Egypt: U.S. Must Address Egypt’s “Police-State Methods”
November 8th, 2010 by Jason
An editorial published in the Washington Post argues that the Egyptian government has begun to use “police-state methods usually associated with Syria or Sudan,” against members of the political opposition. The Mubarak regime’s abuses of the “emergency law” have included the arrests of hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the closing of media outlets, and the abduction and unlawful detention of peaceful political activists. Al Masry Al Youm adds that “Egyptian human rights groups have recently criticized the Obama Administration for supporting stability at the expense of democratic reforms in Egypt, often citing a decision by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide funds only for officially registered NGOs, a condition that adversely affects organizations more critical of the regime.”
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, US foreign policy | Comment »
Iraq: The Irbil Conference, Possible Compromise?
November 8th, 2010 by Jason
Leaders from the main political blocs in Iraq, including Nouri al-Maliki and Iyad Allwai, met today in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil to negotiate a “power-sharing” deal. Sammy Ketz of Agence France Presse reports that the parties have made a “breakthrough,” described by government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh as “[a]n agreement […] among the political parties in which Jalal Talabani will continue as head of state, Nouri al-Maliki will stay on as prime minister and Iraqiya will choose its candidate for Parliament speaker.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking while in Australia for talks, continued to push for the two main parties, Maliki’s State of Law and Allawi’s Iraqiya, to find a way to represent all of the groups in the country: “‘It is fair to say that we have been consistently urging the Iraqis to have an inclusive government that reflects the interests and needs of the various segments of the population, that there had to be legitimate power-sharing amongst different groups and individuals,’” Clinton said.
Posted in Iraq, Political Parties, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Government Argues that Civil Society is “Dynamic,” “Healthy”
November 5th, 2010 by Anna
In the Washington Post today, Egyptian finance minister and member of parliament Youssef Boutros-Ghali responds to recent criticisms of the Egyptian government. Boutros-Ghali contends that Egypt’s economic growth “has helped make Egyptian civil society the most dynamic in the Middle East.” He cites the sizeable number of independent satellite broadcasters, publications, bloggers, and opposition papers as evidence that “Egypt is a different country from the one it was five years ago,” and calls the country “a regional trendsetter.” Boutros-Ghali also highlights increased women’s representation in public positions. Regarding “the imperfections in our political system,” he argues that “[t]he fact that Egyptians are having open discussions about the upcoming elections, government performance, poverty and even the president is proof of a healthy political space.” Moreover, he depicts the alternative to the ruling National Democratic Party as attempting to “steer the country…toward greater fundamentalism.” Boutros-Ghali points out that U.S-Egypt relations are increasingly built on trade and investment, and contends that “an economically developed and politically stable Egypt will improve America’s security and help to create the foundations of a prosperous and stable Middle East.”
For more information on news on Egypt, sign up for POMED’s Egypt Daily Update.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Freedom, Journalism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Republican Gains Will Likely Mean Cuts in Foreign Aid
November 3rd, 2010 by Anna
At Foreign Policy, Marc Lynch asserts that “there are real reasons to worry about the effects of a GOP-controlled Congress for Middle East policy.” He expresses concern that a Republican Congress might mean more hawkish policy on Iran, deference to Israeli settlement policies, and cuts in funding for the U.S. civilian mission in Iraq, “forcing the administration to scramble to deliver on its promise of a long-term civilian and political commitment.” At the Council on Foreign Relations, Senior Vice President James Lindsay similarly predicts that foreign aid will suffer under a Republican Congress, and at the Huffington Post, Marc Ginsberg writes: “the Obama Administration’s foreign aid program faces a very bleak future.” In Foreign Policy’s The Cable, Josh Rogin writes that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be more conservative following Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold’s loss. In another piece, Rogin adds that the next head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida, “is likely to seek cuts in the foreign-aid budget in her authorization bill.”
Posted in Elections, Foreign Aid, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »
Yemen: Central Problems are Ineffective Government, Mismanaged Economy
November 3rd, 2010 by Anna
Oliver Holmes writes at Al Jazeera that counterterrorism dollars for Yemen are missing “the crux of the problem – Yemen’s struggling economy.” By focusing their efforts on terrorism, rather than development, leaders in Washington risk ignoring the country’s worsening economic situation. The troubled economy arguably poses a bigger threat and risks “drawing [Yemenis] towards radicalization and militancy,” according to a recent Chatham House report. As Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Middle East Program points out, “unemployment, subsidies, the failure to plan for a post-oil economy and corruption…are the biggest challenges.” As such, interventions to improve security must be balanced with efforts to improve Yemen’s political and economic development. According to one official: “The economy is highly mismanaged due to the ineffectiveness of the government,” which exacerbates frustration among the population and worsens security problems. U.S. air strikes “won’t solve anything,” notes Princeton University Yemen expert Gregory Johnsen – rather, firm commitments in development aid are needed.
Posted in Foreign Aid, Military, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
Egypt: NSC Meets to Discuss Support for Democracy
November 3rd, 2010 by Jason
Laura Rozen reports at Politico that members of the National Security Council, including Dennis Ross, Dan Shapiro, and Samantha Power, met with a bi-partisan group of democracy advocates on Tuesday. The group included POMED’s Executive Director Andrew Albertson, Carnegie Endowment’s Michele Dunne, and Brian Katulis from Center for American Progress. “[The participants] suggested the meeting comes in the midst of the Obama administration conducting a review of its policy on democracy in the Middle East, and a significantly stepped-up focus by senior Obama administration officials on the Egyptian democracy issue in particular.” Other topics discussed included the issue of international monitors and the likelihood of the Muslim Brotherhood winning a majority of seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections. This was the first such meeting on Egyptian democracy issues to include Ross and Shapiro, the senior officials for Middle East policy at the NSC. “Tuesday’s meeting was interpreted by the outside foreign policy experts as a significant indicator that the Obama administration is giving more serious and high-level policy attention to the issue.”
The meeting has also garnered press attention in Egypt, including articles in Al-Dostor (Arabic) and Al-Masry Al-Youm (Arabic) .
Update: The Al-Masry Al-Youm article in now available in English.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Iraq’s Development Challenges”
November 2nd, 2010 by Jason
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) held a roundtable discussion Tuesday titled “Iraq’s Development Challenges.” The discussants were Christine McNab, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General & UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, John Desrocher, Director, Office of Iraq Affairs, US Department of State, and Leslie Campbell, Regional Director for the Middle East & North Africa, National Democratic Institute (NDI). The discussion was moderated by Frederick Tipson, Director of UNDP/Washington.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or click here for pdf.) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Civil Society, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Iraq, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Reform, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Yemen: Governance Improvement Projects are Key to Security
November 1st, 2010 by Anna
The Carnegie Endowment’s Christopher Boucek writes in the Financial Times that the recent discovery of a bomb plot originating in Yemen has generated considerable debate over how the U.S. and others should respond. While many have called for increased counterterrorism and military efforts in the country, Boucek argues that “a new, expensive and singular focus on hard security will make matters worse.” Since Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and other terrorist groups “thrive…on Yemen’s internal disarray,” he suggests that it would be more productive to focus attention on its economic situation, governance problems, and resource (mainly water) scarcities. Rather than military assistance, Boucek calls for additional humanitarian aid and capacity building projects to improve Yemen’s legal infrastructure, police forces, land reform, and education, as well as to fight corruption.
Posted in Foreign Aid, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »
Egypt: “Crisis of Governance” Over Parliamentary, Presidential Elections
November 1st, 2010 by Anna
In an opinion piece for Al Masry Al Youm, Director of Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies Bahey Eldin Hassan examines “the current crisis of governance in Egypt.” Unlike in previous years, some in the ruling elite believe that President Mubarak’s “continued grip on power is no longer in their interest or the regime’s interest.” Problematically, however, the regime has no alternate candidate that would garner the support of the entire elite. Furthermore, there are concerns among regime elites about how to ensure the political legitimacy of the next president, given the “unprecedented expansion of economic and social protests over the last two years.”
The current election environment is also shaped by the fact that political reform in the Middle East is not central on international agendas. Consequently, “the regime knows very well that even if the upcoming parliamentary elections are the worst in 58 years, it will incur no more than a harsh word or two.” The actual composition of the new parliament, meanwhile, has effectively “already been announced,” according to Hassan. Moving forward, he adds, one factor that will affect the political environment is the extent to which unofficial opposition groups can “project a coherent, influential message to the mass of regular Egyptians.”
For more information on this and other news on Egypt, sign up for POMED’s Egypt Daily Update.
Posted in Egypt, Elections, Political Parties, Protests, US foreign policy | Comment »
New Authoritarian Tactics Require a Broader Approach to Internet Freedom Efforts
October 29th, 2010 by Anna
In a piece for the Weekly Standard’s blog, Kelley Currie, a fellow with the Project 2049 Institute, responded to Jackson Diehl’s column on the State Department’s failure to direct fund technology to circumvent firewalls. Currie writes that she “share[s] Diehl’s frustration with the poverty of the State Department’s efforts” but argues that “there are in fact good reasons these funds should be directed elsewhere.” She points out that the problem is not merely access, and that “circumvention technology is relatively cheap and widely available.” The broader problem is repressive governments give Internet users “just enough online freedom to keep them from feeling constrained” and do not rely just on blocking content to achieve control.
Currie concludes that “[g]iven this broader context, it is clear that the Internet freedom initiatives under consideration by the U.S. and other democracies to date are well-intentioned but woefully inadequate and poorly matched to the actual scope and nature of the problem they are intended to address.” She calls efforts that focus on anti-blocking tools “fundamentally misplaced” and calls for greater attention to be paid to these new authoritarian tactics.
Posted in Freedom, Journalism, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Iran”
October 28th, 2010 by Jason
The Brookings Institution held a panel discussion on Thursday titled “Human Rights in Iran.” The discussion was moderated by Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow and Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. The panelists were Geneive Abdo, Director of the Iran Program at the Century Foundation, Philo Dibble, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Markus Löning, Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, and Mojtaba Vahedi, political advisor to former Iranian presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or click here for pdf.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Civil Society, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Reform, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »
Are Elections in Bahrain, Jordan, and Egypt Meaningless?
October 27th, 2010 by Jason
Writing at Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel, Shadi Hamid puts the recent election in Bahrain and the upcoming elections in Jordan and Egypt into context: “Saturday’s elections in Bahrain instead reflected a new and troubling trend in the Arab world: the free but unfair — and rather meaningless — election.” While opposition groups were able to adapt and take advantage of the “Arab spring” of 2005, the regions authoritarians were not far behind in creating a “democratic facade” to present to the international community. Hamid says that “[s]ome might consider this a workable compromise: Arabs get to vote and let out some steam. Friendly Arab regimes get to maintain their grip on power.” This arrangement is not viable in the long term, Hamid contends, because young people are becoming restless with the political theater. “If free but meaningless elections become the new norm, the Arab opposition may be forced to adopt a more impatient and confrontational approach, one that emphasizes civil disobedience, mass protest, and other ‘de-legitimization’ techniques.”
Posted in Bahrain, Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Jordan, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Iraq: “Hopes Rest on Reconciliation”
October 27th, 2010 by Jason
At a recent policy forum luncheon held by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, three members of the Institute gave their perspectives on the current political situation in Iraq. Ahmed Ali said that Prime Minister Maliki is “known to be close with Iraqi president and leading Kurdish figure Jalal Talabani,” but that Maliki also brought Minister of Planning Ali Baban along on his recent visit to Turkey, signaling to the Turks that he was not “yielding to Kurdish demands.” Michael Knights focused on the security situation saying that “[s]ecurity metrics are degrading in quality as the U.S. military draws down […] confirm[ing] that stabilization is slowing overall and even regressing in some places.” Michael Eisenstadt reflected on the challenges facing the US and Iraq in the future. “Going forward, hopes rest on reconciliation through politics, with the formation of a broad-based governing coalition that gives elements from every community a stake in political order.”
Posted in Civil Society, Freedom, Iraq, Kurds, Political Parties, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Aslan Interviews ElBaradei
October 26th, 2010 by Jason
In a new article at the Daily Beast, Reza Aslan speaks to Mohamed ElBaradei about the prospects for change in Egypt. When asked if he would run for president in next year’s election, ElBaradei responded “‘I might run if there is the prospect for a free and fair election, but I will definitely not run if it’s under the present circumstances.’” ElBaradei expressed concern that the situation in Egypt could deteriorate quickly. “‘If things continue the way they are, I don’t exclude that people will resort to violence,’” he said, adding that the violence would not be a result of his push for democracy, but rather a reaction to the harsh conditions many Egyptians live in. “‘When you have half of Caironese in slums, when you don’t have clean water, when you don’t have a sewer system, when you don’t have electricity, and on top of that you live under one of the most repressive regimes right now…Well, put all that together and it’s a ticking bomb.’”
ElBaradei also expressed frustration with the Obama Administration’s failure to use its influence in Egypt to push for reforms. When asked by Aslan if he would like to see more American pressure put on the Mubarak government, ElBaradei responded “‘Well, it is up to Barack Obama. It’s up to any government to decide how to react to the denial of basic human rights anywhere in the world including Egypt. All I can say is this—those who believe that stability comes with repression are really shortsighted and should not be surprise if the Middle East continues to move toward radicalization.’”
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
Firewall-Busting Technology Holds Potential in Democracy Promotion
October 25th, 2010 by Anna
In the Washington Post today, Jackson Diehl describes the role of firewall-busting technology in facilitating opposition movements in authoritarian states. One company, called UltraReach, enables people to access web sites banned by their governments, and about half of the system’s users are Iranian. With additional funding, the company’s founders say they could “effectively destroy the Internet controls of Iran and most other dictatorships,” writes Diehl. There have been some small efforts in Congress to help fund firewall-busting firms, which have collectively formed the Global Internet Freedom Consortium. State Department funding for internet freedom programs has been limited by “bureaucratic slowness,” however, in spite of calls from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Michael Posner to defeat internet censorship by authoritarian regimes. Diehl laments that although the technology and funding exist, “the agency still hesitates to act.”
Posted in Civil Society, Iran, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Civil Society in Arab World Faces Structural Obstacles, Funding Challenges
October 25th, 2010 by Anna
In a recent article, Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Center explores obstacles to the development of civil society in the Arab world. He asserts that NGOs in the region “have been weakened and tamed.” Although Western governments often express rhetorical support for civil society development, “the mode of NGO empowerment remains both flawed and often aimless,” Hamid adds. He outlines three main problems: 1) that many NGOs are co-opted by the government, which limits the social and political change they can drive; 2) restrictive legislation in many countries limits freedom of association and assembly, and organizations often self-censor out of fear of government reprisal; and 3) many supposedly pro-democracy organizations do not actively challenge the dominant political structure. Hamid also highlights issues with Western funding for Arab NGOs: “US and EU funding usually goes to NGO programming that is oppositional but not necessarily conducive to the sort of sustained, structural change that democratization requires.” In light of these difficulties, Hamid writes that Arab civil society organizations must “develop a sustainable model for funding from internal and regional sources.”
Posted in Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “19th Annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference”
October 22nd, 2010 by Jason
The National Council on US-Arab Relations held its 19th annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference on Thursday. Opening remarks were made by Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO of the National Council on US-Arab Relations and Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, chairman of the Board of Directors at the National Council on US-Arab Relations. The first talk on the agenda was entitled “Arab-US Relations: Misadventures Past and Present,” and was given by The Honorable Chas W. Freeman Jr., former Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of Defense.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or go here for pdf.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Diplomacy, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Military, Neocons, Political Parties, Sectarianism, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Iraq: Washington Needs to “Press All Sides”
October 20th, 2010 by Jason
An editorial in today’s New York Times stresses the importance of a democratic resolution to the political stalemate in Iraq. Referencing the recent spate of state visits by Nouri al-Maliki, the editorial remarks: “Iraq needs good relations with its neighbors. But more than anything it needs a legitimate government able to address its many deep problems.” Reports of backsliding by some in the Awakening is also a point of concern, as are the implications of a Shiite-run government that excludes Sunnis. “Iraq urgently needs a new government that is not mortgaged to Iran but reflects the election results with Mr. Maliki, Mr. Allawi and the Kurds playing major roles.” Ultimately, “Washington needs to press all sides, a lot harder, to make a deal.”
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Political Parties, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “What Next for Afghanistan? A Post-Election Analysis”
October 20th, 2010 by Anna
On Monday, October 18th, the Brookings Institution held an event called “What Next for Afghanistan? A Post-Election Analysis.” The panel was moderated by Martin Indyk, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. The panelists were Thomas Garrett, Vice President for Programs at the International Republican Institute; Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution; Vanda Felbab-Brown, Fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Gerard Russell, Former Senior Political Adviser for Afghanistan. The group discussed the recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, focusing on polling irregularities, voter intimidation, tabulation errors, prospects for peace talks between President Hamid Karzai and Taliban leaders, and the future of the U.S. and NATO role in the country.
(For the full notes, continue reading below. Or, click here for the PDF.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Events, Taliban, US foreign policy | Comment »
Egypt: Are International Monitors only for Failed States?
October 19th, 2010 by Jason
Issandr El Amrani writes in Al-Masry Al-Youm today that “There’s an unusually virulent strand of political surrealism surging through Egypt at the moment […] And at the center of the debate is the question of whether raising Egypt’s practice of democracy–or lack thereof–is an infernal foreign plot.” He cites the recent comments of Mufid Shehab, the minister of parliamentary affairs, as an example: “This week he (Shehab) told the National Council of Human Rights that Egypt could not possibly envisage having foreign election monitors because that is something that is reserved for failed states.” As Amrani notes, the U.S. and Germany, among many other countries, allow international monitors to observe their elections. He goes on to mention the machinations surrounding S. Res. 586, and says that the U.S. State Department “has tried to make small changes in the bill to sweeten its language, perhaps in preparation for the unavoidable uproar at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which in recent years has developed quite a knack in terrifying diplomats about ‘interfering in Egypt’s domestic affairs.’”
In related news, Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that President Mubarak has ”ignored demands by the political opposition for free and fair elections by issuing a law on political rights that does not include a single reference to the need for judicial oversight of elections.” The new law does include an amendment that would create a 64-seat quota for women in the parliament, raising the overall number of seats from 454 to 518.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Legislation, US foreign policy | Comment »
