On Tuesday, The Brookings Institution held a forum on “The European Union Response to the Arab Spring” featuring Catherine Ashton, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Police.  The forum was moderated by Martin Indyk, the vice president and director of the foreign policy department at the Brookings Institution.  Ashton spoke on the role of the European Union in supporting the Arab Spring. For full text, ...

On Wednesday, Robin Wright, Distinguished Scholar for the United States Institute of Peace and the Wilson Center, discussed her new book Rock the Casbah, which focuses on a new phase of Islamic activism termed “counter-jihad” by Wright. The discussion was moderated by Hala Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center. Video footage of the event can be found online. For full notes, continue reading. Or click here ...

Geneive Abdo released the "New Green Movement Manifesto" authored by Iranian  intellectuals, who are the leaders of the Green Movement in Tehran.  It was released today in the Iran Primer by the United States Institute of Peace.  The manifesto outlined suggestions for future actions, inspirations and the organization of Iran's Green Movement. The authors recommended the formation of a Green Council led by about ten "leading and known" political and intellectual ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that TechGirls, an initiative that encourages innovation and the use of new technologies by young women in the Middle East and North Africa, will be launched next year through the TechWomen program.  The initiative will bring teenage girls from the Middle East and North Africa for an "intensive month of educational activities" in the United States. "Since it seems like technology is evolving so ...

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) released an Iran Primer on Tuesday entitled, "Iran's Women Two Years After the Uprising," that featured an extensive interview with Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh, a women's rights activist.  According to Abbasgholizadeh, women's right activists have increased human rights and gender equality efforts since the start of the Green Movement.  Ultimately, women's rights activists have broadened their scope of influence to promoting democracy and civil rights for ...

According to Secretary General of Amnesty International, Salil Shetty, called on Egyptian authorities, including the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to support the people by abolishing repressive laws, and to use the post-Mubarak period to reform and earn back the trust of the people.  After a week long visit to Egypt, Shetty said it was important for authorities to lift laws that focused on banning strikes and the ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is planning to travel to Budapest, Hungary on June 29th to discuss democracy promotion in the region.  She will be supporting the Lantos Institute and it's dedication to democratic principles and the protection of individual and human rights.  In addition, she will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania on June 30th to participate in the Community of Democracies Sixth Ministerial, and will be joined by senior government ...

On Wednesday, the American Islamic Congress and the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a discussion entitled “Revolution and Women’s Rights: The Case of Egypt.”  Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program for the Woodrow Wilson Center, moderated the event.  The panelists included Zainab al-Suwaij, Executive Director, American Islamic Congress; Manar Mohsen, student, journalist, and human rights activist;Amany el-Tunsy, founder of Banat wi Bas (Girls Only) radio station in Egypt, ...

Correction: The organizers of this event were the Libyan Council of North America (LCNA) and the Libya Outreach Group, not only the Libya Outreach Group, as previously reported. On Thursday, the Libyan Council of North America (LCNA) and the Libya Outreach Group hosted a congressional briefing on the role of women in the Libyan revolution.  Speakers on the panel were Ambassador Ali Aujali of the Libyan Transitional National Council, Asma Ramadan of Libya Outreach Group, Asma Yousef of ...

Writing an op-ed in the New York Times, Farzaneh Milani argues that the same forces of self-determination and freedom of movement have motivated Saudi women protesting for the right to drive and women participating in Arab Spring protests. The collective activism of women and men signifies that "old categories have broken down and the traditional distribution of power and space is no longer viable." Milani credits these women as a "moderating, ...

There were demonstrations Friday in several Jordanian cities including Tafileh, Karak, and Thiban demanding the resignation of Parliament and Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit. Protests also occurred in Amman demanding the abolition of the State Security Court. The Jordanian National Dialogue Committee, appointed by King Abdullah II, announced their recommendations for electoral reforms last week. The recommendations, submitted to the Prime Minister, propose increasing the number of seats in the Parliament and ...

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace scholar Lahcen Achy argues that the reforms to Morocco's constitution, announced by King Mohammed VI in March, signify a shift from an absolute to constitutional monarchy. He notes that while "the planned changes will not lead to a parliamentary constitution in Morocco," the reforms will reduce the king's powerful role, introduce a separation of powers, promote the participation and rights of ...

The Shoura Council, a deliberative body of the Saudi Arabian government, made a recommendation to the Ministry of Rural and Municipal Affairs that women should be allowed to vote and run as candidates in future elections. The Shoura Council released a statement saying "the Ministry of Rural and Municipal Affairs should take the necessary measures to include female voters in municipal elections, in accordance with Islamic Sharia."

On Thursday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a panel discussion on the future of women in the Middle East, with a specific focus on Tunisia and Egypt. The panelists included Lilia Labidi, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Republic of Tunisia, and Moushira Khattab, former Minister of Family & Population of Egypt. To see full notes, continue below. Or click here for the pdf. Lilia Labidi focused her comments on the ...

A draft electoral law announced on Sunday by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has triggered widespread criticism from a majority of opposition groups including the January 25th youth coalition. The proposed amendments would require two-thirds of the seats in the People's Assembly, the lower house of the Egyptian Parliament,  to be elected by the individual candidacy system, and the remaining one-third by the party-list (proportional) system for upcoming ...

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 ...

According to the National Democratic Institute's Twitter feed, its team in Benghazi is currently meeting with youth, civil society and women activists. They are also meeting with the scouts, the largest civil society group in Libya. The team hopes to implement a project to engage youth in political life, similar to an earlier program with scout in Algeria. The team reports that they have been well-received by locals.

Newsweek portrays conservative Saudi women as a crucial demographic for any protest movement in the country. The piece revolves around a group of women, who were arrested on March 20th at the country's Ministry of Interior for protesting the arrests of their male relatives. In a country whose insularity reduces the impact of new communications technology and which lacks a strong liberal social base, these women both have the drive and capability to ...