In the Wall Street Journal today, Mohammed Khazaei argues that the Islamic Republic of Iran has "welcomed the revolution in Egypt," as it is reminiscent of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.  "Iran and the new Egypt have embarked on the path of amity and reconciliation that can be rewarding to both nations," Khazaei writes.  In addition, Tehran and Cairo can embark on a new relationship that "enhances their cooperation in ...

A report released by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran featured interviews with 35 prominent Iranians living within Iran including, activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and members of the political oppositions and addressed the possibility of a military strike against Iran.  The interviewees expressed "grave concern" of the possibility of a military conflict, which would negatively impact the human rights situation and provide a "pretext for the full ...

On Monday, protesters called for action against the government officials who were accused of restraining the peaceful demonstrations. As Bahraini's gathered to rally for reform, Bahrain's king set up an international panel in an effort to investigate the Shi'ite-led protests and the deaths of over 30 people as a result.  Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, the head of the five-member panel, reported on Sunday that the panel would meet with both government officials ...

On Monday, the United States Institute of Peace hosted an event entitled "Beyond Tahrir: The Trajectory of Egypt's Transition." The discussion was with Major General Said Elassar, Assistant to Egyptian Defense Minister, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Tara Sonenshine, Executive Vice President, United States Institute of Peace, provided introductory remarks. William Quandt, Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Politics, University of Virginia, moderated the discussion. For full notes, continue reading. ...

U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland released a statement condemning the ongoing violence in Syria. The statement said, "the United States condemns the ongoing violence in Syria, particularly the brutality practiced by the Syrian Government against its own citizens – peaceful protesters and bystanders alike...President must understand that he is not indispensible, and we believe he is the cause of Syria’s instability not the key to its stability." The ...

Yemen's opposition rejected government plans for peace talks on Monday claiming that they "had not heard of any such roadmap for peace" thoughVice President Abd-Rabbu Hadi Mansour claimed that a roadmap toward peace would be launched within a week.  The opposition said that they would not engage in peace talks until President Ali Abdullah Saleh signs a transition plan introduced by the Gulf Arab states, which Saleh has backed out ...

Abdel-Moez Ibrahim, head of the newly formed Supreme Elections Committee, issued election policies that have been approved by the committee in supervising the upcoming elections in Egypt.   According to Ibrahim, the next elections would be held under full judicial supervision to implement the slogan, "A judge for ever ballot box."  He also emphasized that other organizations would be involved in supervising the elections, specifically the General Prosecution, the State ...

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) released a statement on Saturday in response to the thousands of people marching to the headquarters of SCAF, accusing the 6 April Movement of attempting to cause a strife between the military and the people.  SCAF's statement was perceived as an attack on the political groups and resulted in over 28 political groups issuing a joint reply.  The reply was a confirmation ...

Libyan representatives have reported they are ready have more talks with the United States and Libyan rebels in an effort to further push Libyan Leader Muammar Gadhafi from power.  According to a Libyan government spokesman, Gadhafi "will not bow to demands he leave power."  After a productive dialogue with Libyan representatives and the U.S. last week where the U.S. officially recognized Libya's rebel government, government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said, "We believe ...

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 ...

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer and women's activist sentenced to 11 years in prison sent a letter in March 2010 to the head of Iran's judiciary.  The letter was released for the public today: "Your Judge confirmed that Iranian women cannot be ignored under any pretext," Sotoudeh wrote.  Isa Sahahrkhiz, an Iranian journalist and one of the founders of the Society for the Defense of Press Freedom in Iran ...

On Thursday, Foreign Policy and the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) co-hosted a discussion on foreign assistance in the context of the Arab Spring. A keynote address was given by Tamara Cofman Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Following her address was a panel discussion with John Norris, Executive Director of the Sustainable Security and Peacebuilding Initiative, Center for American Progress; Ehaab Abdou, Co-founder, Nahdet El ...

On Wednesday, the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem announced travel restrictions on the U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, and on the French Ambassador to Syria, Eric Chevallier. The two are now restricted from travelling outside of Damascus without permission. Moallem said he would impose a blanket ban on all ambassadors if Ford and Chevallier disregard this ban. A U.S. State Department spokesperson condemned the restrictions and insisted that these diplomats be ...

On Tuesday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted an event titled, “Libya: Death of an ‘Idea’?” via webcast at WilsonCenter.org. The event’s key speaker was Mr.  Karim Mezran, Director at the Center for American Studies in Rome, Italy. Mr. Mezran tailored the discussion to focus on the inherent problems leading to the revolts in Libya, also asserting that the international community continues to pay lip service to the ...

President and Founder of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi and Research Director Reza Marashi write about how Iran views the Arab Spring "as a challenge not only to the status quo powers investing in an order that suppresses the streets, but also the powers that claim to champion them."  Both Parsi and Marashi argue that Tehran's decision-makers are more concerned with winning over the soft power of the ...

Writing in Foreign Policy last week, Justin Gengler discussed the growing anti-American radicalization in Bahrain. In contrast to the narrative of Shiite radicalization, a radical anti-American narrative has spread with pro-government Sunnis, and been legitimized and supported by the regime. As examples, Gengler cited the media campaign against the U.S. and President Barack Obama, government-orchestrated protests against American interference, and regime support for a cleric who has blamed the U.S. for ...

On Tuesday, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a panel discussion with the Heinrich Böll Foundation of North America to announce the release of a new publication, The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012: Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights in the Middle East. The discussion featured Stephen McInerney, Executive Director of POMED and author of the report; Daniel Brumberg, Senior Adviser to the Center for Conflict ...

In response to opposition group al-Wefaq's withdrawal from the National Dialogue, Human Rights First today called on the U.S. government to "immediately and publicly declare whether it still supports the Bahraini government’s National Dialogue." After his recent trip to Bahrain, Brian Dooley reported that "a wide range of human rights defenders in Bahrain told us last week the dialogue is cosmetic, and the U.S. government is losing credibility by being associated with ...

Qatar closed its embassy in Damascus and withdrew its ambassador last week, after attacks on the embassy compound by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Further signaling the growing international pressure against the Syrian regime, a statement released by EU Foreign Minister in Brussels asserted that "until the unacceptable violence against the civilian population is halted... the EU will pursue and carry forward its current policy, including through sanctions." And Britain's Foreign Minister ...