On Tuesday, the Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy and the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press held a panel discussion on the challenges facing press freedom in the 21st Century.  Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy made opening remarks while  David Killion, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO moderated the event and introduced the following panelists:  Assistant Secretary  at the Bureau of ...

In a televised statement on Sunday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces announced that it will suspend the constitution and dissolve the parliament in order to pave the way for new presidential and parliamentary elections in the future.  The communique also stated that the Supreme Council would maintain control of the government for a six-month interim period, during which the head of the council, Mohamed Tantawi, would represent Egypt both domestically ...

On Tuesday, the Project on Middle East Political Science and the Institute for Middle East Studies at The George Washington University hosted an event focused on reactions to the popular uprising in Tunisia entitled , “Tunisia: Protests and Prospects for Change.” Marc Lynch, associate professor of political science and international affairs at The George Washington University, and director of the Institute for Middle East Studies moderated the event. He is ...

Christopher Alexander writing in Foreign Policy warns against calls for the total dissolution of the RCD party as "unrealistic and potentially dangerous."  He highlights the positive steps that have been taken to open up the political arena to include Islamist factions, but cautions, "a bipolar standoff between Ennahda (Islamist Group) and the RCD would not be a healthy development." Instead, he supports the creation of opposition coalitions until a succesful and functional ...

After decades of oppression, Tunisia was ripe for revolution and the notion of “Arab exceptionalism” has been discredited, writes Nabila Hamza, a Tunisian gender-equality activist who is currently the President of the Amman-based Foundation for the Future.  Although Arab public perception of the possibility for change has shifted dramatically, Arab regimes will likely placate the frustrations of the masses through controlled political openings and reinstating or raising economic subsidies.  The U.S. and Arab ...

Tunisia’s strongman President Zine al-Abdine Ben Ali has been deposed. But if his ruling party was kicked out the door, is it now coming back through the window?There is a serious risk that the old order will cling to power and frustrate hopes for a genuinely democratic transition, writes Steven Heydemann, Vice President at the US Institute for Peace and Special Adviser to USIP’s Muslim World Initiative.He identifies the canary-in-the-coalmine indicators that ...

The Human Rights First Society-Saudi Arabia has released a report titled "Unholy Trespass: How the Saudi Legal Code Violates International Human Rights Law." The report seeks to "serve as a roadmap for the Saudi officials, so that they will know where the Saudi laws are either in violation of international conventions or treaties," according to the group's president, Ibrahim Almugaiteeb. While the report acknowledges that "overnment and societal tolerance for ...

Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently released a report criticizing the Tunisian government’s repression of trade and student unions. Despite official statements to the contrary, HRW found that Tunisian officials regularly deny the groups legal status and attempt to persecute and subvert their leadership. HRW also reports that abuse and torture remain widespread in Tunisia.