Al-Maliki Creates Broad Coalition
October 1st, 2009 by Daniel
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced his broad coalition for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The “State of Law” coalition spans Iraq’s ethnic and religious factions, but includes few national leaders and none who could challenge al-Maliki for leadership. The New York Times’s Steven Lee Myers writes that unity has become the universal rallying cry for Iraqi politicians. Iraq Pundit says this is not accidental. Iraqis believe the U.S. will leave them to run their own country soon, and they are rallying around candidates and parties who will not tear the nation apart.
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Political Parties, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Predicting Iraq’s Future
September 30th, 2009 by Jason
The Iraq Pundit reports that “a lot of Iraqis predict that Nouri Al Maliki will win the January election” while other Iraqis fear he stands too close to Iran despite his exclusion from the new Shi’ite alliance. Some Iraqis also worry Al Maliki seeks to consolidate his hold on power, citing unconfirmed reports he appointed a close aid as the chief of the Intelligence Bureau.
Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group has released a report pressing for an Arab-Kurdish agreement as soon as possible, writes The Daily Star. According to ICG analyst Loulouwa al-Rachid, “without a compromise deal, it risks dragging the country as a whole on a downward slope.”
Posted in Elections, Iran, Iraq, Kurds, Political Parties | Comment »
Iraqi Elections and Recommendations for Unity
September 28th, 2009 by Zack
With Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for January 2010, the IraqPundit explains that, despite media reports to the contrary, the Iraqi people are very engaged in the election process. In the pundit’s opinion, Baghdad is leaning towards supporting a secular candidate, despite expectations that a majority of voters will elect religious lists. He is also surprised by growing public opinion in favor of Ayyad Allawi.
Babylon and Beyond reports that the Shiite cleric Sheik Jalaluddin Saghir, a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, used this Friday’s prayers to lay out the SIIC’s political platform against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and to recruit new members into the party. “Give us your ideas,” he said, “don’t be shy. We want to listen to you. We want changes. A majority in [our list] will not be from SIIC, but the new talented faces and elements, and this is in our agenda.”
The International Crisis Group has released a report on the struggle in Iraq between Kurds and Arabs over Ninewa province. The group details the increasing tensions over oil and administration that threaten to destabilize northern Iraq and puts forth a number of recommendations for all parties considered. Some of these recommendations include calls for political power-sharing arrangements, new security and administrative protocols, increased national pressure for compromise and American support for minority rights.
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Reform | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Foreign Policy Initiative Forum: Advancing and Defending Democracy”
September 23rd, 2009 by Zack
The Foreign Policy Initiative hosted a two-day conference this week entitled “Advancing and Defending Democracy.” The event featured addresses from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Senator Jon Kyl, and Senator John McCain. The 2009 FPI Forum also included panels on democracy and human rights, Iran, Russia, Iraq, and the political and military dimensions of the war in Afghanistan. Speakers included U.S. and international policy experts, as well as Middle Eastern dissidents, including Saad Eddin Ibrahim and Ali Afshari.
Please click on the links below to read POMED’s notes on the following discussions:
“Afghanistan: The War in Washington” and “A Conversation with Senator Jon Kyl”
“Democracy Promotion: The Bush Doctrine in the Age of Obama”
“Voices of Freedom: A Conversation with Dissidents”
“Iran: After the Elections”
“Iraq and Afghanistan: Sustaining Success and Achieving Victory”
“A Conversation with Senator John McCain”
Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Legislation, Military, Multilateralism, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism, US foreign policy, United Nations, al-Qaeda | 1 Comment »
Iranian Human Rights and the U.N.
September 22nd, 2009 by Zack
With the United Nations summit beginning tomorrow, Raymond Tanter writes for Middle East Strategy at Harvard about ongoing hunger strikes by Iranian ex-patriots after Iraqi Security Forces attacked a group of Iranian dissidents. The activists compare their struggle for human rights with the American civil rights movement and Tanter questions whether the recent increase of attention on Iraq will produce the needed “post-American UN force to provide protection.”
The Washington Independent has also published a trove of cell phone photographs collected by tech-savvy dissidents documenting the civil strife in Iran over the summer. The article quotes Hadi Ghaemi, director of of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, who feels that “as Ahmadinajed comes to the U.N., the focus should be on the grave human rights violations of the past three months: murder of protestors, torture and rape of detainees. The U.N. General Assembly should hold Ahmadinejad accountable by appointing a special envoy to investigate and document the extent of crimes that have taken place.”
John P. Hannah echoes Ghaemi’s plea by calling for President Obama to speak out directly against Iran when he addresses the U.N. William J. McDonough, Thomas R. Pickering, and Thomas J. Miller have also produced an op-ed column for the New York Times calling for President Obama to reclaim America’s commitment to human rights and international law tomorrow. Richard Gowan and Franziska Brantner at the European Council on Foreign Relations are using the General Assembly meeting as an opportunity to warn the U.N. Security Council against backsliding to its 1970’s level of commitment to human rights.
Posted in Diplomacy, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Reform | Comment »
Internally Displaced Iraqis Largely Disenfranchised
September 21st, 2009 by Jason
Writing for Foreign Policy, Marc Lynch highlights a recent report by the International Organization for Migration on the status of 1.6 million internally displaced Iraqis. These internal refugees have seen little benefit from either the recent provincial elections or the political maneuvering ahead of the January elections, making them “effectively disenfranchised.” Furthermore, without noticeable improvements in quality of life standards, it is likely they would lean towards radical political viewpoints either against the government or rival sectarian groups.
Posted in Elections, Iraq | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Parliamentary Perspective - Future of U.S.-Iraqi Relations”
September 18th, 2009 by Zack
On Friday, the United States Institute of Peace hosted a conference with Ayad Allawi and Saleh al-Al-Mutlaq. Allawi served as the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Interim Government from May 2004 to April 2005. He headed the Iraqi National Accord, a democratic opposition movement to Saddam Hussein and currently leads the Iraqi National List, which occupies 25 parliamentary seats and five ministries. Al-Mutlaq served as chief Sunni Arab representative on the National Assembly’s constitutional drafting committee and he is the head of the Front for National Dialogue, the second largest Sunni party in Iraq. The event was moderated by USIP’s director for Iraq Programs, Rusty Barber.
Click here to read POMED’s notes
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Kurds, Military, Multilateralism, NGOs, Political Islam, Political Parties, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “United Nations Chapter VII Mandates and the U.S.-Iraq Bilateral Agreement”
September 18th, 2009 by Jason
The U.S. House Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight of the Committee on Foreign Affairs hosted a hearing Thursday on the current status of Iraq under the U.N. Chapter VII Mandates and Iraq’s relations with the United States. In the first pannel, Dr. Kenneth Katzman of the Congressional Research Service, Michael J. Matheson of the George Washington University Law School and Stephen G. Rademaker of the BGR Group served as witnesses. In the second panel, members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Ayyad Allawi and Saleh al-Mutlaq, testified before the subcommittee as well.
For POMED’s complete notes on the event, please click here.
Posted in Congressional Hearing Notes (House), DC Event Notes, Elections, Human Rights, Iraq, Kurds, Legislation, Military, Multilateralism, Oil, Political Parties, Sectarianism, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Will Iraqi Elections Work?
September 17th, 2009 by Zack
On his blog, Marc Lynch questions whether “a successful parliamentary election — slated for January — would go a long way toward resolving lingering political tensions [in Iraq].” Citing the stalemate to form a a government in Lebanon, electoral violence in Iran, and deteriorating governmental legitimacy in Afghanistan, he worries that American expectations to see elections play specific strategic roles are unfounded. Lynch still contends that elections are important, but the U.S. should dampen its hopes and prepare for unexpected consequences.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Elections, Iraq, US foreign policy | Comment »
Polls on Elections and Freedom Released
September 15th, 2009 by Jason
The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) has recently released two polls relating to elections and democracy. In the first, PIPA investigates public opinion of international election monitors. They find 15 of 17 nations polled favor the general deployment of election monitors and 11 of those countries believe their own country could benefit from them. While Iraqis, Egyptians and Palestinians all favored the general concept of UN monitors, their support fell at or below the international average of 65%. Turks split on the question, with 46% favoring and 45% opposing. As for the question of whether their particular country would benefit, support among Iraqis, Egyptians and Palestinians was above the international average of 57%. Turkey once again split with 46% for and 45% against. It should be noted some data collection was performed prior to elections in Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan — events which may have altered opinions in the region.
The second poll dealt with global perceptions of democracy and political tolerance. While a majority of citizens in all Middle Eastern countries polled (Egypt, Iraq, Palestine and Turkey) ranked democracy as “very important,” both Iraqis and Palestinians fell below the international average of 67%. But 84% of Iraqis and 96% of Palestinians believe democracy is either “very important” or “important.” On the whole, Middle Easterners tended to rank the importance of various democratic measures at or above international averages but ranked the freedoms they currently enjoy below international standards.
Posted in Afghanistan, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Public Opinion, Turkey | Comment »
Questioning Syria’s Position on Iraq
September 15th, 2009 by Zack
The Daily Star has reprinted an editorial from David Shenker questioning Syria’s role in subverting Iraqi democracy and U.S. efforts to engage Syria. Shenker believes that Syria has back-peddled on its promises to limit al-Qaeda flows into Iraq, which undermine Iraqi democracy. The Obama administration’s “generous” response to Syrian promises has yet to convince President Assad to follow through on reforms. Ultimately, Shenker argues that as the U.S. withdraws from Iraq it needs to be aware of Syria’s disinterest in a democratic Iraq.
Posted in Diplomacy, Iraq, Reform, Syria | Comment »
Journalists Operating in Closed Societies
September 11th, 2009 by Jason
As part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Edward Murrow 60th anniversary fellowship celebration, several American journalists discussed their career experiences reporting from foreign countries with closed societies. The panelists included Dan Southerland of Radio Free Asia, David Remnick of The New Yorker, Caryle Murphy is an independent journalist currently working in Saudi Arabia and finally Elizabeth Rubin of The New York Times Magazine. Margaret Warner of NewsHour with Jim Lehrer presided.
While the discussion touched on many countries, Murphy focused on the current journalism environment in Saudi Arabia. According to Murphy, Saudi Arabia is “still very much a closed society. But it’s not as closed as it used to be.” She attributes this opening to the Internet and a conscious decision by the Saudi government to allow foreign journalists to operate more freely with the hope they will publish “better, fairer stories.”
Other discussion focused on when should journalists risk the safety of their sources, fixers and even themselves for the sake of a story. One difficulty journalists face is to determine which red lines should not be crossed, a problem especially difficult during tumultuous situations such as in Iran today.
Posted in Afghanistan, Gulf, Iran, Iraq, Journalism, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, US media | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Iraq: Report from the Field”
September 11th, 2009 by Jason
The U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday to testify about the current status of American involvement in Iraq. Ambassador Hill emphasized the importance of Iraq to the greater Middle East as a potential “engine for regional stability and regional economic growth.” Towards this end, Ambassador Hill identified the support for “democracy and democratic institutions on a purely nonpartisan basis” as “imperative” for future relations between Iraq and the United States.
To see our complete notes of the hearing, please click here.
Posted in Congressional Hearing Notes (Senate), Democracy Promotion, Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Military, Oil, Political Parties, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Last Chance: The Middle East in the Balance” at SAIS
September 11th, 2009 by Zack
The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) hosted a discussion Wednesday with David Gardner, Chief Leader Writer and former Middle East correspondent for the Financial Times. Mr. Gardner has recently published the book Last Chance: The Middle East in the Balance, which attempts to address underlying currents of Middle Eastern dysfunction. The discussion began with a brief introduction from Mr. Gardner and was followed by a question and answer session.
View POMED’s notes on “Last Chance: The Middle East in the Balance”
Posted in DC Event Notes, Dubai, EU, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Lebanon, Political Islam, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US foreign policy | Comment »
September Issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin Released
September 10th, 2009 by Zack
The September issue of the monthly Arab Reform Bulletin from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is now available. This month’s issue examines a variety of recent democratic developments, conflicts, and shifting identities from across the Arab world.
POMED’s Stephen McInerney aims to interpret what he views as the mixed signals from the Obama administration surrounding its approach to supporting democracy in the Arab world. Examining various public statements and the administration’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2010, Steve highlights an overall increase in funding for democracy and governance programs in the region, but interprets specific reductions in aid to key partners as undermining confidence in the administration’s commitment to Arab reform.
Michael Knight reports on the recent Kurdistan Regional Government parliamentary elections and the still evolving Kurdish role in the upcoming Iraqi national elections. The Kurds will likely form a significant national parliamentary bloc and become a necessary component of any future national government. He also discusses international pressure for reconciliation between Kurds and Arabs as well as the growing internal Kurdish divide over independence.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Algeria, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Journalism, Kurds, Legislation, Middle Eastern Media, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Publications, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, Terrorism, Women, Yemen | Comment »
Iraq-Syria Tensions and Shifting Politics in Baghdad
September 8th, 2009 by Jason
According to Patrick Seale at Middle East Online, the growing spat between Syria and Iraq over recent terror bombings in Baghdad may be “an attempt to distract attention from [Nouri al-Maliki’s] political weakness.” al-Maliki has recently tried to identify himself as a non-sectarian, security-strong candidate after his Dawa party refused to join a new Shi’ite political coalition. But recent violence, potentially sponsored by Syria, has hurt his reputation as a provider of security.
At Real Clear World, Joel Brinkley identifies al-Maliki’s “inability to compromise” as his “greatest failing,” while acknowledging that this inability is seen in actors throughout Iraqi politics. Brinkley is left to question, “Democracy, in fact, requires compromise. How can any government pretend to be democratic if every minister, every legislator, clings to his own point of view, refusing to bend, so that every policy debate turns into an angry argument with no conclusion?”
In other news, a new ban on alcohol in Basra has caused consternation amongst the Christian minority there. The Daily Star quotes one Muslim merchant: “Banning alcohol, is that democracy?” while decrying the government for “meddling with people’s basic rights instead of worrying about power cuts.”
Posted in Elections, Freedom, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Political Parties, Sectarianism, Secularism, Syria | Comment »
Wolfowitz Interviewed about Democracy and Iraq
September 8th, 2009 by Jason
Paul Wolfowitz elaborated on his recent article in Foreign Policy during an interview with NPR news. Wolfowitz emphasized “the internal affairs of other countries has a big impact on American interests” which is why the U.S. has a long record of “promotion of freedom and democratic institutions.” Speaking specifically about the Middle East, Wolfowitz contended “it is in America’s interest to promote reform in the Arab world and do it peacefully.”
But recognizing American democracy promotion has become conflated with the war in Iraq, Wolfowitz warned critics to not “confuse the Iraq war with promoting democracy in Iraq.” According to Wolfowitz, the invasion of Iraq was about the dangers Saddam Hussein posed to the United States, not democracy. Michael Ledeen supports this viewpoint, arguing the Bush Doctrine did not originally contain a “democracy component.”
Finally, Wolfowitz admitted that President Obama, unlike former President Bush, ”has an incredible opportunity” to detangle the legacy of the Iraq War from America’s general promotion of democracy throughout the Middle East.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Iraq, Military, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »
The Battle with Islamism
September 4th, 2009 by Zack
Coming to the defense of George Will’s recent call to reduce the American contingent in Afghanistan, Andrew McCarthy recontextualizes American involvement abroad in an essay for the National Review Online. McCarthy asserts that “we go to war to defend our interests, not to encourage democracy” and as such U.S. action in Afghanistan was predicated on eliminating al-Qaeda’s ability to attack America. The idea that America also entered the region to instill democratic principles is a folly that both allowed Iraq to become an Iranian satellite and pushes the U.S. to enact untenable social change.
McCarthy goes on to explore what he considers the fallacy of democracy building campaigns in the Muslim world. In the debate over engaging the Islam, the concepts of terrorism and Islamism have been confused. While terrorism is a fringe element of Islam, McCarthy argues that Islamism is a widespread doctrine seeking to enact non-negotiable rules of sharia that are principally opposed to Western democracy. Attempting to build democracies in the region has produced “disgraceful” constitutions that elevate sharia to a fundamental law.
Ultimately, McCarthy believes that “We can’t stop Muslim countries from being Islamist. That is their choice. It should be no concern of ours who rules them as long as they do not threaten American interests.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Iraq, Military, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Minorities in Iraq
September 4th, 2009 by Jason
Michael Luongo of the Huffington Post describes his recent trip to Baghdad to explore the increasingly visible gay community. For Luongo, Baghdad is a “tale of two cities” for gay men. On one hand, they form a part of the “reemerging cosmopolitan society” once vibrant in Iraq. On the other hand, there has been a growing backlash against openly gay men, resulting in horrendous incidents of torture and murder.
Meanwhile, Campbell Robertson of The New York Time’s Baghdad Bureau, investigates the dwindling Christian population in Iraq. Some estimates suggest half of the population has left the country, leaving the other half to fend for themselves in the torrent of Iraqi sectarianism. Robertson quotes Iraqi Christian human rights activist William Warda who believes the “Iraqi Christians will be finished” in the long term.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Kurds, Sectarianism | Comment »
New Politics, Same Results?
September 4th, 2009 by Jason
The recent creation of the Shi’ite led Iraqi National Alliance (see our post here) is the best and most recent example of the kaleidoscope of shifting political allegiances in the run-up to Iraqi parliamentary elections in January 2010. Writing for openDemocracy, Zaid al-Ali questions the practical importance of such politicking: “many Iraqis fear that the political manoeuvring will do little to improve their lives - and that violence will again displace politics as a means of settling the country’s course.”
According to al-Ali, Iraqi politics have proven more diverse than originally expected. Because no party can seem to garner more than 10 percent support and Iraqi voters are highly-attuned to political realities, “political parties have sought to entrench their positions by eliminating their rivals, entering into grand alliance that disempower voters and engaging in extravagent posturing for electoral purposes.” The result is failure of governance. The new Iraqi National Alliance is just the latest reincarnation of this process. For al-Ali, whether Nouri al-Maliki joins the alliance or not is insignificant, especially considering “many of the alliance members are in fact part of Iraq’s current government - which is one of the most corrupt that the country has ever seen.” In the words of Peter J. Munson, political alliances seem to be based on “jockeying for power in a contest to gain greater governmental spoils” more than common political positions.
But all is not gloom for al-Ali’s analysis of Iraqi politics. He argues two newly-founded Kurdish alliances, the Change Alliance and the Reform Alliance, offer Iraq “a glimmer of hope.” They have chosen to remain in opposition to the traditional Kurdish parties in an effort to expose ineffective government.
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Political Parties, Sectarianism | Comment »
