Moisés Naím, writing for the Carnegie Endowment, discusses why the United States and Europe are attacking Libya with bombs and Syria with words. He first dismisses arguments that the justification for war in Libya is oil, arguing that it would be easier for U.S. oil companies to have security under Gadhafi rather than under the chaos that has ensued.  He states that there are five reasons why the same response ...

On Thursday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) stated that while she was pleased that President Barack Obama expressed U.S. support for democracy and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa, the President's goals and objectives for the region remain unclear.  She criticized Obama's failure to call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster, enforce sanctions on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei.  She also criticized the President ...

On Thursday, the State Department released a fact sheet outlining U.S. policy initiatives and goals in Libya in regards to both the military and humanitarian efforts. The press release reiterated U.S. support for the NATO operations within Libya, the democratic aspirations of the Libyan people, and the work and statements that have been made by the Transitional National Council (TNC). "We believe the TNC continues to serve as a credible ...

On Thursday, the State Department released a fact sheet of U.S. policy towards Syria in which it "reject the Syrian government's justification of its tactics to maintain "stability" and noted that additional sanctions have been imposed on Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad,  to target the human rights abuses committed against protesters.  The statement also discussed coordination with European allies and on-going considerations for  "additional bilateral options for increasing pressure ...

On Thursday,  Amnesty International published a report on the killings, detentions, and torture that took place during the January 25 revolution.  The 123-page report details violent acts committed by security forces in dispersing peaceful demonstrators, including the use of tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and live ammunition.  Few in the Egyptian government now dispute the facts listed in the report, but Amnesty stresses that much more must be done ...

The State Department on Thursday released a fact sheet highlighting U.S. economic assistance programs to Jordan.  Citing the "long-standing partnership" between the U.S. and Jordan, the statement reiterated American support for Jordan to address reform challenges.  The fact sheet highlights USAID programs to Jordan to the tune of $363 million in Economic Support Funds (ESF) in fiscal year 2010 along with an additional $100 million in supplemental assistance.  USAID funding ...

On Thursday, the State Department released an overview of U.S. support for the Tunisian transition by helping lay the groundwork for responsive and accountable governance and supporting preparation for elections this summer.  In order to meet these goals, the Department is seeking to build the capacity of civil society organizations, political parties, and the media.  Additionally, in coordination with international partners and financial institutions, the U.S. is seeking to support ...