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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Writing in USA Today, Irena L. Sargsyan argues that contrary to Western fears, the  "Islamicization of politics" occurs not when Islamist parties participate in elections, but rather when a new government fails to implement promised reforms. Sargsyan asserts, "leaders often use Islam as a political tool to avoid reform, or when reform proves too difficult to implement. The same risk holds true for countries transitioning to democratic systems of government." In order to counter ...

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist al-Nahda movement, fears violence will erupt if the election is delayed. He said "we have real misgivings that those who have decided to postpone the date of the first election can do it for a second time." He fears that postponing the election "may drag the country into a spiral of violence." The election was due to take place on July 24 but has ...

Gamal al-Banna, scholar and younger brother of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, in an interview with Egyptian newspaper AlMasry AlYoum, rejected the idea of of Egypt as a 'civil state with an Islamic reference.'  Al-Banna said that such a concept was a fallacy as such a state would become a religious state.  He stated that the religious outlook would win out over the civilian outlook, if such a system were ...

During a Policy Forum at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, chair of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at Sciences Po Giles Kepel and Dr. Martin Kramer, the Washington Institute's Wexler Fromer fellow discussed the future of the Arab uprisings.  Kepel pointed tothe Arab people's economic grievances, frustrations over rampant corruption and the expiration of the Islamist threat as reasons for the revolution.  He also noted the differences between the Tunisian ...

Former Tunisian interior minister Farhat Rajhi warned that if the Islamist group Ennahda were to win in an elections, Ben Ali loyalists would stage a coup.  He said the 'people of the coast,' referring to Ben Ali loyalists with their main power base around the coastal city of Sousse, would not allow their power to be taken away.  The Ennahda group could poll well in the conservative south of the ...

On Wednesday, Fatah and Hamas signed the proposed reconciliation agreement in Cairo following final negotiations. The deal has been heavily criticized by the Israeli Government, who is currently withholding $90 million in  tax revenue owed to the Palestinian Authority. Israel collects nearly a $1 billion annually in tax revenues  and customs on behalf of the PA. The revenue is transferred in accordance with terms of the Oslo accords. Hamas has announced ...

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 ...

The New York Times reports that the agreement reached by Fateh and Hamas to form a unity government was influenced by regional changes created by the Arab Spring. Specifically, unrest in Syria may deprive Hamas of its external headquarters; while, a new Egyptian regime may open the Gaza-Sinai border. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has argued that unity was needed to give legitimacy to Palestinian Authority's push for statehood before the ...

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have reportedly reached a deal to end their four year dispute according to Egyptian and Palestinian officials.  Meetings between the officials of the two groups took place n Cairo under Egyptian auspices.  The tentative plan calls for the formation of a single caretaker government with presidential and parliamentary elections to follow in a year's time.  Key questions over the control of rival security forces ...

The Pew Research Center published a poll on Egypt's political outlook on Tuesday, offering the "first credible" statistical insight of the political trends in post-revolutionary Egypt. Researchers conducted personal interviews with 1,000 Egyptian adults between 24 March and 7 April. Generally, the poll shows a highly favorable view of the military, and split support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6 Movement and Ayman Nour's Al-Ghad party. The ...

On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a discussion with Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi about her new book, The Golden Cage: Three Brothers, Three Choices, One Destiny about the Iranian revolution and the struggle of activists and the human rights movement. Jessica Matthews, President of the Carnegie Endowment made opening remarks and Karim Sadjadpour moderated the event. To read full notes, continue below or click here for ...