On Tuesday, the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum hosted a discussion on what lessons from South Africa and Indonesia can be applied to the political transitions in the Middle East and North Africa.  Leena El-Ali, Director of the Muslim-Western Relations and the Middle East and North Africa Programs at Search for Common Ground, who moderated the event, made opening remarks and introduced the following panelists: Endy Bayuni, Visiting Fellow at ...

The Turtle Bay blog at Foreign Policy has obtained confidential documents from United Nations negotiations showing that Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt, have been providing Syria diplomatic cover. Specifically it reveals that Egypt not only supported efforts to derail a UN Security Council vote against Syria, but actively proposed resolutions affirming the "principle of non-interference" in matters of the state. The piece also discusses the abstention of Saudi Arabia, ...

On Friday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released a statement after President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order imposing economic sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for perpetuating human rights abuses. "Syrians are every bit as deserving of human rights and dignity as the Libyans, Tunisians, and Egyptians and the government should have met their protests with responsiveness not repression.  That the government would continue to respond to ...

In the wake of the siege on Deraa, the Arab League has expressed concern over the situation in Syria. Referring to the escalated protests and repression thereof as a "serious dilemma," the reaction falls short of the mounting condemnation from the UN and Western nations. The Arab League added that regimes should not resist such "historic" movements. Conversely, the regional organization has postponed its May meeting due to criticisms by ...

Writing at Foreign Policy, Parag Khanna notes the new age of Pan-Arabism that is characterized by societies demanding good governance and an inclusive political process.  He states that the anti-authoritarian revolutions are "truly borderless"  following Al Jazeera's shaming of Arab autocrats -- with the exception of Bahrain -- and young activists training together across the region.  Khanna also highlights the Arab League's backing of a no-fly zone in Libya and considerations ...

On Friday, the Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) leader, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil stated that the TNC would accept a ceasefire only if Gadhafi's forces immediately withdraw from Libyan cities. The group also issued statements against terrorism and Al-Qaeda.  U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated that al-Qaeda is unlikely to be able to "hijack" the uprisings in Libya and Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) also stated that there are "some very sophisticated people" leading ...

On Thursday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to discuss the current situation in Libya and U.S. involvement.  The committee—chaired by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), with ranking member Howard Berman (D-CA) in attendance—, requested the testimony of Deputy Secretary James B. Steinberg. To read full notes, continue below or click here for pdf. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen opened by stating that the President’s address to the nation on Monday was a ...

Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ray Takeyh, believes that the most important events taking place in the Middle East over the last week are not the military actions in Libya, but the "plebiscite in Egypt," "the stalled attempt to usher in a constitutional rule in Bahrain, " and "the ongoing turmoil in Yemen." Takeyh believes that the U.S. must continue ardently supporting reform in the region even in ...

On Wednesday, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), in a letter to President Barack Obama, called on the administration to "provide the American people and Congress a clear and robust assessment of the scope, objective, and purpose of our mission in Libya and how it will be achieved."  Boehner provided the president with a list of questions which he believes must be answered including the "contradiction" between the stated goal of ...

Writing for Time Magazine, Fareed Zakaria discusses how the Obama Administration's multilateral approach to Libya differs from past U.S. presidents' approach to international conflict since the Cold War.  He states that in the past, U.S. leaders have "unilaterally identified crises, articulated responses, determined actions and then persuaded, bribed and threatened countries to join in the collective action."  He argues that, "America has always done better in the role of the reluctant ...

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on the implications of uprisings in the Middle East has on U.S. policy. The Committee—chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) – with ranking member Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) in attendance –requested the testimony of William J. Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs. To read full notes, continue below or click here for pdf. Senator John Kerry opened by stating that the ...

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) delivered a speech at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East in light of the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and continued unrest and protests across the entire region.  Marwan Muasher, vice president of studies at The Carnegie Endowment introduced Senator Kerry and made brief remarks about the current unrest in the region. For ...

Writing in Foreign Policy, Marc Lynch argues that there is "both more and less to this Arab support than meets the eye."  He states that there is deep concern among Arab leaders and populace over the situation in Libya, "when it comes to military intervention, however, this deep identification with the Libyan protesters intersects uncomfortably with the enduring legacy of Iraq."  He states that the invasion and occupation of ...

Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), issued a press release today on the possible implementation of a no-fly zone on Libya, stating that any effective no-fly zone policy would likely require U.S. military participation, at great cost to the American taxpayer.  He stated that due to the uncertainty over the success a no-fly zone would have, that U.S. national interests would most likely not be served by such a policy.  If the ...

Speaking on CBS's The Early Show, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed questions about international efforts in Libya stating that the British and French governments are going to the United Nations with a draft resolution to authorize international action and that the administration believes that it is important that there be a U.N. decision on whatever might be done and that the effort is not solely an American, NATO, or European one, ...

The Arab League has postponed a crisis meeting on Libya until Saturday, to discuss the potential imposition of a no-fly zone in Libya and other potential measures in regards to Libya. An Arab League official stated the purpose of the meeting would be "discussing the steps to be taken to protect the Libyan people, including imposing a no-fly zone over Libya." This comes amidst increased calls for a no-fly zone ...

On Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations hosted a hearing on the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget.  The Committee—chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) with ranking member Senator Lindsey Graham 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.   Senator Patrick Leahy made opening remarks welcoming the secretary ...

On Tuesday, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) condemned the use of violence by the Ghadafi regime and called on the UN Security Council to immediately condemn the acts and for the General Assembly to expel Libya from the UN Human Rights Council. He also unveiled a Senate resolution condemning Libyan President Moammar Ghadafi  and the regime's use of violence. The resolution calls for the suspension of arm sales to Libya, urges the UN to suspend Libya's membership on ...

On Friday, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa was reported to be with protesters demanding the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak at Cairo's Tahrir Square. The former foreign minister of Egypt has said he was “at the disposal” of the Egyptian people, expressing his readiness to play a role should a transitional governing body be formed and stating that he would consider running for president in September. Moussa is one of the most ...