UN Human Rights Council Report
November 10th, 2008 by Jason
The Democracy Coalition Project has released its annual report card on the UN Human Rights Council. The 15 states comprising the Organization of the Islamic Conference essentially spent the year obstructing resolutions that would require a broader commitment to freedom of expression, and sponsoring resolutions protecting defamation of Islam or condemning Israeli human rights abuses in Palestine.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Publications, United Nations | Comment »
What do Arab Democrats Want?
November 4th, 2008 by Tariq
Michael Allen at Democracy Digest sums up the Washington Institute’s attempt at answering the vexing question, “What do Arab democrats want?” “The next Administration should address Arab youth’s demographic predominance, support local democrats’ home-grown efforts, and tailor country-specific democratization efforts to reflect the region’s diversity and ensure that democracy delivers socio-economic benefits in ordinary people’s lives.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Publications | Comment »
New Paper on Multinational Democracy Coalitions
November 4th, 2008 by Tariq
Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, Ted Piccone, has an interesting paper on “the Community of Democracies (CD),” and the “merits of a multilateral forum for democracies…to support each other in strengthening and consolidating democracy.” He pays particular attention to “the question of how to determine who qualifies as a democracy…[and] offer[s]…recommendations for strengthening multilateral approaches to the promotion of democracy and human rights.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Publications | Comment »
Introducing POMED’s Country Pages
October 29th, 2008 by Stephen
If you haven’t already seen them, be sure to check out the new country pages here on POMED’s website. POMED’s research team has assembled a valuable collection of resources organized by country. For now, there are POMED country pages for five countries of the region: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Turkey. There will be more pages covering additional countries soon to come. Each page contains essential background information on the country, links to a variety of reports and resources in both English and the local language (Arabic or Turkish), as well as a POMED country backgrounder paper covering the state of government, political reform, opposition groups, and U.S. policy and assistance toward the particular country. In addition, each page contains the latest updates on recent developments in the country in question, updated daily. We hope these pages will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in following political developments and the state of reform in these countries, and we look forward to expanding the project to cover many other countries of the region.
Posted in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, POMED, Publications, Turkey | Comment »
The Future of Arab-American Relations
October 22nd, 2008 by Tariq
The fall 2008 issue of Arab Insight from the World Security Institute has been released, and at over 130 pages, there is much to cover. The “latest edition investigates the political transformation from the George W. Bush administration’s war on terror and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, controversial in the United States and the Arab world alike, to a new presidency, asking what actions from the next American administration would best serve Arab-American relations.” Radwan Ziadeh has an excellent article entitled, “Promoting Democracy in the Arab Countries: Practice Makes Perfect?” Salah al-Nasrawi and Sadiq el-Faqih seem to be speaking directly to Barack Obama, as their articles target specific promises he’s made: al-Nasrawi shows how to exit Iraq in, “Before Leaving Iraq: A Responsible Withdrawal,” and el-Faqih offers his take on “Improving U.S. Standing in the Arab World: Can Public Diplomacy Do the Trick?” On perennial questions in Middle Eastern politics, Mustapha Khalil provides insight on “Engaging Islamist Groups: How to Talk to the Elephant in the Room,” and Samir Ghattas tackles the “Palestinian -Israeli Conflict: Searching for Peace on the Roadmap”
All articles, mentioned and unmentioned, can be found here (pdf).
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Election 08, Islamist movements, Mideast Peace Plan, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: Dexter Filkins at the Wilson Center
October 2nd, 2008 by Jason
Yesterday afternoon the Wilson Center hosted New York Times foreign correspondent Dexter Filkins to discuss his new book, The Forever War, about his experiences reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Filkins talked about his time in Afghanistan in 1998 as well as during the U.S. invasion in 2001. He said the situation is very bad there and has no apparent solution. He noted that much of the resistance now is not religious but nationalistic and ethnic.
On Iraq, Filkins said the surge is working and the positive changes have been extraordinary. He attributes the success to the new counterinsurgency strategy as well as overreach by al-Qaeda. He called the Sunni Awakening “very fragile” as the federal government takes command over it.
For full POMED notes on this event, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Iraq, Journalism, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
Jim Sciutto: “Against Us”
September 25th, 2008 by Jason
POMED wants to highlight the new book by ABC News foreign correspondent Jim Sciutto, “Against Us: The New Face of America’s Enemies in the Muslim World.”
The book explores the genesis and implications of the mainstreaming of anti-Americanism in the Muslim world since 9/11. In his years reporting from the region, Sciutto interviewed people from all walks of life, and warns that, increasingly, “anti-Americanism is a form of Middle Eastern nationalism that transcends borders, even religion.”
The book touches on many of POMED’s core principles. Sciutto argues strongly for sustained U.S. support for beleaguered human rights activists and democracy promoters in the region. He also supports consistent U.S. pressure on the regimes to mitigate the perception of hypocrisy in the gap between U.S. rhetoric and its actions.
Sciutto finds hope in the overwhelming commonality between the priorities and values of the region’s Muslims and those of Americans, including family, economic opportunity, reform, and a political system they can participate in. He concludes that the problem is that today, “they see America as standing in the way of these values, rather than promoting them.”
Go here to learn more about Jim and his book.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Human Rights, Public Opinion, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
New Issue of Democratiya Now Available
September 2nd, 2008 by Jason
The Autumn issue of Democratiya is now up. Gary Kent has a detailed report of his three recent fact-finding missions to Iraq. In the Kurdistan Region, he finds a resilient cadre of leaders struggling to strengthen the Kurds’ nascent democratic institutions. And in an interview with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki in Baghdad, he senses the PM’s growing confidence in the face of recent security improvements.
Also in the issue, Max Dunbar reviews Caroline Fourest’s new book on Tariq Ramadan, Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan. There’s also a review by David Lowe of Natan Sharansky’s new book, Defending Identity: Its indespensable Role in Protecting Democracy.
Posted in Iraq, Kurds, Political Islam, Publications | Comment »
Democracy and the Internet
August 15th, 2008 by Amanda
Jonathan Zittrain, professor of law and internet governance at Oxford, has written a book titled “The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It”, outlining the political, economic, and cultural threats that regulation may pose to liberal freedoms. In his work Zittrain focuses on how to “translate constitutional principles and democratic values into the emerging digital world.”
This publication comes at a time when “the Egyptian government seems determined to tighten its grip over cyberspace” according to Noha Hennaway at Babylon and Beyond. She notes that the Arab Network for Human Rights Information recently “accused the government of implementing measures of censorship on Internet usage” in public places with wireless internet connections.
On another note, last month the Egyptian government banned the book “Inside Egypt” by John R. Bradley, but recently reversed its decision and has since allowed its presence on bookshelves. Despite the ostensible constriction of internet freedoms within the Middle Eastern country, Bradley sees the government’s permission of his book as “a small victory for free expression in Egypt and the wider Arab world.”
Posted in Publications | Comment »
Banning Books in Egypt?
July 30th, 2008 by Adam
Nathan Field at the Daily News Egypt has a very intriguing interview with John R. Bradley, author of the book “Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs On the Brink of a Revolution.” The book became the subject of controversy after a July 23 Associated Press article quoting Bradley and his publisher said that the book had been banned for distribution in Egypt after American University in Cairo’s bookstore canceled an order for 15 books. However, after international and local attention, the Ministry of Information denied the ban and the book was given the green light.
Bradley sees two possible explanations for the reversal of the ban. One possibility was that some low-ranking official that disagreed with the book forbade the bookstore’s order. This possibility, according to Bradley would reflect, “…the chaotic nature of the regime as I describe it in ‘Inside Egypt,’ where there is no accountability or transparency — let alone respect for the rule of law and the values of free expression.” The other explanation posited by Bradley is the fact that the government was forced to backtrack after the ban gave the book international recognition.
Posted in Egypt, Publications | Comment »
Egyptian Politics
July 7th, 2008 by Sarah
Almasry Alyoum reports on an Egyptian opinion poll, where a majority claim that the Egyptian government ignores the country’s economic problems, corruption, deviation, and crime. A significant percentage found the People’s Assembly to be ineffective and that the government is either unfair or despotic.
Meanwhile, RearVision (Australia) hosts an interesting interview with Tariq Ramadan, Gilles Kepel, Joshua Stacher and Matthias Küntzel on the history of the Muslim Brotherhood, where it came from, why it has been banned for the past 50 years, and what it stands for today.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Publications | Comment »
POMED Notes: Freedom’s Unsteady March
May 3rd, 2008 by Amanda
The Brookings Institution hosted a discussion on a new book by Saban Center for Middle East Policy Senior Fellow Tamara Cofman Wittes, entitled “Freedom’s Unsteady March: America’s Role in Building Arab Democracy.” Wittes elaborates on the Bush Administration’s failed policy to promote freedom in the Middle East, but also highlights how the United States can produce a more pragmatic, long-term policy of democracy promotion that will ultimately serve its own interests. For full event notes, click here.
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Publications | Comment »
Publication: Freedom of the Press 2008
May 2nd, 2008 by Amanda
Freedom House released its annual survey, “Freedom of the Press 2008″, at the Washington D.C. Newseum on Tuesday this week. The publication features rankings of media independence in 195 countries. The event payed particular attention to the high level of media restrictions in Arab states compared to the rest of the world. To view the event agenda click here.
Posted in Events, Freedom, Journalism, Publications | Comment »
POMED Notes: The Way Ahead in Iraq
March 25th, 2008 by Amanda
Yesterday afternoon, the American Enterprise Institute held an event entitled “Iraq: The Way Ahead,” coinciding with the release of this new, 84-page report of AEI’s Iraq Planning Group. Frederick Kagan, author of the new report, gave opening remarks and a summary of the report’s findings, while Michael O’Hanlon and of the Brooking Institution gave commentary on the findings and the way forward. O’Hanlon stressed the importance of provincial elections in October and representative elections in 2009.
Click here for POMED’s full notes on the event.
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Publications, Sectarianism | Comment »
New Noah Feldman Book on the Islamic State
March 24th, 2008 by Amanda
Harvard Law professor and member of POMED’s Board of Advisors Noah Feldman is set to release his new book, The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State. The book highlights the historical significance of Sharia and “how the classical Islamic constitution governed through and was legitimated by law.”
He discusses the resurgence of support for Sharia in the Islamic world and the implications for both East and West, arguing “that a modern Islamic state could provide political and legal justice to today’s Muslims, but only if new institutions emerge that restore this constitutional balance of power.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Publications | Comment »
Carnegie’s Arab Reform Bulletin for March
March 6th, 2008 by Sharlina
A highly recommended read, the Arab Reform Bulletin of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is now available in its March edition. The issue contains an analysis of the the latest efforts by Arab leaders to stifle Arab media, an examination of Morocco’s Party of Justice and Development (PJD)’s attempts at inclusion, and a look at Fatah’s future prospects of survival.
In its news roundup, the Bulletin features coverage of the delay in Presidential elections in Lebanon, abolition of Libyan ministries, and efforts by many to release prisoners in Bahrain, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Posted in Arab media, Bahrain, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Publications, Tunisia | Comment »
The New Middle East
February 28th, 2008 by Sharlina
Marina S. Ottaway, Nathan Brown, Amr Hamzawy, Karim Sadjadpour, and Paul Salem at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a report that examines what they describe as “the new realities of the region” by focusing on three clusters of countries—Iran–Iraq, Lebanon–Syria, Palestine–Israel, and on the three issues—nuclear proliferation, sectarianism, and the challenge of political reform—”to provide a new direction for U.S. policy that engages all regional actors patiently and consistently on major conflicts to develop compromise solutions.”
Posted in Publications, Reform, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Freedom House Annual Survey Released: “Notable Setback for Global Freedom”
January 17th, 2008 by Stephen
Yesterday marked the release of Freedom in the World 2008, the annual survey of political rights and civil liberties published by Freedom House. The survey, published every year since 1972, consists of a 3 to 7 page report for each state and disputed territory in the world, along with numerical scores representing the levels of political rights and civil liberties on a scale from 1 (most free) to 7 (least free).
This year’s report paints a gloomy picture, as it opens by declaring that, “The year 2007 was marked by a notable setback for global freedom.” It also notes that ”In all, nearly four times as many countries showed declines during the year as registered improvement,” and that “The period of modest gains that had marked the political landscape of the Middle East in the post-9/11 period came to an end in 2007.”
The only changes to numerical ratings in the Middle East and North Africa were in Tunisia, where the political rights score declined from a 6 to the worst possible score of 7, and in both the Palestinian Authority-administered and Israeli-administered areas of the Palestinian territories, each of which also saw a one-point decline.
In addition, the report noted “backward movement” in Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria, though not sufficient to reflect a change in the overall numerical score. See the Freedom House press release, explanatory essay, and set of tables and graphs for more detail.
Posted in Human Rights, Publications | 1 Comment »
Gaza’s Clans and Families
December 20th, 2007 by Sean
International Crisis Group has just released a new report detailing the new political landscape in the Gaza Strip, as clans and families have filled the void created by a collapsed Palestinian Authority, frustrating Hamas’ attempts to consolidate its own authority.
Posted in Hamas, Palestine, Political Parties, Publications, Uncategorized | Comment »
Democracy: A Journal of Ideas - New issue
December 12th, 2007 by Amanda
The winter issue of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas has just been released and can be read online here. In the issue, Anne-Marie Slaughter reviews Norman Podhoretz’s book, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism.
In Slaughter’s piece, Podhoretz’s Complaint, she says, “Finally, the core of this liberal internationalist strategy would not be democratization, but rather supporting democrats. Rarely has so much depended on a suffix. Democratization, or even democracy promotion, is something imposed or achieved from outside…supporting and standing for democracy means doing whatever would actually help the various forces in a given society striving for government by the people consistent with the rule of law and universal human rights.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Publications | Comment »
