Human Development Report Finds Inequality Persists in Arab World
November 5th, 2010 by Anna
The United Nations released its 2010 Human Development Report yesterday, titled “The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development.” This year’s report, which includes new indices to adjust for inequality, women’s disadvantage, and multidimensional poverty, found that of the countries measured, Oman’s Human Development Index (HDI) score improved the most over the last 40 years. Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco also improved considerably. Overall, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain ranked the highest in the region; Egypt came in 101 out of 169, and Sudan ranked close to the bottom.
Inequality remained a significant issue, and Jeni Klugman, the report’s lead author, observed that “the most significant losses for Arab countries in the Inequality-adjusted HDI can be traced to the unequal distribution of income.” Yemen and Qatar ranked very low on gender equality, but the report also notes that women’s representation in Arab parliaments has risen in recent years. On civil and political liberties, the authors report that there is considerable room for improvement across the region.
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, United Nations | Comment »
Algeria: Questions on Human Rights, UN Rapporteurs to Visit
August 27th, 2010 by Anna
Farouk Ksentini, president of Algeria’s national human rights commission the National Consultative Council for the Promotion of Human Rights, announced yesterday that the country’s Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia “has invited rapporteurs of the United Nations to investigate and make an audit in Algeria regarding human rights.” Calling the probe “considerable progress,” Ksentini specified that the UN body will investigate violence against women, education rights, and food and water rights. Although various government commissions have been invited investigate human rights conditions in Algeria, however, non-governmental human rights groups are not yet welcome to operate in the country.
On a related note, Algerian national Hicham Yezza (of the “Nottingham Two“) said in an interview with Nottingham Indymedia yesterday that when he was told he might be deported to Algeria after his 2008 arrest in Britain: “I questioned my safety in terms of whether I could safely travel back to my country,” citing Algeria’s history of “dealings with Islamism.” The human rights inquiry comes in the wake of predictions a few weeks ago that Algeria might suspend BlackBerry service for reasons of “economy and…security,” according to Telecommunications Minister Moussa Benhamadi.
Posted in Algeria, Human Rights | Comment »
Blackberry: Bans and Bargains
August 10th, 2010 by Jennifer
An official at the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission has confirmed that RIM, the Canadian-based maker of Blackberry technology, has struck an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government to allow a server inside the Gulf kingdom, effectively allowing the Saudi government to monitor messages sent over the Blackberry network. The two parties reached the agreement in order to avoid a potential Blackberry ban that was announced by Saudi Arabia late last week, citing fears that messages sent over the highly encrypted, closed network could pose a security threat. According to Abdullah al-Shihri writing for the Associated Press, the deal “could be setting a worldwide precedent for how technology companies and governments get along.”
Meanwhile, a number of other Arab governments debated their position on use of the technology. Lebanese officials expressed their interest in potentially pursuing a deal, with chief of Lebanon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Imad Hoballah stating, “RIM has made concessions to the U.S., the UK, Russia and eventually they have to give in to some of the countries depending on the business propositions made. We would be happy with whatever information they have made available to the U.S.” An official source in Algeria predicted that “Ending the BlackBerry service in Algeria is very likely,” as Telecommunications Minister Moussa Benhamadi announced that his government is “looking at the issue. If we find out that it is a danger for our economy and our security, we will stop it.” On the other hand, Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheik Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, said that his country does not intend to issue a ban, stating, “We’re not saying there is no security concern,’’ but adding that “there are many other ways for the criminals or terrorists to communicate, so we decided we might as well live with it.’’ Additionally, an official source at the Egyptian National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority denied that security forces have put forward any requests for a ban on Blackberry services in Egypt, adding that no evidence exists that Blackberry networks have been used for criminal activity in that country. Kuwait indicated a more cautious stance toward the issue, with its Communications Minister, Mohammad al-Busairi, commenting that “as of right now, we in Kuwait have no intention to stop the BlackBerry services… but at the same time we are following up on direct and indirect negotiations with the company and with fellow Gulf states.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Freedom, Gulf, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Technology, UAE | 1 Comment »
New Poll Shows “U-Turn” in U.S. Favorability
May 29th, 2010 by Josh
After nearly a year of slow but visible gains in U.S. approval throughout the Arab world, the latest iteration of Gallup polling shows significant declines in four of the six states surveyed — perhaps reflecting what some have recently identified as a rather acute disappointment with what they see as a gap between Obama administration rhetoric and action. Egypt experienced the steepest fall from a two-year high of 37 percent approval last fall to 19 percent today. Algeria was next, dipping 13 percent from 43 to 30. Declines were relatively more mild in Iraq and the Palestinian Territories (3 and 4 percent respectively), both within Gallop’s margin of error.
Aside from surface-level favorability ratings, the poll’s so-called “internals” are fascinating as well. When asked what would improve their view of the United States, 55 percent of Egyptians cited “supporting the right of Muslims to elect their own government” as a “very significant” issue. Other priority responses in this category include: “pulling out of Iraq” (64 percent); “removing military bases from Saudi Arabia” (60 percent); “more direct humanitarian aid” (57 percent); and “greater technology transfer and exchange of business expertise” (57 percent).
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Lebanon, Mauritania, Military, Palestine, Public Opinion, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Arab Reform Bulletin: A Look at Pluralism and Political Progress
March 18th, 2010 by Josh
In its two most recent offerings, the Arab Reform Bulletin assesses the political landscape in both Algeria and Kuwait. Journalist Mahmoud Belhimer, troubled by the failure of recent government initiatives to alleviate Algeria’s ongoing economic turmoil and build a higher level of democratic pluralism, wonders how a forthcoming generational shift in political leadership might affect Algeria’s democratic trajectory. Yet regardless of who succeeds President Bouteflika, Belhimer contends that “the next president will not succeed in establishing true stability and prosperity if he maintains the approach of keeping power in the hands of a few and preventing popular political participation and government accountability.”
ARB editor Michele Dunne has a piece up as well, in which she relays the contents of an interview with Dr. Rola Dashti, a Kuwaiti democratic activist and one of the first four women to ever be elected to Kuwait’s parliament in 2009. Check out the full exchange here.
Posted in Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Kuwait, Publications, Reform | Comment »
Democracy Promotion: Workshops Held Across the Middle East
January 26th, 2010 by Maria
The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) is organizing a “Training of Trainers” workshop for Jordan (end of January) and Bahrain (early February) for democracy education among local youth, women, lawyers, teachers and religious leaders. The organization is providing information and leading exercises on how Islam can be compatible with democratic principles and human rights in the Arab world.
CSID held similar workshops in Morocco and Tunisia last November, where Moroccan and Tunisian human rights activists presented a training manual: “Islam and Democracy - Toward Effective Citizenship.” The manual has been used to train more than 4,500 people from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Bahrain. CSID feels education on democracy “remains one of the best ways to build a culture of democracy, and human rights and to strengthen the pillars of future democratic states in the Arab world.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Morocco, North Africa, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »
Constitutional Reform: Process and Momentum in the Arab World
January 7th, 2010 by Josh
A revealing report by the The Arab Reform Initiative highlights the previous two decades of constitutional reform in the Arab world, and examines both the underlying catalyst for “democratic shifts” and the future direction of these reforms within five countries: Morocco, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, and Mauritania.
Though the report, written by Amina El Messaoudi, recognizes the unique internal circumstance of each country’s process toward reformation, it uncovers several thematic similarities across the Arab community. More specifically, it points to constitutional reforms in five general areas: 1) State support of human rights law, 2) Gender equality and women’s representation, 3) Reinforcement of constitutional law, 4) Multi-party systems, and 5) Financial regulation.
However, the impetus for democratic progress often came from different sources. Messaoudi writes that the ruling power initiated reforms in places like Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, while opposition parties jump-started the process in Morocco. On a functional level, civil society and media helped to spur reformation in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, and Mauritania, “whereas in [Algeria and Bahrain] national treaties served as the entry point for amendments.”
Parliamentary restructuring in favor of bicameral legislatures played a key role by slowly shifting power away from the executive, Messaoudi reports, however three roadblocks prevented widespread progress on that front: 1) The second legislative body is often significantly less democratic with many members appointed directly by the country’s executive, 2) most Arab constitutions impart similar powers and responsibilities to both parliamentary chambers, which “impedes a dynamic relationship from forming between them,” and 3) heads of state retain the sole authority to dissolve the parliament.
While acknowledging that these efforts “have not profoundly altered the political and constitutional arrangements in these countries,” the report attributes the “change in the relationship between the powers, and an increased role for political parties, as well as civil society” to the movement for constitutional reform throughout much of the region, and believes that civil society has been “empowered to undertake an effective role in future constitutional amendments.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Political Parties, Reform, Tunisia | 1 Comment »
Morocco: Reforming Through Decentralization?
January 5th, 2010 by Josh
On January 4, King Mohammed IV of Morocco announced his intention to establish an “Advisory Committee” which will be tasked with drafting legislation to “give regional authorities more power to determine their own paths to development based on local conditions.” Magharebia reports that the committee, led by Morocco’s Ambassador to Spain, Omar Azzamine, will “find ways to boost the power of regions so they can effectively contribute to Morocco’s socio-economic and cultural development.”
Supplementing this announcement is an Al-Arabiya report on a partial reshuffling of the Moroccan cabinet. In a statement to the media, the royal council linked the new appointments — the most significant of which are in the Ministries of Justice and Interior — to the aforementioned Advisory Committee initiative, claiming that the cabinet shake-up would “give greater momentum to major development projects and structural institutional reforms.”
Posted in Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, North Africa, Reform | 1 Comment »
Morocco: Sahara Activist Saga Continues
December 15th, 2009 by Zack
Amnesty International has called for Morocco to allow Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar, who is currently on a hunger strike after being denied access to her homeland, be allowed to return to the Sahara. In a petition to Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, Amnesty called on the “authorities in Morocco to allow her immediate and unconditional return to Laayoune and give her back her passport” and unblock her bank account.
While Haider is possibly hours from death, The Guardian reports that Morocco has taken a firm line on the matter, with the foreign minister, Taieb Fassi-Fihri, insisting that Haidar had “disowned her identity and her nationality” and “must accept, on her own, the legal and moral consequences which result from this behaviour”. In addition, Middle East Online writes that Morocco has charged Haider with being part of a “systematic, methodical plot devised by Algeria.”
Posted in Algeria, Freedom, Morocco, Protests, Western Sahara | Comment »
Report: Human Rights on the Decline Part II
December 12th, 2009 by Jason
As we reported earlier, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) has released a comprehensive and thorough report, called “Bastion of Impunity, Mirage of Reform,” on the state of human rights throughout the Arab world. The full report in Arabic spans 254 pages and chronicles in detail the backsliding on human rights in the region while also identifying a few points of optimism. In addition to the full report, CIHRS has released a translation of the report’s introduction written by their general director, Bahey eldin Hassan, as well as a 21-page summary of the report in English.
According to Hassan’s introduction, while there have been important strides to “ease repressive measures” in the Middle East under the Forum of the Future regional initiative, in no country were there “real constitutional, legislative, or institutional gains that could upset the balance of power between authoritarian regimes and the forces of reform.” Hassan blames this failure on the narrow focus on electoral reform at the expense of human rights, the contradictory actions of the G-8 countries, attempts by the Arab League to co-opt reform with their own homegrown initiatives, and the European and American fear of Islamist electoral victories. Finally, Hassan contends “the last spark in the initiatives was quashed once and for all with the arrival of a new US administration” apparently unwilling to support democracy rhetorically.
Now, Hassan warns that the minor gains made over the past five years are under a “counterattack by Arab governments. Among other examples of backtracking, the Arab league disabled the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which only had 10 of 22 signatory countries to begin with. As with the CIHRS report last year, Hassan concludes that “lack of political will on the part of most regimes in the Arab region was the key to understanding and explaining chronic human rights problems in the region.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Algeria, Arab League, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, EU, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Hamas, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Israel, Jordan, Journalism, Judiciary, Kurds, Lebanon, Legislation, Military, Morocco, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Palestine, Political Islam, Political Parties, Protests, Public Opinion, Publications, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, United Nations, Western Sahara, Women, Yemen | 1 Comment »
More than Just a Sport
November 17th, 2009 by Jason
Soccer is more than just a sport for Egyptians. A recent victory in a do-or-die match against Algeria has captivated the entire nation, as well as Western observers. The LA Times blog Babylon and Beyond describes how Egypt “wishes for soccer glory as compensation to tough living.” The blog quotes sociologist Sayed Eweis, who explains soccer “is something that makes [Egyptians] happy.” Writing in The Guardian, Mohamed El Dahshan elaborates that soccer “acts as a catharsis for political frustration and a proxy for popular participation” in Egypt.
But Sean Brooks also sees a darker side to the celebrations after Egypt’s key win, which entailed masses of “over-zealous young men” filling the streets, shooting off fireworks and even sporadically firing their guns. Given this image, he asks us to “imagine what the pent up frustration of millions of young Egyptians could do if focused on a political target.” He continues, “with no dramatic political reforms on the foreseeable horizon, such could be a frightening future for Egypt.” For Brooks, it is unclear whether the Egyptian security apparatus can maintain “this petrified and decaying state” forever, but it is not for lack of trying. After all, on the very day of the Egyptian victory, opposition activist blogger Kareem el-Shae’r was kidnapped and beaten (see previous post), perpetuating a long history of intimidation, harassment and torture that keeps President Mubarakin power.
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing defendants of two purported terrorist cells detained in Egypt has filed an official complaint to the state prosecutor. The complaint claims the prisoners were terrorized by snakes placed in their cells. The detainees have previously alleged torture earlier during their incarceration.
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Hamas, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Judiciary, Reform, Terrorism | Comment »
New Arab Reform Bulletin
November 12th, 2009 by Jason
A new Arab Reform Bulletin has been released by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
In this issue, Sam Parker explains why the passing of the Iraq election law provides a “fair” outcome for the Kurds while also offering a “small victory” to the anti-Kurd forces. The election law will allow Kurds on the 2009 voting rolls to vote normally, despite fears by anti-Kurd politicians that Kurds are moving to Kirkuk en masse to alter political outcomes. However, the law also stipulates a mechanism to investigate fraud, should the voting outcome appear suspicious. Parker concludes that the “national elections law debate is emblematic of the current state of Iraqi politics: slow, messy, and factionalized, but ultimately democratic and successful in achieving the minimum necessary to carry Iraq forward without falling apart.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Hamas, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Israel, Journalism, Legislation, Libya, Military, Morocco, Muslim Brotherhood, North Africa, Palestine, Political Islam, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Publications, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism | Comment »
Housing Riots in Algiers
October 21st, 2009 by Daniel
Rioters clashed with police for the second day in a shanty town in Algiers. Residents of Diar Echams claim the government has not done enough to improve their housing situation. Riots are common in Algeria, but are rare in the high-security capital. One analyst told al-Jazeera, “The current government has failed to solve social problems. The unrest in Diar Echams is just an alarm bell.” Reports of casualties vary, but dozens of protestors and police were injured.
American editorial cartoonist Daryl Cagle writes about his recent trip to Algeria, where he learned about the ways Algerian cartoonists push the limits of acceptable political speech. Though some cartoonists face intimidation from the politicians they mock, cartoons remain a popular way to challenge conventions.
Posted in Algeria, Journalism | Comment »
North Africa Rated Less Democratic than Sub-Saharan Africa
October 14th, 2009 by Jason
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has released its latest index that “provides a comprehensive ranking of African countries according to governance quality.” The index breaks the data down into four broad categories: safety and rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development.
The Arab countries of North Africa fared moderately well on the overall score. Out of 53 countries, Tunisia ranked 8th, Egypt 11th, Algeria 14th, Morocco 16th and Libya 23rd. For the safety and rule of law vector, Arab countries performed slightly above average, with Egypt ranking 16th, Tunisia 17th, Morocco 22nd, Algeria 28th and Libya 33rd.
However, the Arab countries performed below average on participation and human rights, which considered political participation, human rights and gender equality. On these marks, Algeria ranked 31st, Egypt 34th, Tunisia 35th, Morocco 40th and Libya 50th.
Among the Arab countries, Tunisia fared better than expected while Morocco fared worse. Tunisia’s surprisingly good performance seems to be a result of its relatively high levels of gender equality compared to other Arab countries. However, Tunisia’s scores on political participation and human rights rank below other Arab countries, with particularly dismal scores for freedom of expression, freedom of association and the risk of human rights abuses.
Morocco’s particularly low aggregate score stems largely from its lack of executive elections, for which, as a monarchy, it receives a score of zero. However, Morocco ranked the highest among the Arab countries on many indicators, including free and fair general elections, political rights, freedom of association, civil liberties, and freedom of expression.
Despite the internal highs and lows among the Arab countries, it is clear that Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt all lag significantly behind the rest of Africa in the areas of participation and human rights.
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Journalism, Judiciary, Libya, Morocco, Political Parties, Publications, Reform, Tunisia, Women | 1 Comment »
Dealing with Islamists
September 18th, 2009 by Jason
Michael Allen has summarized a recent meeting that included Egyptian activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Rob Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Jeff Gedmin of Radio Free Europe. Ibrahim argued the specter of radical Islam is receding and therefore the U.S. should seek to engage moderate Islamists who have forsaken violence. He also emphasized the broad support of democracy and liberal values throughout the Middle East. Satloff cautioned, however, that the U.S. should only actively support those groups that genuinely share American values. Finally, Gedmin explained how the Eastern Europe example may be misleading when analyzing the Middle East because individualist values have less appeal in conservative Muslim circles.
In The Daily Star, Omar Ashour details the robust history of successful de-radicalization of jihadists, citing examples from Egypt, Algeria, Libya and Saudi Arabia. While dictatorships have had success in disarming jihadists, Ashour contends “success[ful] democratization and religious reformation remain critical to a long-term, durable solution.”
Posted in Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Political Islam, Reform, Saudi Arabia, 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 »
UNDP’s Call for Rule of Law in Arab Human Development Report
July 21st, 2009 by Blake
The UNDP released its new Arab Human Development Report today, which includes insights from Arab intellectuals, reform practitioners and youth. This year’s report, entitled Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries, notes that “fault lines” in the region have deepened since the release of the first such report in 2002, and that a lack of human security has become a primary factor inhibiting human development.
One relevant chapter of the report focused particularly on the role of Arab states in undermining the human security of their citizens. The report stresses the importance of the rule of law, noting that “The state which departs from these rules becomes a source of risk to life and freedom. Instead of guaranteeing human security, the state itself turns into a major threat to it.”
Key points regarding the role of Arab states in inhibiting human security and development:
- Extensive legal restrictions impede the formation and operation of political parties or legal civil society groups across the Arab world.
- As of 2008, a state of emergency law precludes rights and basic freedoms in six countries of the region – Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and the West Bank and Gaza. Leaders’ absolute authority means that security sectors operate with impunity and without accountability to citizens.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Syria | Comment »
New Site on Democratic Reform and Human Rights in the Maghreb
May 8th, 2009 by Jed
On POMED’s Morocco country page, James points out a new site from Magharebia.com. The site, titled Zawaya, aims to “create a space for thoughtful dialogue” by inviting a group of experts to comment on a particular topic and allowing readers to join in the discussion.
Posted in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia | Comment »
What If They Had an Election and Nobody Came?
April 9th, 2009 by Eoghan
Algeria held a presidential election today, and while the official tally is not yet in, it is widely believed that the incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will win the contest easily. The Algerian government is expected to use fraud and intimidation to ensure the president’s reelection, and anti-Bouteflika groups from left-wing opposition parties to Islamist parties and even al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have called for a boycott. A low turnout may improve the incumbent’s margin of victory, but at the same time undercut his perceived legitimacy. In fact, Bouteflika appears to be anxious about that risk. In the run-up to today’s vote, he campaigned across the country, urging Algerians to “Vote, even vote against me, but vote.”
Posted in Algeria, Elections, Islamist movements, al-Qaeda | Comment »
