Project on Middle East Democracy

Project on Middle East Democracy
The POMED Wire Archives


Category: Event Notes

POMED Notes: “Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges”

March 2nd, 2011 by Naureen

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held an open hearing to assess U.S. foreign policy priorities in light of the country’s current economic challenges.  The Committee — chaired by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and with Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) in attendance — requested the testimony of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

To see full notes, continue below or click here for pdf.  To see webcast, click here.

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Posted in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Protests, Reform, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Yemen, sanctions | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Referendum in South Sudan and the Road to Independence”

February 25th, 2011 by Alec

The Heritage Foundation hosted a panel discussion on Thursday entitled, “Referendum in South Sudan and the Road to Independence.”  Ray Walser, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst at The Heritage Center moderated the event with Jon Temin, Director of the Sudan Program at USIP (United States Institute for Peace), Amb. Richard Williamson, former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, and Amb. Ezekial Lol Gatkuoth, Head of Mission to the U.S. for the Government of South Sudan speaking.

For full notes, click below. For PDF, click here. For video, click here.

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Posted in Event Notes, Sudan | Comment »

POMED Notes: “After Mubarak”

February 17th, 2011 by Alec

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a panel discussion on Wednesday entitled, “After Mubarak,” discussing the difficulties that lay ahead for Egypt in the aftermath of Hosni Mubarak’s ouster by protesters and implications for U.S. policy.  Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment and former Foreign and deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, moderated the panel.  Marina Ottaway, Director of the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East Program, and Michele Dunne, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment and editor of the Arab Reform Bulletin, also spoke on the panel.  Amr Hamzawy, Research Director and Senior Associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, was scheduled to be teleconferenced in live from Cairo, but technical difficulties prevented his participation.

For full notes, continue below or click here for PDF.  For video, click here.

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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »

POMED Notes: “After the Uprisings: U.S. Policy in a Changing Middle East”

February 11th, 2011 by Naureen

On Thursday, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a discussion on recent and ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt and their influence on U.S. relations with the region’s governments and people and what steps the U.S. government can take to support democratic transitions in Egypt and Tunisia. POMED Executive Director Stephen McInerney made opening remarks and introduced panelists: Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution at Stanford University and founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy; Tom Malinowski, Washington Director at Human Rights Watch; and Mona Yacoubian, Special Adviser at the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, United States Institute of Peace. 

To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Events, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, POMED, Protests, Reform, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Recent Developments in Egypt and Lebanon - Implications for U.S. Policy and Allies in the Broader Middle East, Part 2″

February 11th, 2011 by Alec

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs hosted Part 2 of a hearing on recent political developments in Egypt and Lebanon and their implications on U.S. policy in the region.  The hearing was moderated by committee chair Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen with comments and questions from House Representatives Howard L. Berman (D-CA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY), Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), Chris Smith (D-NJ), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), David Rivera (R-FL), Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), William Keating (D-MA), Dan Burton (R-IN), David Ciciline (D-RI), Edward R. Royce (R-CA), Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Donald A. Manzullo (R-IL), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), and Mike Pence (R-IN).  Deputy Secretary of the State Department James B. Steinberg testified before the committee.

For a full transcript of Deputy Secretary Steinberg’s testimony, click here.

To read full notes continue below or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Lebanon | Comment »

POMED Notes: “The Role of Citizen Journalism and Social Media in the Middle East and North Africa”

February 10th, 2011 by Naureen

On Monday, the National Democratic Institute hosted a discussion about the role new and social media has played in the dissemination of information and in supporting offline mobilization across the region. Joelle Jackson, senior program officer at NDI made opening remarks. Chris Spence, chief technology officer at NDI moderated the event and introduced the panelists: Houeida Anouar, a Tunisian digital activist; Golnaz Esfandiari, senior correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and editor of the Persian Letters blog; and Raed Jarrar, Iraqi-American blogger and political advocate based in Washington.

To read full notes continue below or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Freedom, Iran, Iraq, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Protests, Reform, Tunisia | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Egypt on the Brink”

February 4th, 2011 by Naureen

On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a discussion on the rapidly evolving crisis in Egypt. Michele Dunne, Senior Associate in the Middle East Program at Carnegie Endowment moderated the event and introduced the panelists: Amr Hamzawy, Research Director and Senior Associate of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut who joined the panelists from Midan Tahrir in Cairo; Bahey al-Din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies; and Neil Hicks, advisor to Human Rights First.

To read full notes, continue below or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Events, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, POMED, Protests, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »

POMED Notes: “From Tunisia to Egypt: Protests in the Arab World”

February 4th, 2011 by Naureen

On Monday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a discussion of the developments in Egypt and their implications of the Arab world, where protests began in Tunisia and have spread to Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, and Algeria. Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment, moderated the event and introduced the other panelists: Amr Hamzawy, Research Director and Senior Associate of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut who joined the panelists from Midan Tahrir in Cairo, Michele Dunne, Senior Associate in the Middle East Program at Carnegie Endowment, and Marina Ottaway, Director of the Middle East Program at Carnegie Endowment.

To read full notes continue below or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Event Notes, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Journalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Protests, Reform, Tunisia | Comment »

POMED Notes: “The Breakdown of Autocracy in Tunisia”

January 31st, 2011 by Naureen

On Monday, The Maghreb Center hosted a discussion at Georgetown University on the causes of the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia and the role of the United States and France before, during, and after the revolution. Dr. Néjib Ayachi, founding President of the Maghreb Center and International Development Consultant at the World Bank, opened the discussion and introduced the panelists: Stephen King, Professor of Government at Georgetown University, Robert Prince, Lecturer in International Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, and Rust M. Deming, former Ambassador to Tunisia from 2000 to 2003. The event was moderated by Ahmed El-Hamri, Economist at the World Bank and Associate at the Maghreb Center.

To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Parties, Protests, Reform, Tunisia | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Tunisia and the Arab Malaise”

January 31st, 2011 by Naureen

On Tuesday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion on the uprising in Tunisia and the prospects for the Tunisian example spreading across the Arab World. Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center moderated the event and introduced the speakers: Alan Goulty, former British Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia and current Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and David Ottaway, Senior Scholar at the Wilson Center and former Cairo Bureau Chief of the Washington Post.

To read full notes continue below or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Jordan, Protests, Reform, Sudan, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Christian Minorities Under Attack - Iraq and Egypt”

January 23rd, 2011 by Alec

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hosted a hearing on discrimination and violence against Christians in Egypt and Iraq.  Co-Chairman of the Commission Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) led the hearing with comments and appearances from Executive Members of the Commission Rep. Chris Smith of (R-NJ), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), Rep. Trent Franks (AZ) as well as Rep. Rush D. Holt, Jr. (D-NJ).  Testifying before the Commission were Tamara Cofman-Wittes, deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs at the US State Department, Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA),  Michele Dunne, senior associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Dina Guirguis, Keston Family Research Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Nina Shea, senior fellow and director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and Sister Rita (pseudonym), an Iraqi Catholic nun.

To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf.  For full testimony, click here.

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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Iraq, Sectarianism, Terrorism | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Sudan: Post-Referendum Scenarios and the Way Forward”

January 14th, 2011 by Naureen

On Monday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a discussion on the future of Sudan after day one of referendum elections entitled “Sudan: Post-Referendum Scenarios and the Way Forward.” Richard Downie, Deputy Director and Fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa Program moderated the event which included discussions by Comfort Ero, Africa Program Director at the International Crisis Group, and Fouad Hikmat, African Union and Sudan Special Advisor at the International Crisis Group.

To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Event Notes | Comment »

POMED Notes: Freedom in the World 2011: The Authoritarian Challenge to Democracy

January 14th, 2011 by Alec

Freedom House hosted a panel discussion on Thursday marking the release of their annual survey of political rights and civil liberties throughout the world.  Executive Director of Freedom House, David J. Kramer, made brief opening remarks and introduced the panel: Moderator Susan Glasser, editor in chief of Foreign Policy magazine, Director of Research at Freedom House Arch Puddington, Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Tom Malinowski, Washington Director of Human Rights Watch.

To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf

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Posted in Event Notes | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Meet the Press at Brookings: The Top Foreign Policy Issues for 2011″

January 14th, 2011 by Naureen

On Thursday, the Brookings Institute and NBC’s Meet the Press hosted a panel discussion focusing on the top foreign policy issues of 2011. David Gregory, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, moderated the session. Panelists included Brookings Senior Fellows Michael O’Hanlon, Kenneth Lieberthal, Robert Kagan and Stephen Cohen. Martin Indyk, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy introduced the panelists.

To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf.

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Posted in Event Notes | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Voicing Dissent: Inside the Fight for Democracy and Human Rights”

November 16th, 2010 by Evan

On Tuesday, the Foreign Policy Initiative hosted a panel discussion titled “Voicing Dissent: Inside the Fight for Democracy and Human Rights” as part of its “Restoring America’s Leadership of a Democratic World” conference. The Washington Post’s Jackson Diehl moderated a panel composed of Ambassador Michael Kozak, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Win Min, a Burmese activist, and Michele Dunne Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Editor of the Arab Reform Bulletin.

To read full notes, continue below or click here for a pdf copy.

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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Event Notes, Human Rights | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Egypt’s Upcoming Elections: Boycotts, Campaigns, and Monitors”

October 20th, 2010 by Evan

On Tuesday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a discussion on preparations by opposition parties and domestic electoral monitors for the upcoming Egyptian parliamentary elections. Mahmoud Ali Mohamed, the director of the Egyptian Center for Development and Democratic Studies and member of the Wafd Party Supreme Council, and Wael Nawara, the co-founder and secretary general of the al-Ghad Party, gave presentations, POMED executive director Andrew Albertson delivered a response and Michele Dunne, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, moderated the event.

(For POMED’s full notes, continue below or click here for the pdf.)

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Posted in Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Events, Uncategorized | Comment »

POMED Notes: “The Conspicuously Absent Fourth ‘D’: Democracy”

August 3rd, 2010 by Farid

The Society for International Development - Washington Chapter held a panel discussion on Friday to consider democracy promotion under the current administration. Sarah Mendelson, Deputy Assistant Administrator for USAID, Lorne Craner, President of the International Republican Institute, and Kenneth Wollack, President of the National Democratic Institute, participated in the panel. Malcolm Butler, Senior Vice President in Emerging Markets at Management Systems International, and SID-Washington Board Member, introduced the panelists and moderated the event.

(POMED’s full notes continue below, or view them as a pdf).

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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, US foreign policy | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Obama’s Multilateral Engagement- What Does It Mean for Democracy & Human Rights in the Middle East?”

July 1st, 2010 by Farid

Yesterday, POMED and FES held a panel discussion focusing on multilateral engagement in the quest for democracy and human rights in the Middle East. The discussion, moderated by Knut Panknin of FES, came at a timely and imperative moment as the G20 is in the midst of multilateral talks this week. The panel of experts included Neil Hicks, International Policy Advisor for Human Rights First; Heather Hurlburt, Executive Director of the National Security Network; Suzanne Nossel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of International Organization Affairs; and Radwan Ziadeh, Founding Director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies and Executive Director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Continue to read the full POMED Notes on the event below or read the entire version as a pdf.

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Posted in Event Notes, POMED | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Iraq’s Elections–and Iraq’s Future”

February 18th, 2010 by Maria

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq Ad Melkert gave a lecture at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace today assessing the conditions in Iraq ahead of its March elections, and what that can mean for its future.

Melkert, who was very optimistic for a successful Iraqi election, said that it is important that development in Iraq is known and to understand what the role of international community should be. He outlined three major points for his lecture: first, that it is necessary to acknowledge the need for ongoing engagement in Iraq; second, that this engagement should be respectful and with Iraqis “in the lead;” and third, that it is time to draw a line and understand the divisions that have marked so much of the debate on Iraq.

Click here for POMED’s notes in PDF. Otherwise, continue below the fold.

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Posted in Elections, Event Notes, Freedom, Iraq | Comment »

POMED Event: U.S. Military Assistance: Obstacle or Opportunity for Reform?

December 13th, 2009 by Zack

POMED and the Heinrich Boll Foundation hosted a panel discussion to discuss the role of U.S. military assistance in America’s attempt to maintain strategic interests without undermining democracy promotion and human rights. The event was the third in a series examining U.S. credibility on human rights and featured both Steven Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy, and Emile Hokayem, a non-resident Research Fellow with the Henry L. Stimson Center’s Southwest Asia/Gulf program and Politics Editor of the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National. The event was moderated by Sebastian Graefe, Program Director for Foreign and Security Policy and Transatlantic Issues at the Heinrich Boll Foundation. Grafe opened by clarifying the focus of the event by asking several pointed questions: does military assistance undermine U.S. credibility? Are existing mechanisms sufficient to monitor human rights abuses? Are the provisions that govern assistance in need of updating?

Follow the break to read POMED’s notes.

Or click here for a .pdf version

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Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Event Notes, Events, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Iraq, Jordan, Legislation, Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, Pakistan, Reform, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »