On Friday, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hosted a hearing on the human rights situation in Bahrain.  The commission – chaired by James McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) – requested the testimony of the following individuals: Joe Stork, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa programs at Human Rights Watch (HRW); Maryam Al-Khawaja, Head of Foreign Relations Office at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR); ...

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 deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council to end the political crisis in Yemen is in limbo following the failure to reach a signing last week. The opposition refused to sign when Yemeni President Ali Abdellah Saleh announced that he would sign as head of the ruling party, not as president. His associate, Abed Al Jundi, added that Saleh did not want to sign the deal that was mediated by a bloc ...

A piece in Foreign Policy's Middle East Channel explores the management of sectarian relations in Kuwait. While the country's open media has been stoking tensions by portraying the country's Shia as foreigners, political and historical considerations have tempered passions.  In addition to the relatively high assimilimation of the country's Shia population (they constitute about half of the merchant class, 30 percent of the total population and hold almost a fifth ...

On Tuesday, the United States Institute of Peace, the National Democratic Institute, the Solidarity Center, and Human Rights Watch hosted a live video-conference with senior representatives of the Bahraini opposition including: Khalil Almarzooq, a leading member of the Al Wefaq Islamic National Society and its bloc’s official spokesperson; Dr. Muneera Fakhro, parliamentary member and senior leader of the leftist Wa’ad party; Mohammed Al Maskati, head of the Bahrain Youth Center ...

In response to Wednesday violence in which plainclothes gunmen killed 12 anti-government protesters in Sana'a, Yemeni opposition said it may back out of the GCC deal it had previously agreed to if the government continued to use violence against protesters.  In a statement directed at President Ali Abdullah Saleh the opposition coalition said: "In the event of your inability to protect protesters, we will find ourselves unable to pursue ...

The Economist writes that the resignation deal for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council, will be signed on May 1st.  The deal requires  Saleh to hand over power to his vice president who will run a unity government for one month before Saleh officially resigns. After his resignation new presidential elections will be held in 60 days time.  The deal, which was ...

On Monday, a Yemeni opposition source told Reuters that the opposition has fully accepted a plan created by the Gulf Cooperation Council for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.  The source also said that the opposition would participate in the transitional government.  The plan, which transfers power to the Vice President and grants Saleh immunity,  was initially rejected by the opposition who called for Saleh to step down ...

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, thousands or protesters gathered in the streets of Sana'a and Taiz demanding Saleh's departure following the release of a Gulf Cooperation Council transition plan. There was also a rally held in support of President Saleh, where he announced that he supported the GCC plan. Saleh said that his government "welcom" the GCC's initiative, and that it would deal with it with "positively ... within the framework of the Yemeni ...

Blake Hounshell writes that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have largely escaped the regional wave of protests, in part, due to high growth and per capita income. Even Saudi Arabia and Oman have seen more dissent in his assessment. The other reason for this quietude is that both countries have seemed unwilling to brook dissent. This is ironic given their support for the Arab Spring through their media outlets, ...

A number of doctors were detained by security forces at a medical center in Bahrain. They were rounded up for suspected participation in protests. One British reporter's account of a recent trip to Bahrain depicts the country's crackdown as the result of a rift between liberal royals and the country's security establishment. Update: Physicians for Human Rights denounces the "systematic" attack on medical staff in Bahrain.

The Saudi Council of Ministers welcomed international support for Gulf Cooperation Council mediation of the unrest in Yemen. Although Saudi-U.S. relations have been strained as of late, the report specifically mentions support given by the U.S., European Union, France and the Arab League. The United Nations Security Council is to meet at 3:30 PM today to discuss Yemen. A statement is expected following the meeting.

Yesterday, Yassin Saeed Noman, the leader of the Joint Meeting Parties and three other opposition leaders were slated to travel to Riyadh to meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). There, they were to discuss the timetable of a draft agreement from earlier this  month which calls for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to transfer presidential powers to his deputy and leave office. It also gives him and his ...

In response to an April 11th editorial in The Washington Post discussing the crackdown on protesters in Bahrain, Bahrain's ambassador to the United States Houda Nonoo states that the government had no choice but to act.  "What is a government to do after it opens channels for dialogue and the opportunity is not accepted without preconditions, and after protesters disrupt normal life by attacking hospitals and universities and shutting down ...