Iran, Blogs, and a Country in Flux
December 2nd, 2008 by Tariq
Four film students, Aaron Chiesa, Hendy Sukarya, Lisa Temes, and Toru Kageyama, at the Vancouver Film School made a short film entitled, “Iran: A Nation of Bloggers.” Highlighting the influence of technology on politics and society, the film sketches an overview of transformations already taking place.
Posted in Freedom, Iran, Reform, Technology, Women | Comment »
POMED Notes: “U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century”
November 25th, 2008 by Jason
This morning, the Brookings Institution hosted Kristin Lord, Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at Brookings, to present her new report, Voices of America, on reforming U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication. Lord was joined by Thomas Miller, Strobe Talbott, Charles Vest, and Martin Indyk. The event was moderated by Carlos Pascual, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at Brookings.
Kristin Lord called for the creation of a new non-profit organization called the USA▪World Trust to complement the U.S. government’s public diplomacy efforts. Strobe Talbott said today there is a large onus on world governments to build and recruit constituencies for diplomatic agreements. Charles Vest discussed how the U.S. can leverage the worldwide admiration for American higher education, science, and technology. Thomas Miller discussed how proven business and marketing tools could translate to public diplomacy.
For POMED’s notes on the event, click here.
Posted in DC Event Notes, Diplomacy, Event Notes, POMED, Public Opinion, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Technology and Terrorism
November 12th, 2008 by Sarah
Marc Lynch at Abu Aardvark discusses how technology trends will affect Al-Qaeda’s terrorism and outreach efforts. Lynch argues that while technology may strengthen its ability to carry out acts of terrorism, it may “diminish its ability to spread its ideology, frame public discourse in the Islamic world, or assert claims to leadership of Islamist movements” because the same technology also benefits its potential rivals in the “war of ideas.”
Posted in Technology, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Egypt: Blogs, the Brotherhood, and Old Boys of the NDP
November 4th, 2008 by Tariq
Michael Allen has another post worthy of reading today at Democracy Digest, this time he sums up the conclusion of Egypt’s National Democratic Party’s annual conference. There is nothing new to mention here: “most commentators [agree] that it had failed to meet the meeting’s declared purpose of offering ‘New Thoughts for Egypt’s Future’” More interestingly, however, he mentions the influence of the parallel cyber-conference, and the effects of blogging on the old actors of the Egyptian stage, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the NDP. “As the regime has stifled freedom of criticism, harassing journalists and seeking to curb satellite TV, the web has become a vital outlet for expressing grievances and criticism of the regime - and for confronting opposition elites too.”
On a related note, here is an interesting video on internet freedom in Egypt.
Posted in Egypt, Events, Journalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
Dueling Political Conventions in Egypt
October 31st, 2008 by Jason
On November 1-3, Egypt’s ruling NDP will hold its fifth annual convention, in which it is ostensibly supposed to review the past year and suggest policy prescriptions going forward. In the Daily News Egypt, Khalil Al-Anani previews the conference. He predicts no new policy breakthroughs, and discusses issues the NDP would address if it were actually serious about redressing the past year’s ills.
Daily News Egypt also reports that the April 6 Youth Movement, a group of young pro-democracy Egyptian bloggers and facebook activists, announced it will hold an online convention to critique and respond to the NDP conference. Movement founding member Mohamed Abdel Aziz said the objective is “waking up the Egyptian people from the manipulation of the NDP members through their imaginary roles and accomplishments.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Political Parties, Technology | Comment »
Nora Younis to Receive Annual Award from Human Rights First
October 22nd, 2008 by Stephen
Congratulations to Egyptian blogger and activist Nora Younis, who will, along with Russian activist Oleg Kozlovsky, receive the annual Human Rights Award from Human Rights First at its 30th anniversary dinner tomorrow evening. As noted here last Friday, POMED was pleased to recently host Nora for a small discussion of the challenges faced by bloggers and democracy activists in Egypt, with several DC-based bloggers in attendance. David Ginsberg has a nice report on Nora and the discussion at PSA’s Across the Aisle blog.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, POMED, Technology | Comment »
Battle for Islam Moves to Facebook
September 19th, 2008 by Jason
The LA Times has a report on Facebook’s role as a leading arena for debate between young secularists and Islamists in the Muslim world. An Egyptian student notes that both sides are “resorting to this virtual world because we have no space in the actual world [to express our opinions].”
The tenets of Islam in the 21st century are “now being analyzed by thousands of new, young and disparate Web surfers” who can “express whatever [they] want on screens that can hold infinite numbers of words.”
While the space for dialogue is a fine thing, we could see this next part coming: “But there’s too much tension. No one wants to revise his opinions. It’s turned into a screaming war.”
Posted in Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Technology | Comment »
Cracking Down on Internet Freedoms in Tunisia
August 20th, 2008 by Adam
Sami Ben Gharbia at Global Voices (Hat Tip: The Skeptic) has an excellent look at the nature of Tunisia’s censorship of the internet. Tunisia’s internet repression goes beyond blocking blogs, YouTube, and Facebook, and includes arresting online activists in order to create a state of fear. Global Voices also suggests that the government is involved in hacking opposition blogs and filtering e-mail.
Posted in Technology, Tunisia | Comment »
Cyber Repression in Egypt
August 12th, 2008 by Adam
Babylon & Beyond reports on the press release by an Egyptian NGO criticizing the Egyptian government for implementing regulations that censor internet usage at coffee shops. Before using the internet, users must fill out a form with their name, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers. The government crackdown on internet users at cybercafes is part of a wider crackdown on the internet by Mubarak’s government, which has recently targeted Facebook activists, bloggers, and other forms of online media.
Posted in Egypt, Technology | Comment »
POMED Notes: Fighting Internet Censorship
July 15th, 2008 by Sarah
This afternoon Freedom House invited U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), sponsor of the Global Online Freedom Act, and Jules Maaten, Member of the European Parliament and sponsor of the European Global Online Freedom Act, to discuss pending bills that would prevent U.S. and European companies like Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft from sharing technology with repressive governments.
The event was particularly relevent in light of a recent high profile lawsuit against Yahoo! for disclosing information that ultimately led to the arrest and torture of a Chinese dissident.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in EU, Journalism, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Mubarak’s Media Monopoly
July 15th, 2008 by Adam
Noha El-Hennawy at Babylon & Beyond writes about the leak of an alleged draft bill that would grant the Egyptian government sweeping powers in controlling the media in order to uphold, “social peace, national unity, citizenship, public order and morals.” The bill, which is expected to be considered in the fall, has provoked outrage due to the vague wording which many believe could be used as a pretext to crack down on journalists, political opponents, and other activists. If enacted, the bill would provide the government greater control over the internet and allow them to potentially silence Facebook activists and bloggers, which have been important in mobilizing Egyptian opposition forces.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Technology | 2 Comments »
Internet Suppression in Egypt
July 9th, 2008 by Sarah
At IkhwanWeb, the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website, Dr. Abdul-Fattah Hassan, a member of Egyptian Parliament, argues that there is a direct correlation “between the increasing number of blogs and increasing suppression of freedoms and expression of one’s opinion.”Meanwhile, a report issued by Egypt’s Information and Decision Making Center has found that there are 160,000 Egyptian blog, representing over 30% of all Arab blogs.
Posted in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
Death Penalty for Blogging?
July 8th, 2008 by Adam
Hamid Tehrani at Global Voices Online (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan) reports on Iran’s parliament voting to discuss a draft bill that would make, “establishing websites and weblogs promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy,” punishable by death. The bill, its proponents argue, is necessary to, “toughen punishment for disturbing mental security in society.” However, bloggers fear this vague definition is a prelude to a much more lethal, arbitrary crackdown, and that if the bill passes their lives could be in serious danger.
Posted in Arab media, Iran, Journalism, Technology | Comment »
Facebook Showdown
July 3rd, 2008 by Sarah
Sherif Mansour reports at Freedom House on the Egyptian government’s attempts to block access to Facebook and the significance of the site as a tool to organize Egyptian dissidents. Unless the international community pressures the Egyptian government to keep Facebook accessible, Mubarak’s “self-fulfilling prophesy as the only alternative to the Muslim Brotherhood will continue to hold Egypt back from the democracy its people deserve.”
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
Iran’s Nuclear Pursuits
June 16th, 2008 by Sarah
This past weekend the E.U. presented Iran with a package of economic, political, and security incentives to give up its program to enrich uranium. To read the full proposal, click here. Najmeh Bozorgmehr of the Financial Times reports that Iran has responded positively to the package.
Meanwhile, today President Bush and British P.M. Gordon Brown issued a sharp warning to Iran to either accept their “offers of partnership” or face tough sanctions and international isolation.
M.J. Rosenberg at Talking Points Memo recommends that the U.S. use diplomacy to regarding Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities. “The tough talk from both Washington and Jerusalem–tough talk that could well be a prelude to tough action.”
In related news, Gareth Jenkins at Global Terrorism Analysis reports that a Turkish General has admitted that Turkey and Iran have been sharing intelligence and coordinating military operations against the PKK and its Iranian affiliate, PJAK. American Footprints’s Brian Ulrich wonders what it means for a key U.S. ally to be working so closely with Iran.
Posted in Diplomacy, Iran, Technology, United Nations | 1 Comment »
June Edition of the Arab Reform Bulletin
June 11th, 2008 by Sarah
The June edition of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Arab Reform Bulletin is now available. This month’s edition features an interview with Egyptian blogger, Sandmonkey, and articles by Ibrahim Gharaibeh, Moataz El Fegiery, and Andrew Ng.
Sandmonkey discusses the role of the internet in mobilizing Egypt’s dissenting voices, the political attitude of Egypt’s youth, and the recent food protests in Cairo. “We live in a controlled society with an oppressive government, so expressing an opinion is asking for trouble. The only place you can do it safely is on the internet.”
Ibrahim Gharaibeh addresses the development of divisions in Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood. “It is clear that the Jordanian Islamist movement still is at risk of splintering. Divisions that were once seen mostly at the leadership level have now penetrated the movement in a much deeper way.”
Moataz El Fegiery discusses why most national human rights institutions in the Arab World, outside of Morocco and Palestine, have been unable to establish legitimacy. Because of the deterioration of democratization efforts and strained relationships between authorities and civil societies, these institutions have not been able to improve the status of human rights. “Only if [these institutions] are permitted to play their rightful role in mobilizing public opinion, communicating with civil society, and in turn pressing governments, will their work move beyond an academic exercise that any scholarly institution could undertake.”
Andrew Ng is concerned about the implications of a new political movement in Morocco. The Movement for All Democrats advocates for political reform, but the pressing question is whether the movement “will channel its energy toward engaging and strengthening the parliament or bypass it” and focus on the King instead. Ng warns that “the more the MAD behaves like a royally-blessed association dismissive of parliament, the more it will reinforce the political status quo.”
For the full Arab Reform Bulletin, click here.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Jordan, Morocco, Muslim Brotherhood, Reform, Technology | Comment »
Is the Internet a Democratizing Force?
June 4th, 2008 by Sarah
Jasper Bernes at Little Red’s Recovery Room takes an unorthodox position, arguing that the internet actually deters resistance movements and reflects the current power structure.
Posted in Journalism, Political Parties, Technology | Comment »
Egypt to Block Access to Facebook?
June 3rd, 2008 by Sarah
Sherif Mansour at Freedom House reports that Egypt is considering blocking access to the social networking site Facebook that has helped to mobilize dissenting voices in Egypt. Mansour calls upon the international community to pressure the Egyptian government to support Internet freedom and keep Facebook accessible to Egyptians.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Technology | Comment »
Nuclear Update on Iran and Syria
June 2nd, 2008 by Sarah
Reactions continue to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s recent report on Iran’s nuclear program, finding that Iran was not cooperating fully in the IAEA’s investigation of Iran’s nuclear activities. The IAEA is meeting this week in Vienna and Director General Dr. ElBaradei has called on Iran to “demonstrate the necessary transparency and provide full disclosure” to allow the IAEA to reach a conclusion on the nature of the Iranian programme as soon as possible.
Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty a country has the right to enrich its own fuel for civil nuclear power, if subject to inspection from the IAEA. Iran maintains that it is merely pursuing nuclear power for this purpose and will not use the technology to make a nuclear bomb.
The L.A. Times blog Babylon and Beyond states that reaction to the report in Iran has been negative if not hostile. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini noted that Iran regards UN Security Council’s demands as illegal. “We should bear in mind that not a single negative point has been documented in the report against Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.”
Joschka Fisher, Germany’s former foreign minister, warns in The Daily Star that because of failed U.S. policies catapulting Iran into a position of regional hegemony, “the Middle East is drifting toward a new great confrontation in 2008. Iran must understand that without a diplomatic solution in the coming months, a dangerous military conflict is very likely to erupt. It is high time for serious negotiations to begin.”
In related news, CNN reports that Syria has agreed to allow United Nations nuclear inspectors to to investigate allegations that the country was building a nuclear reactor at a site attacked by Israel last September.
While the White House claims the secret nuclear reactor was built with the help of North Korea and was “not intended for peaceful purposes,” Syria’s ambassador Imad Moustapha told CNN “this will be a major embarrassment to the U.S. administration for the second time — they lied about the Iraqi WMDs and they are trying to do it again.”
Posted in Iran, Syria, Technology, United Nations | 1 Comment »
Political Expression in Egypt
June 2nd, 2008 by Adam
Liam Stack in the Christian Science Monitor looks at a theater program in Cairo that attempts to empower women and bring attention to gender issues in Egypt and Middle East. The women’s defiance is embodied by one participant’s statement, “My liberation won’t come from the one who has oppressed me – bringing me democracy? You think you’re really gonna send Condi to tell me how to be free?” Aside from the theater, Sherif Mansour at the Los Angeles Times provides insight into how Egyptian activists look to Facebook as an avenue of free expression, drawing the ire of the Mubarak government. Also, Alaa Abd El Fattah on PostGlobal finds that blogs are “at the heart of Egyptian cyber-activism, and citizen journalism through blogs remains the one consistently free source of information available.”
Posted in Egypt, Technology, Women | 1 Comment »
