd, 2010 by Chanan
After much anticipation, a new website called Meedan has been officially launched granting English and Arabic speakers the opportunity to bypass typical language constraints when reading stories, posting comments and engaging in conversation about issues, events and topics of interest. In short, the site allows English readers to read news articles originally published in Arabic, and vice versa.
Ed Bice, Meedan’s co-founder and chief executive, laments in the Guardian that there is a “tremendous amount of media attention focused on the Middle East, but for the most part we are looking at those stories through the prism of western news agencies.” He continues, “We don’t have a good way of seeing the media that’s being written in Arabic and represents the way the region is understanding these events itself.”
A review of the site by Wired Magazine explains that Meedan - which means “a town square” or “gathering place” in Arabic - was therefore created to “cultivate citizen diplomacy between the Middle East and the West,” or in the words of Bice, “to let someone in Nebraska see an event through the eyes of someone in Nablus.”
The website, which has been in the development phase for the last three years, uses machine translation technology to translate the original text and then allows volunteer translators to refine and correct any mistakes.
Posted in Middle Eastern Media, Publications, Technology | Comment »
Press Freedom: New Report on 2009 Violations in Middle East & North Africa
February 22nd, 2010 by Maria
The International Press Institute, an Austrian-based organization working to further freedom of expression around the world, released its World Press Freedom Review for 2009 earlier this month, focusing on the Middle East and North Africa. The report accounts for 110 journalists that were killed for their work in 2009, making it the most deadly year for journalists in the past decade, according to IPI.
This year’s report focuses on the Middle East and North Africa, including a section on the state of freedom of the press and expression for each country in the region; it also offers specific recommendations for each country in order to further its protection against free speech violations. Of the total 78 recommendations, 17 addressed governments’ need to protect independent reporting and seven more specifically addressed the need to protect bloggers and Internet freedoms.
The report calls on Tunisian authorities to “end persecution and harassment of journalists.” It states that “the systematic attacks meted out against the independent media in Tunisia over the past few months are an insult to press freedom.” It also claims journalists that offend authorities in Saudi Arabia are charged with fines, detention, interrogation, dismissal and harassment. “Criticism of the royal family or government policy is generally prohibited, and Saudi Arabia maintains tight control over media content.”
In January 2009, the Ministry of Information in Bahrain implemented a law that would give the ministry the ability to “block certain web sites without warning or referring the case to court,” said the report. It also describes the Egyptian government’s efforts to monitor Internet access through “real-world surveillance” and that “state security officers require owners of Internet cafes, which are used by a majority of users to access the Internet, to register the names and identity card numbers of users. Owners are also required to monitor which web sites are visited, and to report to the security forces on people who visit ‘political’ web sites.” The report also features an interview with Aboubakr Jamai, the editor of the Moroccan magazine Le Journal that was recently shut down.
A PDF of the full report can be accessed here.
Posted in Bahrain, Egypt, Freedom, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia | Comment »
Iran: Interpreting Karroubi’s Recent Remarks
January 26th, 2010 by Maria
A debate has ensued over reports from earlier this week that Iran’s opposition movement leader Mehdi Karroubi officially recognized Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president. The New York Times reported yesterday that “Iran Opposition Leaders Drop Demand for New Election,” writing that while they still view the June, 2009 elections as illegitimate, opposition leaders are now accepting the current Iranian regime as the official head of state, citing “Iranian news sources.” AlArabiya.net is also reporting today that this is the first time Karroubi has made a public acknowledgment of the regime’s leadership. Associated Press, Reuters, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are making similar reports.
However, early this morning the Los Angeles Times‘ Middle East blog offers a bit of a different interpretation of these events, writing that the “brouhaha” created by journalists over Karroubi’s comments can now be “put to rest” because of an “unambiguous denunciation” by Karroubi of the June elections. They use the Iranian news Web site Sahamnews.org to cite Karroubi as having said: “The more we go ahead, the more I’m convinced the election was massively rigged…I get new information every day, and it is regrettable to see certain officials tampered with people’s votes in this way.” The L.A. Times says a “Tehran analyst” is refuting any interpretation that Karroubi has recognized President Ahmadinejad. “Karroubi had not budged at all,” says the analyst. “Karroubi said the government is the government of the system. So it does not imply he has recognized it.”
Posted in Elections, Iran, Middle Eastern Media, Protests, Reform | Comment »
Iran: Peaceful Movement to Boycott Fajr Film Festival
January 26th, 2010 by Jessica
The Babylon and Beyond blog at the Los Angeles Times has an interesting look at the Tehran film festival. The Fajr Film Festival is widely toted as the largest cinematic event of the year in Iran. The festival, established following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, has in recent years attracted the attention of the international community, including filmmakers and screenwriters from around the globe.
Babylon and Beyond reports that the highly anticipated 2010 film festival has experienced a boycott for political reasons, called for by opposition leaders. Prominent Iranian actor Ezzattolla Entzami and director Asghar Farhadi have both turned down offers to sit on the festival’s jury panel as a show of support for the opposition movement. The article notes that British directors Ken Loach and Peter Brook also supported the boycott by refusing to participate in the festival. Loach commented, “It is the request, first and foremost, from the Iranian filmmakers that makes you think and makes you want to support them.” Loach cemented his position, sending a letter to the Islamic Republic, informing them of his withdrawl from the festival and the reasoning behind his decision.
The boycott is largely a grassroots movement, organized online through blogs, facebook, and twitter, and is in response to the government’s violent treatment of its citizens and questions surrounding the legitimacy of the current president.
While the boycott has gained a foothold in the media, success is threatened by the opportunity presented to some artists by the boycott. Golab P. in an a post for Tehran Bureau reports that noted director Ebrahim Hatamikiya opted to participate in the film festival when restrictions placed on his film, “The Color Purple,” were lifted. The film had been banned from being viewed at the festival for the past five years. Other, younger artists, were given an opportunity to participate that may not have materialized for many years otherwise. In Golab’s article, younger artists argue that showing films that had been previously banned was a positive for the opposition.
Posted in Human Rights, Iran, Middle Eastern Media | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Syria’s Democratic Past: Lessons for the Future”
January 8th, 2010 by Josh
The National Endowment for Democracy hosted a presentation by Dr. Radwan Ziadeh entitled “Syria’s Democratic Past: Lessons for the Future.” Dr. Ziadeh is the founding director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies. He was most recently a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University and a 2008–2009 Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Carr Center for Human Rights. Dr. Steven Heydemann, vice president of the grant and fellowships program and special adviser to the Muslim World Initiative at the U.S. Institute of Peace, followed Ziadeh’s presentation with commentary and analysis. Karen Farrell, Senior Program Officer for NED’s Middle East and North Africa Program, moderated the event.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, please click here. Otherwise, keep reading below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Lebanon, Middle Eastern Media, Protests, Reform, Syria | 2 Comments »
Morocco: Reforming Through Decentralization?
January 5th, 2010 by Josh
On January 4, King Mohammed IV of Morocco announced his intention to establish an “Advisory Committee” which will be tasked with drafting legislation to “give regional authorities more power to determine their own paths to development based on local conditions.” Magharebia reports that the committee, led by Morocco’s Ambassador to Spain, Omar Azzamine, will “find ways to boost the power of regions so they can effectively contribute to Morocco’s socio-economic and cultural development.”
Supplementing this announcement is an Al-Arabiya report on a partial reshuffling of the Moroccan cabinet. In a statement to the media, the royal council linked the new appointments — the most significant of which are in the Ministries of Justice and Interior — to the aforementioned Advisory Committee initiative, claiming that the cabinet shake-up would “give greater momentum to major development projects and structural institutional reforms.”
Posted in Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, North Africa, Reform | 1 Comment »
Iran: Protests Continue, Mousavi Fired
December 23rd, 2009 by Jason
Time reports that security forces fired tear gas and beat opposition protesters who were attending a memorial for Grand Ayatollah Montazeri today. According to one Isfahan resident who tried to attend the memorial, “tens of thousands gathered outside for the memorial but were savagely attacked by security forces and the Basijis.” Iran’s head of police warned that there would be a “fierce” confrontation if “illegal” protests continued.
In addition to such clashes in Isfahan and elsewhere, Juan Cole cites a militia raid against the office of reformist cleric Ayatollah Yusuf Sanei in Qom, and Gregg Carlstrom provides more details from several reformist websites. Cole argues such tactics reveal the regime’s concern “about liberalizing clergymen who might assume the mantle of Montazeri, a regime critic with impressive scholarly credentials.”
The Lede blog reports on the raid against Sanei’s office as well, while also relaying the decision of Montazeri’s family to cancel traditional mourning rituals held a week after death, which coincidentally lines up with Ashura, the Shi’ite day of mourning. The family cited security concerns for their decision. Nonetheless, Nicholas Goldberg contends that Montazeri’s life and death show “that the revolution that was made in Qom could be undone in Qom as well.”
Meanwhile, opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi has been fired from his position as head of the Academy of Arts, apparently at the request of President Ahmadinejad. In response, the vast majority of faculty members have threatened to quit in solidarity. In a comprehensive piece covering the reaction to Montazeri’s death, Michael Allen observes that both Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi “appear increasingly marginal, trying to defend or revive the Islamic Republic within a green opposition that appears more inclined to push for regime change and a more secular, democratic republic.”
Elaborating further, Mea Cyrus at Tehran Bureau argues that opposition leaders like Montazeri, Mousavi, and Karroubi “are favored by educated, secular elite only because they share a common goal: ousting Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. But until the time comes when the opposition movement is capable of producing leaders of its own, religious figures and ex-officials, dead or alive, are a good base to build upon.”
Marty Peretz believes “that the Iranian regime is trembling, trembling from fear of its own people.” In agreement, John Bolton cites three reasons for the regime’s unpopularity: the poor economy, dissatisfied youth, and ethnic discontent. While Bolton clamors for military strikes, Nader Mousavizadeh pleads for the U.S. to not give the Iranian regime a “lifeline” by imposing harsh sanctions or undertaking military strikes, actions the hardliners in Tehran hope to provoke. Instead, the U.S. should place the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom “at the core of every policy decision.”
Tony Karon blames the current impasse in nuclear negotiations on Iran’s internal turmoil and the Obama administration’s failure to adapt its goals while imposing strict deadlines. He concludes, “with both Obama and Ahmadinejad having been painted into corners, the deadlock is unlikely to be broken by the sanctions that are expected to be put in place in the coming months.” Finally, Laura Rozen reports on a new simulation from Tel Aviv University that corroborates a previous Harvard simulation’s conclusion that U.S. unilateral sanctions would likely backfire.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Middle Eastern Media, Military, Protests, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »
Egypt: Moussa Won’t Run for President
December 23rd, 2009 by Jason
In an interview (Arabic) with al-Masry al-Youm, Arab League head Amr Moussa announced he will not run for president in Egypt’s 2011 elections. He explained, “The question is, is it possible? And the answer is, the road is closed.” The current constitution makes it nearly impossible for an independent candidate to run for president, and Moussa refuses to join a political party for pure “political opportunism.”
Meanwhile, President Mubarak met with King Abdullah in Riyadh today before heading on to Kuwait. They discussed the Middle East Peace Process and the Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Al-Masry al-Youm reports that the newly elected members of the MB Guidance Bureau swore fealty to General Guide Mahdi Akef yesterday. Sources within the MB suggest a new general guide will be named within two days.
Abdel-Rahman Hussein and Sarah Carr contend Egypt’s opposition groups are “blighted by internal divisions.” They observe that the Muslim Brotherhood has endured “heavy blows from the regime” as the media focused on the Brotherhood’s internal rifts. Meanwhile, Ayman Nour has been physically attacked, disbarred, and legally prohibited from running for office. While opposition groups banded together in October to campaign against the succession of Gamal Mubarak, the Kefaya movement has already withdrawn its support. Now Kefaya is left “trying to prove that it is still relevant” as it clamors for the election of an “alternative president” separate from the regime.
Babylon and Beyond delves deeper into the Muslim Brotherhood’s recent election, which resulted in a victory for the conservative faction. According to MB analyst Abdul Rehim Aly, “hard-liners couldn’t accept the presence of reformers within the group itself, so how can anyone expect them one day to have a dialogue with other people belonging to different religious and cultural backgrounds?”
Dalia Rabie explores several moral controversies of 2009, including the Ramadan arrests, the niqab ban and virginity kits, that “highlighted the conflict between Egypt’s so-called secular government and its age-old traditions.”
Posted in Arab League, Diplomacy, Elections, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Kuwait, Middle Eastern Media, Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, Political Islam, Saudi Arabia, Secularism, Women | Comment »
Yemen: The Need for a Broader Perspective?
December 22nd, 2009 by Jason
Time Magazine explores the potential fallout from U.S. assistance in strikes and raids against Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen. The article quotes Gregory Johnsen who warns “you can’t just go kill a few individuals and the al-Qaeda problem will go away,” especially when such attacks result in civilian casualties. As Mohammad Quhtan of Yemen’s opposition Islamist al-Islah party explains, “Al-Qaeda will be able to recruit a lot more young people, at least from the tribes that were hit.”
Instead, Johnsen repeats his call for (see our previous post) a broader American foreign policy that will undermine Al-Qaeda. He points to a Reuters article that describes how, in addition to al-Qaeda, falling oil income, water shortages, humanitarian crises, the Houthi conflict, and a southern separatist movement all contribute to Yemen’s instability.
Posted in Middle Eastern Media, Military, Oil, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Congress: Anti-American Media Bill Criticized
December 18th, 2009 by Jason
Bikya Masr reports The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has come out criticizing a bill (see our previous post) recently passed in the House that would identify and seek to isolate international news media that broadcast “anti-American incitement to violence.”
According to ANHRI, the bill “represented a sharp additional decline on the U.S. promises to improve its poor record in civil and political freedoms locally and internationally.” Furthermore, ANHRI claims the bill violates American obligations to international treaties. In an interview with Bikya Masr, local media analyst Hassan al-Naggar argues Congress has further “tarnishe[d] Obama’s struggling image.”
However, the article suggests Congress hopes the legislation “will create more equitable television viewing that leaves violence off American air waves.”
Posted in Congress, Freedom, Journalism, Legislation, Middle Eastern Media, NGOs, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Oman: Growth of Media Outlets
December 15th, 2009 by Zack
Middle East Online reports that the media scene is growing in Oman after a royal decree “heralded a new era in broadcasting, bringing to an end more than three decades of dominance by the state-owned electronic media.” The country now boasts four English newspapers and several mainstream Arabic papers and journals. There are now three privately owned radio stations and the government is attempting to draw new investment into the broadcasting industry.
Programs on these stations cover economics, politics, culture, and sports while the “local flavour […] is of prime importance.” The article explains that “media plays an important role. It helps build public opinion, promotes national development, works as a mirror of day-to-day activities and serves as voice to the Omani citizen.”
Posted in Freedom, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Oman, Public Opinion | Comment »
Turkey: Subtle Shifts and Kurdish Tension
December 14th, 2009 by Zack
Claude Salhani comments that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent condemnation of Israeli action in Gaza and the AKP’s shift away from Euro-centric foreign policies “come as no surprise” in light of Europe’s continued position of stringing along E.U. accession. For Salhani, this shift is eroding Turkey’s viability as a partner to negotiate a Middle East peace plan.
David Kenner at Foreign Policy reiterates Erdogan’s resentment towards the E.U. in a speech he gave at SAIS. At the same time, the article sees a genuine admiration for President Obama by Erdogan for his ability to adapt quickly to Turkish dynamics.
Michael Allen writes about Erdogan’s assertion that Turkish policy is not undergoing a “reorientation from the democratic West to Eurasian and Middle East states.” At a meeting in Washington, Erdogan downplayed reports of attacks on press freedom. However, Allen goes on to cite recent commentary that illustrate Erdogan’s inability to tolerate criticism, his support for the Iranian elections as democratic, and the sense that Turkey has lost much of its democratic momentum.
BitterLemons-International has released its latest edition discussing the relationship between Turkey and the Kurds. Saad Jawad traces the strained relationship between Turkey and the Kurds in northern Iraq, arguing that Turkey will not support an independent Kurdish region, perhaps to point of attacking the region and bringing Turkey into conflict with the U.S. Ibrahim Kalin, however, notes an accelerating rapprochement between the two parties initiated by the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Kalin believes the success of the newly burgeoning diplomatic ties will be determined by four principles that Turkey outlines with all of its neighbors: security for all, territorial integrity, economic integration, and deepening social relations among the people. Lastly, Khaled Salih writes that the Erdogan government is serious about dialogue with the Kurds as part of a movement to build a strong, new vision for Turkey. Currently, it appears the country will “likely adopt a combination of democratization and decentralization” that will recognize group identities and Salih argues that Erdogan could adapt elements from the British, Spanish, and Belgian systems in this pursuit.
In Turkey, AFP reports that Kurdish parliamentarians are debating a decision to withdraw from Parliament as the The Democratic Society Party (DTP), the largest Kurdish party, has been outlawed by the constitutional court on grounds it is linked to the PKK.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Kurds, Middle Eastern Media, Mideast Peace Plan, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: ElBaradei As An Independent
December 12th, 2009 by Jason
Mohamed ElBaradei, who previously indicated his willingness to consider running for the Egyptian presidency if the elections are free and fair, announced (Arabic) to al-Masry al-Youm that he would run only as an independent in Egypt’s 2011 elections. ElBaradei put an end to speculations by ruling out the possibility of him running on an opposition party platform. He stated that “entering the presidential election through a political party means I agree to the fake frame of political practices in Egypt and had granted this frame legitimacy, and that I agree to the current constitution, which lacks legitimacy because it does not allow about 95% of citizens the opportunity to run for president because political parties account for only 5% of the population.” ElBaradei added that he respects all the political parties, but as an independent man, he cannot enter the election except as an independent.
Meanwhile, many political forces in Egypt welcomed (Arabic) ElBaradei’s statements and demands as they described his political position as one that deserves respect and support. Ayman Nour said that “ElBaradei has the right to seek a position in the presidential race while retaining his independence, but he has no right to not seek or wait for change.” Nour added that ElBaradei’s announcement to fight for change and reform regardless of the upcoming elections makes them partners in this dream project. While Gamal Heshmat, a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, indicated that the Brotherhood has been neutral with respect to all potential candidates because the picture is still not clear, he indicated that if the competition was between Gamal Mubarakand Dr. ElBaradei, then the “the balance will be in favor of the latter.” However, he added that ElBaradei might not be able to run in the coming elections because amending the constitution is not an option for the Egyptian regime.
If ElBaradei were to run as an independent, he would need the backing of 250 elected representatives across both houses of parliament and local councils — all of which are dominated by Mubarak’s ruling National Democratic Party.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Middle Eastern Media, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties | 3 Comments »
Iran: Gates Expects Significant Sanctions
December 12th, 2009 by Jason
Speaking in Erbil, Iraq, Secretary Gates said today that he expects the U.S. and its allies will impose “significant additional sanctions” on Iran because of Iran’s failure to follow through on negotiations. At the same time, he explained a military strike “would only buy some time, maybe two or three years.”
Danielle Pletka argues the U.S. should consider sanctions that are not just “inevitable,” but “effective” as well. Towards that end, she recommends several kinds of sanctions that will “hit hardest at the regime, and affect ordinary Iranians only incidentally.” However, Laura Rozen of Politico points to two more analyses of the recent Harvard simulation that “bode poorly for the pressure track the U.S. with support of some of its P5+1 partners is embarking on.” Nonetheless, she also notes that the simulation fails to adequately account for Europe’s role and consider an outcome between unilateral sanctions and UN Security Council sanctions.
insideIran reports that Iran’s Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has launched an attack against reform-minded former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani. Moslehi accused Rafsanjani of espousing the views of the opposition after Rafsanjani stated last week that if the people of Iran no longer support Iran’s leaders, then they should no longer be in power. Meanwhile, Tehran’s Prosecutor announced that of the 204 protesters arrested during Student Day, 86 have been released and fate of the remaining detainees will be decided soon. Finally, in response to Majid Tavakoli’s arrest and government-staged photo of him wearing women’s clothing, opposition-minded men have come out in support by also wearing women’s clothing.
Despite the regime’s efforts, Mir Hossein Moussavi remains steadfast. The Economist quotes him warning the regime “In the streets, you are fighting with shadows. And your ramparts are collapsing, one by one, in the hearts of the people.” The article goes on to provide a history of events that have led from the disputed election in June to this week’s Student Day Protests, explaining how the protests seem to have radicalized under the increased brutality of the regime. Drewery Dyke in The Guardian calls on the international community to nurture “what hope there is” for human rights in Iran. Dyke also analyzes how the opposition have shown “the genie is now out of the bottle and there are signs that Iran’s governmental elites will have difficulty in putting it back.”
The Los Angeles Times editorial staff joins in, calling on the West to rhetorically and morally support the reform movement while also not undermining the cause “with too close an embrace.” Responding to President Obama’s reference to “the hundred of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran,” Michael Ledeen warns that ”words aren’t nearly enough. But they are essential.” Jackson Diehl, meanwhile, wishes Obama had gone further in support of the Iranian opposition in the speech.
Lastly, Tehran Bureau offers a useful guide to Iranian media and describes their reputations and slants.
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