Project on Middle East Democracy

Project on Middle East Democracy
The POMED Wire Archives


Month: February, 2007

ON THE FLOOR: National Security FIRST Act

February 28th, 2007 by Stephen

Today the House debates HR 566, the National Security Foreign Investment Reform and Strengthened Transparency Act of 2007. The bill is nearly identical to last year’s HR 5337, which aimed to strengthen oversight of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) in the wake of the controversy surrounding Dubai Port World’s attempted purchase of a company that controls several U.S. ports. HR 5337 passed 424-0 in the House, but died as it was never reconciled with a Senate version of the bill. The new House bill is expected to have widespread support, despite the concerns of (a) government officials, that the increased bureaucratic workload in approving foreign investment deals may interfere with identifcation of national security threats, and (b) business leaders, that these hurdles with scare off investors and send their capital elsewhere (such as Dubai Port World’s recent deal in China).


Posted in Congress, Legislation | Comment »

Christian Leader of Islamic Action Front in Jordan?

February 28th, 2007 by Stephen

Last week Aziz Musa’ida became the first Christian elected to a leadership position in the Islamic Action Front, the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan. But then Musa’ida resigned within a few days of taking office, citing intense personal “pressure from certain groups.” In an interesting discussion, Marc Lynch asks whether we’ve witnessed “a fascinating instance of potential cross-religious political activism, with potentially region-wide implications, or was it just a publicity stunt by the IAF?”


Posted in Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood | Comment »

WINEP on Arrest & Sentencing of Blogger in Egypt

February 27th, 2007 by Stephen

In this short piece, Andrew Exum of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy examines challenges for U.S. policy toward freedom of expression and blogging in the Middle East. In light of last week’s sentencing of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman to four years in prison for messages posted on his personal blog, Exum argues that U.S. policymakers must embrace the freedom of expression brought by the internet to the Arab world, and avoid the trap of allowing the content of censored speech determine the reaction to its censorship.


Posted in Egypt | Comment »

EVENT: Lessons on Democracy Learned in Tunisia

February 27th, 2007 by Stephen

Ambassador William Hudson, former US Ambassador to Tunisia, will give a lecture entitled Democracy in the Middle East: Lessons Learned in Tunisia at the Meridian House, Tuesday March 6 at 6:30 pm. The event is part of the American-Tunisian Winter Lecture Series co-sponsored by the Meridian International Center and The American-Tunisian Association.

For other great events, see our DC-wide events calendar !


Posted in Events, Tunisia | Comment »

EVENT: Is Diplomatic Engagement of Iran Compatible with Nuclear Containment?

February 27th, 2007 by Stephen

At 12 noon on Friday, March 2, The Center for American Progress will host an event entitled Can We Contain and Engage Iran? The program will open with a briefing on a new report, “Contain and Engage: A New Strategy for Countering the Nuclear Crisis with Iran,” by Andrew Grotto and Joseph Cirincione of the Center for American Progress. Other featured speakers will be Geoffrey Kemp of The Nixon Center, Jacqueline Shire of the Institute for Science and International Security, and Karim Sadjadpour of International Crisis Group.

For other great events, see our DC-wide events calendar!


Posted in Events, Iran | Comment »

U.S. Should Support New Palestinian Unity Government. Intermediate Step to Peace

February 26th, 2007 by Jonathan

Haim Malka, deputy director of the Middle East Program at CSIS, believes that the United States should support the new Palestinian Unity Government in order to avoid a Palestinian civil war. An armed showdown between Hamas and Fatah would be more harmful to peace prospects than a unity government made up of both factions.


Posted in Palestine | Comment »

Larry Diamond to Speak at George Washington Tonight!

February 26th, 2007 by Andrew

Democracy guru Larry Diamond will be at George Washington’s Elliott School of International Affairs tonight. His talk is entitled “The Globalization of Democracy: Boom, Recession, and Renewal.”

For more great events, check out our DC-wide events calender!


Posted in Uncategorized | Comment »

Welcome to the Project on Middle East Democracy Blog

February 26th, 2007 by Rashad

This blog focuses on being a resource to keep track of news and events related to US policy and political reform and democractization in the Middle East.


Posted in Uncategorized | Comment »