Women have played a central role in the uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, and now, as some of these countries undergo transitions, women’s rights must be incorporated into broader demands for social, economic, and political reform. In the latest POMED policy brief, Isobel Coleman examines the women’s movements in Tunisia and Egypt in the context of the Arab Spring. A transition to an inclusive, authentic democracy will ...

Al-Jazeera reports that 23 allies of former Tunisian leader Zine el Abidine Ben Ali "have appeared before a court in the capital Tunis for trying to flee the country last January with illegally obtained foreign currency." On January 14th, 14 men and nine women were captured when trying to escape from Tunisia with a 'large sum of money', the same day Ben Ali and his wife fled to exile in ...

In an interview with Toni Johnson from the Council on Foreign Relations, Ebrahim Moosa, professor of religion and Islamic studies at Duke University speaks on the role of political Islam in new governments across the region, including Egypt and Tunisia.  Moosa argues that Islam will be a factor in the emerging governments, but "people will be cautious about allowing too much of a blurring between political and religious boundaries." In addition, Moosa ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday that Turkey must act on concerns for increasing human rights violations and secular traditions.  Clinton said that the detainment of journalists and intellectuals was "inconsistent" with Turkey's economic and political progress.  She added that Turkey "should recommit itself to the course of modernization and embrace the democratic institutions of statehood." However, Clinton said that despite these concerns, Turkey should be a model for ...

This week, the International Republican Institute (IRI) released a public opinion poll on Tunisia and an analysis of the results.  Since former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali did not allow independent surveys, there is a lack of current information and a "high demand for current survey data to provide Tunisian civil society and government officials an important tool to understand and respond to citizen priorities." Similar to the results of a March IRI ...

Yesterday, the IFES released a report detailing Tunisia's new election process which started July 11. Elections will take place on October 23, 2011 for in-country voters holding a valid state-issued ID and will begin October 20 for out-of-country voters holding a valid passport. Currently, the transitional government in Tunisia is comprised of interim president Fouad Mebazaa, prime minister Beji Caid el Sebsi as well as a cabinet. The October 23rd elections ...

Michael Singh, from the Washington Institute of Near East Policy argued that the United States "must catch up" as the Middle East transforms politically.  Singh asserted that the United States' interests in the Middle East will have setbacks due to "policy failures" that have resulted in "anti-Americanism" including, supporting oppressive dictators like former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and policymaker's "failure to build a broader foundation of support in these countries." ...

A Tunisian court sentenced former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Monday to 15 years in prison for illegal possession of drugs and weapons.  Lawyers for Ben Ali boycotted the trial claiming it was a "sham."  Ben Ali was sentenced in absentia. Ben Ali's lawyer, Hosni Beji claimed to have a list of witnesses that would prove that the claims of drug and weapon possessions were false.  In addition, Beji claimed that the ...

The U.S. State Department has announced more details about Tunisia's selection as one of the inaugural winners for the Democracy Partnership Challenge. The Partnership's purpose is to help various country's consolidate their democratic institutions. The Tunisian application specifically requested support to "reform public administration, the security sector and the judiciary, support regional development, and promote the role of civil society to succeed in their transition to a democratic state." The ...

Marc Lynch wrote in Foreign Policy on Wednesday about the "astonishing" rise of the Islamist movement, al-Nahda in Tunisia. During former President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali reign, members of Islamist movements had been exiled, which ultimately means that al-Nahda had to start "from scratch" and did not have strong support from the Tunisian youth. However, Lynch asserted that this also means that al-Nahda's efforts had not been comprised by the ...

On Saturday, Jose Fernandez, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs attended the opening ceremony of the Tunisia Investment Forum where he presented U.S. efforts to help Tunisia's economy during this transitioning period. Fernandez said, "The United States supports not only transitions to democracy, but transitions to economic principles that promote democratic growth, which can provide more opportunities for all the people, particularly the young people ...

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 June 13, Deborah A. McCarthy, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, spoke about the United States' commitment to engaging with partners and allies in the Middle East. According to McCarthy, the U.S. has taken numerous steps to help the region, including providing financial support to stabilize Egypt and Tunisia's economies.  In addition, the U.S. is also working with parliament to create enterprise ...

An editorial in Le Monde criticized the court case that yesterday sentenced ousted Tunisian president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife to 35 years in prison. "The fear is, unfortunately, that this attempt at catharsis will not succeed ," according to the editorial board. The piece also highlighted the hypocrisy of delivering justice for two decades of human rights abuses through "military justice," and expressed hope that former Egyptian ...

After winning the election on Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech emphasizing that Turkey will stand up for its citizen's rights, as well as the rights of others in the region.  He also stated that Turkey will be "more involved in the problems of its neighbors" and emphasized Turkey's support for democracy. Erdogan said Turkey will reach out to citizens through supporting democratic and economic reforms. Erdogan has also ...

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, ...