Project on Middle East Democracy

Project on Middle East Democracy
The POMED Wire Archives


Category: Technology

POMED: Follow us on Twitter

December 22nd, 2009 by Jason

POMED has launched our Twitter account, PomedWire. Follow us to keep up to date with the latest debates and developments concerning U.S. foreign policy and the prospects for democratic reform in the Middle East. We will also highlight POMED’s ongoing activities, events, and publications, as well as other relevant happenings in Washington.


Posted in Technology, Weekly Wire | Comment »

State Dept: Facebook Chat on Human Rights

December 18th, 2009 by Jason

Michael Posner, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, recently held a Facebook chat on the administration’s human rights agenda. Dozens of participants submitted questions to Assistant Secretary Posner on a range of democracy and human rights issues. In all, Posner answered questions concerning China, LGBT issues, the Holocaust, Darfur, and human trafficking.

He concluded the chat with his thoughts on Secretary Clinton’s human rights speech at Georgetown on Monday. He reiterated the need for a unified approach in supporting human rights, democracy, and development. Therefore, he explained the administration will uphold universal standards for human rights, practice “principled pragmatism” to promote and protect human rights, partner from the “bottom up” with civil society, and maintain a broad focus on thematic issues.

We have previously posted a synopsis of Secretary Clinton’s speech here, as well as the Arabic version here.


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Human Rights, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »

Iran: House Passes Gasoline Sanctions

December 16th, 2009 by Jason

As expected, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194passed overwhelmingly in the House, with 412 voting for, 12 against, and 4 present.  Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl) explained she hopes to “impose sanctions so painful that they should threaten the Iranian regime’s survival.” The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Cali.), emphasized how “Iran has had ample time to respond positively to President Obama’s generous engagement offer. Regrettably, the response has been only one of contempt.”

But there was congressional opposition to the bill as well. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) lamented how “we’re telling the Iranian people, ‘we have feelings of friendship for you. We like you so much, but we’re going to cut off your home heating oil.” Additionally, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) expressed his “strongest opposition” to this bill that represents “another significant step” towards war. Paul argued argued that history shows “it is citizens rather than governments who suffer most” under sanctions, which have been proven to only “strengthen regimes they target and marginalize any opposition.”

Laura Rozen reports the administration is “quietly working” to make modifications to the Senate version. Two issues being discussed are whether the sanctions would alienate America’s partners and whether the sanctions will be mandatory or allow the President to exercise discretion in their implementation. Under the House version, the president must seek a waiver in every case the sanctions would not be imposed.

In response to a letter sent by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stating that the sanctions legislation “might weaken rather than strengthen international unity and support for our efforts,” Jennifer Rubin calls the administration “a crowd that’s allergic to leverage.”

Rozen also reports that the State Department has asked the Treasury Department to allow Iranians to download free mass market software that enhances their ability to communicate. In response, NIAC President Trita Parsi lauded the decision that makes sure “the policies of the U.S. government don’t unintentionally aid the Iranian government’s efforts to silence its people.”

In a likely response to the legislation, Iran has test-fired an improved Sejil 2 solid-fuel missile, which has a range capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases throughout the region. Meanwhile, Tehran Bureau reports that the Iran’s Prosecutor General has confirmed the rape of opposition members in prison but rejected the involvement of prison guards. In addition, hundreds of of pro-govenrment and pro-opposition students held rival rallies in Tehran yesterday.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Saeedi has resigned as deputy director of Iran’s atomic energy body. Meir Javedanfar suggests the resignation may indicate infighting within the regime over nuclear negotiations. The regime also seems split over what to do with Mir Hossein Moussavi and other opposition leaders. Mea Cyrus at Tehran Bureau observes “the Islamic Republic of Iran is so fed up with post-election protests that it is willing to adopt extreme measures to bring them to an end,” even if it means imprisoning or assassinating opposition leaders like Moussavi.

Masoud Golsorkhi explains how the regime’s efforts to discredit Majid Tavakoli have backfired because they have failed to understand that the green movement is “a post-modern, post-ideological civic movement” where women are at the “forefront.” Finally, Omid Memarian argues the opposition have “entered a new phase” in protesting the Islamic regime itself, and not just the contested elections.


Posted in Congress, Diplomacy, Iran, Legislation, Military, Multilateralism, Oil, Protests, Technology, US foreign policy, US politics, sanctions | Comment »

Iran: Gasoline Sanctions Debate Today

December 15th, 2009 by Jason

The House is currently debating the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194), and they will likely pass the legislation before the end of today. That news likely comfort Ephraim Kam, who writes in Haaretz that the West must impose “harsher sanctions” and threaten Tehran with potential violence.

Nonetheless,  niacINsight urges the U.S. to “stand with the Iranian people” by opposing the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, which many members of the green movement have said would hurt the Iranian people and not the regime. Jamal Abdi warns such sanctions  “may isolate us from our closest allies and biggest trading partners, pose momentous new challenges for our efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and the greater Middle East, undermine the Iranian people’s struggle for democracy, and once again place the United States on the gave path towards military confrontation.”

Instead, niacINsight hails the introduction of the Stand with the Iranian People Act (SWIPA H.R. 4303) introduced by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and the Iranian Digital Empowerment Act (IDEA H.R. 4301)  introduced by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA). Both of these acts were introduced yesterday. SWIPA would enable Americans and Iranians to work together to promote human rights or for projects like building hospitals and schools, while also imposing targeted sanctions on the regime and companies that work with it. IDEA would legalize the transfer of communication and anti-censorship tools between the U.S. and Iran.

Arguing in favor of SWIPA and IDEA and against IRPSA,  Patrick Disney contends, “the yardstick for an effective Iran policy is not how much pain and suffering it will cause among innocent Iranians. Rather, changing the policies and behavior of Tehran’s repressive government should be our ultimate goal. This means that when it comes to sanctions, bigger is not always better.”

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Congress, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Journalism, Judiciary, Legislation, Military, Oil, Protests, Technology, US foreign policy, US politics, sanctions | Comment »

Secretary Clinton: Major Human Rights Speech at Georgetown

December 14th, 2009 by Jason

Secretary Clinton delivered an important address (PDF transcript) on the Obama administration’s approach to human rights today at Georgetown University.

Reinforcing the message of President Obama’s Nobel speech, Clinton affirmed “the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not only the source of our strength and endurance, they are the birthright of every woman, man, and child on earth.” As such, Clinton defined America’s mission as “expanding the circle of rights and opportunities to all people - advancing their freedoms and possibilities.”

Furthermore, a just society must not only respect civil and political freedoms, but also protect its citizens from the “oppression of want - want of food, want of health, want of education, and want of equality in law and fact.” In fact, “democracies that deliver on rights, opportunities, and development for their people are stable, strong, and most likely to enable people to live up to their potential.” As such, Clinton asserted “supporting democracy and fostering development are cornerstones of our 21st century human rights agenda.”

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, EU, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Journalism, Judiciary, Multilateralism, NGOs, Technology, US foreign policy, Uncategorized, United Nations, Women | 3 Comments »

Afghanistan: Administration Testifies on Hill

December 3rd, 2009 by Jason

As the first of the 30,000 new U.S. troops prepare to deploy within two to three weeks, debate at home continues over President Obama’s new Afghan strategy. Notably, Secretary Clinton, Secretary Gates, and Admiral Mullen testified before Congress yesterday on the new Afghan strategy and will continue their testimony today.

Juan Cole relays reactions to Obama’s Afghan strategy from the region. In short, Kabul is content, the Taliban are indignant, the Indians are satisfied, the Russians are concerned about heroin and religious radicalism, and Pakistan wants greater military coordination. The Christian Science Monitor provides a more detailed reaction of Afghan leaders, with mixed reviews centered around the timeline for withdrawal.

Citing Admiral Mullen’s emphasis on governance during his testimony, Patrick Barry of Democracy Arsenal questions what will the Obama administration do when governance does not improve after several months. In a second post, Barry urges the U.S. to consider how to use incentives to create leverage in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as opposed overly relying on coercion and conditions. However, former Ambassador to Afghanistan Ronald E. Neumann warns that while Afghanistan needs “more efficient, more honest government,” the United States must be “sensitive” about how hard it pushes President Karzai.

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Afghanistan, Congress, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Military, Pakistan, Reform, Taliban, Technology, US foreign policy, Women, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Lebanon: Withdrawal from Ghajar?

November 24th, 2009 by Jason

UNIFIL admitted that it has yet to be officially notified by Israel about any plan to withdraw from the northern half of the contested village of Ghajar. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold a cabinet vote tomorrow to decide the matter.

Writing on the MESH blog, David Schenker explores the implications of Lebanon’s new position on the U.N. Security Council. Schenker explains that Washington is rightly worried that Hezbollah, along with its allies Syria and Iran, could use the seat to their advantage and strain the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Lebanon. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch and the Lebanese Center for Human Rights urged an investigation into the detention and disappearance of Syrian opposition figure Nawar Abboud. Last December, plainclothes members of the Lebanese Military Intelligence took Abboud into custody from his office in Tripoli. He has not been seen since.

Finally, The Daily Star reports that the fifth Beirut Media Forum convened on Friday “to discuss the interaction between media, web use and social, political and religious mobilization in the Middle East.” According to political scientist Donatella Della Ratta, “the social Arab web is empowering citizen journalism and civic participation by giving voice to ‘ordinary people.’”


Posted in Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, NGOs, Political Parties, Syria, Technology, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »

Iran Cabinet and Continued Oppression

November 17th, 2009 by Zack

Al-Arabiyya reports that the Iranian Parliament has approved President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s final three cabinet nominations (click here for a complete cabinet list) while the IAEA warns there could be more nuclear sites and the U.S. and Russia warn that international patience for a nuclear deal is ebbing.

According to reports, Iranian student protester Abdullah Momeni has been sentenced to eight years for protesting election results.   TehranBureau has written an account of the trial and execution of Ehsan Fattahian, a 28-year-old Kurdish activist.  In the wake of this and the announcement that the regime will form a new police unit to silence opposition Internet outlets, Ali Akbar Dareini and Jason Keyser report that Iranian opposition leaders are accusing the regime of being more brutal than that of the Shah.  “I can’t understand why they should treat people like this,” said Mehdi Karroubi.

The Daily Star reports that Tehran is also considering a reduction of subsidized gasoline quotas by twenty percent during the winter to help cut consumption and reduce Iranian vulnerability ahead of possible sanctions.

Claire Messud has written a review of My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran by Haleh Esfandiari,highlighting both Esfandiari’s personal story and American political blunders that continue to elude currently policy makers.


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Freedom, Iran, Technology, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »

Egyptian Blogger Beaten

November 16th, 2009 by Jason

During the mayhem of a major soccer match, Egyptian blogger Kareem el-Shae’r was kidnapped and beaten. El-Shae’r moderates the Free Egypt blog and is a member of Ayman Nour’s el-Ghad party and the April 6 Youth movement. For his activism, el-Shae’r has been arrested several times and beaten before. The Egyptian interior ministry refused to comment on the incident.

Meanwhile, at the Internet Governance Forum in Sharm el Sheikh, the Egyptian government announced the world’s first Arabic web domain that will facilitate Internet access for the world’s Arabic speakers. While speaking at the conference, U.N. undersecretary general for economic and social affairs, Sha Zukang, contended “good and democratic Internet governance is a means of achieving development for all.” According to Yahoo’s Jerry Lang, only 1 percent of online content is in Arabic despite having over 300 million Arabic speakers in the world. However, some groups are concerned about Egypt’s poor track record in upholding freedom of expression, both on and off the Internet.


Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Political Parties, Technology, United Nations | 1 Comment »

Clinton Launches Civil Society 2.0

November 3rd, 2009 by Jason

Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered an important address at the Forum for the Future in Marrakech, Morocco today. Government officials and civil society leaders from across the region attended the forum and listened to the Secretary explain how the U.S. will implement the platform set forth by President Obama in Cairo.

Secretary Clinton emphasized that “true progress comes from within a society and cannot be imposed from the outside.” Therefore, the United States will partner with local governments and civil society organizations to “create sustainable change” in three key areas: the economy, science and technology and education. She also highlighted the importance of empowering women, without which there can be no “true progress.”

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Mideast Peace Plan, Morocco, NGOs, Technology, US foreign policy, Women | Comment »

New Saudi University Spreads Freedom?

September 24th, 2009 by Jason

Saudi Arabia and its King Abdullah have received several commendations after the grand opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, attended by leaders from throughout the Middle East. As paraphrased by Nina Shea of The Corner, Secretary Clinton praised Abdullah for “enhancing our security, showing friendship to other religions, helping liberate women, reforming education, and supporting peace with Israel.”

But there is reason for hesitance as well. Shea points out the State Department identifies Saudi Arabia as religiously intolerant. In addition, The LA Times quotes Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch: “It remains to be seen whether the university will be an island of freedom in an ocean of repression, or whether it can help spread freedoms to other parts of the kingdom.”


Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, NGOs, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Women | Comment »

Weaknesses of Iran Sanctions

September 2nd, 2009 by Zack

“American sanctions against this country are not only obviously ineffective…they often have unintended consequences that hurt American interests,” writes Jerry Guo in a New York Times op-ed piece this morning.  Mr. Guo, an American who worked this summer as a hedge fund manager in Tehran, talks about the flood of American products in Iran, the Revolutionary Guard’s booming black market, and the web of business connections that have circumvented supposedly rigid U.S. export restrictions.

Believing that sanctions against foreign investment hurt ordinary Iranians more than the administration and that the Iranian economic system has grown accustomed to Western threats, he argues that additional American sanctions would continue to drive business underground and that widespread broadcast of the government abuse against election protesters has done more to isolate Iran than any sanction could hope.

 In a related post, blogger Evgeny Morozov at Foreign Policy (h/t to NIAC), presents the case that economic sanctions are harming the “Twitter Revolution”.   In accordance with U.S. restrictions, Google has prohibited the use of its AdSense program to target visitors from Iran.  Morozov explains that Google Ads in Eastern Europe became a major funding source for small-scale web-ventures.  He believes that sanctions are forcing Iranians to shut down popular opposition web sites — sites that could become sustainable forces for change — as operators run out of the capital to pay a full-time staff, buy server space and fend off cyber-attacks.  Instead, the U.S. should partner with Google to provide a platform for opposition groups to generate needed funds.


Posted in Elections, Iran, Journalism, Reform, Technology | Comment »

Iranians Point To U.S. For Human Rights Violations

August 25th, 2009 by Blake

As President Obama’s September deadline for outreach to the Iran approaches, Iranian lawmakers preliminarily voted (189-21) for the establishment of a $20m fund charged with researching and exposing American human rights violations.  Iranian officials claim that this measure comes in response to American “interference” in Iran since its election controversy and after the introduction of Victims of Iranian Censorship (VOICE) Act (S.Amdt 1775) attached to the Defense Appropriations bill passed by the Senate in July.  VOICE designates $30m for technologies that allow American satellite and radio broadcasts in Persian to bypass Iranian censorship and jamming.  Congress also allocated $5m for human rights investigations and $20m for developing internet resources and technology that would allow Iranians to access information censored by the Iranian government.

Such a measure by Iran’s government may provide a window of opportunity for the Obama administration to bring human rights to the discussion table with Iran, by highlighting an American commitment to human rights.


Posted in Congress, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Iran, Legislation, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »

Iran Online: “Cyber David Fights Theocratic Goliath”

June 18th, 2009 by Blake

At the Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash argues that the politics of an emerging 21st century “people power” is exemplified in Iran. There, protesters–particularly the 60% of Iranians who are under 30–use internet tools to organize demonstrations and voice their opposition to what he calls the “theocratic Goliath.”

Although the government has clamped down on internet access, NPR reports that alternatives to access online social media, such as proxy servers, are an option for Iranians. Chinese servers which originated to evade governmental control in China are are key for Iranian internet access, writes Nicholas D. Kristof in the New York Times. The Global Internet Freedom Consortium in China reports that Iranian usage of its software, which allows Iranians to reach blocked sites, tripled this week with 200 million hits from Iran–about 400,000 people.

Kristof argues along with the Computerworld blog that the Internet Freedom Initiative (H.R.2271) in Congress can be a launchpad for American support of human rights and democracy in the digital age.


Posted in Congress, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Legislation, Technology | 1 Comment »

POMED Notes: The Arab Blogosphere at USIP

June 18th, 2009 by Max

The United States Institute of Peace held an event yesterday titled “Online Discourse in the Arab World: Dispelling the Myths” in which Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society presented its new report on the Arabic-language blogosphere. Bruce Etling, John Palfrey, and John Kelly presented the study. Daniel Brumberg, Saad Ibrahim and Raed Jarrar responded to the research. Sheldon Himelfarb was the moderator. 

To read POMED’s notes on the event, click here


Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Freedom, Human Rights, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle Eastern Media, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Women | Comment »

Nora Younis in CSM

January 6th, 2009 by Tariq

Liam Stack at the Christian Science Monitor highlights the work of Egyptian blogger and part-time celebrity (at least in some circles), Nora Younis: “As the author of a self-titled political blog, www.norayounis.com, she broadcasts her demands for democracy and human rights. And as a fixture in the street protest movement, she became known in the country’s media as the curly-haired girl holding photographs of the Interior Minister and a police commander accused of sexually assaulting her and 30 other women, demanding their arrest and trial.”


Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Journalism, Technology | Comment »

Student Unrest in Iran

December 15th, 2008 by Jason

There’s an interesting short piece in the WSJ about the recent rise in student protests in Iran, and the role of the Internet in spreading and immortalizing the brave acts of defiance. In a recent visit to Shiraz University by Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, a student rose to ask a question and instead said, “I’m not going to ask you a question because I don’t accept you as the legitimate speaker or the parliament as legitimate.” The report notes that when Barack Obama engages Iran, he must make a choice: “Engage with what Larijani represents, or engage with the generation of that student.”


Posted in Human Rights, Iran, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »

Supporting Political Dissidents

December 12th, 2008 by Tariq

In the Washington Post, Jackson Diehl writes about one of the successes of the Bush administration: his unwavering personal support of political dissidents. “On Wednesday, in honor of the 60th Human Rights Day, Bush invit[ed] dissident bloggers from China, Burma, Iran, Cuba, Belarus, Egypt and Venezuela to the White House’s Roosevelt Room…For an hour, the president listened as the bloggers described how they attempt to circumvent state censorship to disseminate news and organize pressure for change on the Internet.”

Mahmoud Saber said “the hope of Egypt’s “Facebook generation” is that the next U.S. president “not support autocratic rulers in the Middle East.” He also mentioned the plights of “seven Egyptian bloggers who have been arrested and jailed by the government of Hosni Mubarak…Saad Eddin Ibrahim…[who] has been unable to return to his home in Cairo ever since he shook Bush’s hand at that Prague meeting…[and] Ayman Nour… in jail for three years — a symbol of one vindictive autocrat’s victory over the “freedom agenda.”

Arash Sigarchi, an Iranian blogger, passed along a message to the President from bloggers in Iran: “Please prevent U.S. and Chinese companies from selling Internet-filtering software to our government.”


Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Journalism, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »

The Blogfather

December 5th, 2008 by Tariq

Here is some more information on blogging in Iran: the International Herald Tribune has a short opinion piece on the Iranian ‘Blogfather’ Hossein Derakhshan. Charged with spying for Israel after visiting the Jewish state to promote dialogue between Iranians and Israelis, the article warns, “Everyone in the global village who values that freedom should be calling for the release of the Blogfather.”


Posted in Iran, Israel, Technology | Comment »

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 »