Egypt's top jurists suspended participation today in a government-backed conference to move forward on judicial reform, reigniting a political showdown with the country's judges. Lawmakers in the Muslim Brotherhood dominated Shura Council announced it would reexamine a contentious proposal opposed ...

This weekend saw the end of the nearly two week siege of the foreign and justice ministries by armed militias in Tripoli.  The armed groups had besieged the ministries beginning in late April demanding the passage of a ...

Bahraini lawmakers are urging their government to stop the U.S. ambassador from "interfering in domestic affairs," and attending "repeated meetings with those who inspire sedition." The government has agreed to the proposal and said they would take diplomatic measures, but ...

Libya's parliament passed a law on Sunday that will ban a wide range of Gaddafi-era officials from positions in the new government, following demands from armed militias who surrounded government buildings in Tripoli last week. Following the vote, parliament spokesman Omar Hmaiden ...

On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Alliance announced that its ministers and members of parliament would resume participation in Iraq's government. The State Department's Acting Deputy Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said that the U.S. urges "all parties to build on this ...

On Tuesday, Bahrain's foreign ministry and members of its parliament rejected the U.S. Department of State's 2012 report on human rights practices in the country, released on April 19th. The foreign ministry stated that "the report lacks objectivity ...

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 ...

A former Kuwaiti MP and main opposition figure has been sentenced to five years in prison for insulting the country's emir. Mussallam al-Barrak served six terms in the Kuwaiti parliament but was arrested in October 2012 for "undermining the emir" after ...

In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stated that "The United States has not 'lost' Iraq." He described a "strong partnership" with the U.S. "on political, security and economic levels," and noted that "Iraq is not ...

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

On Saturday, Jordan's King swore in a new cabinet for Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. The Prime Minister selected the group of 18 ministers, the smallest cabinet in over 40 years, after two months of deliberations and consultations with the parliament. Secretary ...

Hoping to avoid a delay in upcoming elections for Egypt's lower house, a parliamentary panel decided Monday to begin drafting a new election law. After an administrative court ruled last week that parliament failed to submit ...

Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh announced a new Ennahda-led coalition government Friday. Political uncertainty followed the assassination of leftist politician Chokri Belaid in February and left the Tunisian government in a state of paralysis over the formation of ...

President Morsi's announcement of a date for Egypt's parliamentary elections has met with opposition. Mohamed ElBaradei claimed the elections would bring instability that could necessitate military intervention. He also characterized the new policy as a recycling ...

Egypt's Shura Council on Thursday adopted the election law amended by the High Constitutional Court earlier this week. The Council accepted the Court's revisions and approved the law without a vote. Ahmed Fahmy, the Council's speaker, said, "The ...

After discussions with Ennahda leaders and President Moncef Marzouki, Hamadi Jebali declined Ennahda's offer for him to resume his post as Tunisia's Prime Minister. After failing to gain enough support for his technocratic government proposal over the weekend, Jebali kept his ...

On Tuesday, Lebanon's joint parliamentary committees approved a new election law proposed by the Orthodox Gathering. The proposal, if adopted, would treat Lebanon as a single district within which "voters exclusively elect candidates of their own sect." Seats would still be ...