NSF Critical of Draft NGO Law; Anti-Morsi Alliance Grows
Egypt's National Salvation Front (NSF) criticized a draft NGO law over the weekend, saying the Muslim Brotherhood-backed bill is more restrictive than laws under former President Hosni Mubarak. The opposition bloc said the law "seeks to reproduce a police ...
May 20, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Egypt, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
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
Obama Rebuffs Intervention in Syria in Erdoğan Visit
In a White House press briefing Thursday with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Barack Obama reiterated his calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down but offered no new details on the administration's approach to hastening ...
Kerry, Lavrov Optimistic About Syria Talks; UN Passes Resolution
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed optimism Wednesday that the peace talks on the Syrian conflict they're organizing will be successful. After a meeting with Lavrov in Sweden, Kerry said, "Both of ...
May 16, 2013
Category: Conflict, Diplomacy, Featured, Political transition, Syria, United Nations, US foreign policy
May 16, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Featured, Journalism, Kuwait, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen
POMED Notes: “American Foreign Policy in Retreat? A Discussion with Vali Nasr”
The Brookings Institution held a discussion titled “American Foreign Policy in Retreat? A Discussion with Vali Nasr” to explore the future of American power and foreign policy engagement. Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Vali Nasr contributed thoughts from his new book. Robert Kagan, Brookings Senior Fellow, contributed to the discussion and Martin Indyk, Vice President and Director for Foreign Policy at Brookings, moderated. For full event notes continue reading or click here for ...
US: Ahmed Maher Arrest “Step Backward” for Egypt
The U.S. State Department has called last week's arrest of April 6 co-founder Ahmed Maher a "step backward" for Egypt's democratic transition. The U.S. has expressed concern about what it sees as a growing trend of arrests against political ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Political Islam, Political transition, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Egypt’s Litigious Transition”
The Atlantic Council hosted an event for the release of their new issue brief titled "Egypt's Litigious Transition." The event featured Mahmoud Hamad, author of the issue brief and Assistant Professor at Drake University, and Yussef Auf, a nonresident fellow at The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. The event was moderated by Dr. Michele Dunne, Director of The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
Libyan Militias End Gov Siege; Protests Prompt Diplomatic Withdrawal
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 ...
May 13, 2013
Category: Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Legislation, Libya, Parliament, Political transition, Protests, US foreign policy
Press Release: POMED Condemns Arrest of Ahmed Maher
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2013 Project on Middle East Democracy Condemns Arrest of April 6 Leader Ahmed Maher The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) condemns the arrest of April 6 leader Ahmed Maher in Egypt today, Friday, May 10. According to an interior ministry official, Maher is accused of inciting a protest outside the house of Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and is to be detained for four days pending an investigation. ...
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
Long-Awaited Cabinet Reshuffle Announced
After weeks of speculation on an imminent cabinet reshuffle, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Tuesday named nine new ministers to his government. The overhaul, the second by Morsi since his election in June, adds two additional members of the ...
POMED Notes: Hearing for the Nominations of Ambassadors to Libya and Chad
On Tuesday, May 7, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing for the nominations of the Honorable Deborah Kay Jones and Ambassador James Knight as ambassadors to Libya and the Republic of Chad, respectively. Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) presided. For full hearing notes, continue reading or click here for a PDF. Senator Menendez reminded the committee of the increasing strategic importance of the Maghreb and Sahel to America’s long-term security interests, as ...
May 7, 2013
Category: Congress, Congressional Hearing Notes (Senate), Diplomacy, Event Notes, Libya, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy
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
Deputy Sec. Burns: America and a Changing Middle East
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns spoke at Princeton University on Saturday on U.S. policy toward the Middle East. Burns characterized the region as "a place where American policymakers often learn humility the hard way," noting that change in the region is "rarely neat or linear, but...deeply unpredictable." Despite this assessment, he stated that "the Middle East is a place where people and leaders are capable of great things … and ...
May 6, 2013
Category: Congress, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Libya, Parliament, Political transition, Protests, US foreign policy
