Six Activists Detained in the U.A.E.
On Monday six activists were detained in the U.A.E. after having their citizenship removed for criticizing the countries’ rulers, told they were “illegally residing in the oil-rich union.” Lawyer Mohammed al-Roken told the Associated Press that the six ...
UAE Detains Foreign NGO Workers
Josh Rogin reported in his blog in Foreign Policy that U.A.E. authorities have “detained foreign employees of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and is preventing at least one of them from leaving the country.” Two of NDI’s Dubai office employees, director Patricia Davis , an American, and her deputy director Slobodon Milic, a Serbian National were stopped at the U.A.E. airport in Dubai as they tattempted to vacate the country. Although Davis was eventually let on the ...
March 30, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Dubai, Featured, Freedom, Gulf Cooperation Council, NGOs, UAE
“Progress vs democracy” in the Gulf
In a comment, Mishaal Al Gergawi proposed comparing democracy and development focusing on Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Al Gergawi said that Kuwait is perceived as an "aspirational beacon of political participation in the Gulf," and the U.A.E. as a ...
Human Rights Watch: UAE, Stop Expelling Syrian Protesters
On Friday, Human Rights Watch published an article condemning the U.A.E.'s recent action of expelling Syrian nationals that participated in a protest outside of the Syrian Consulate in the emirate of Dubai. After participating in a peaceful protest, Emirati authorities made a decision to cancel the residency permits of dozens of Syrians living in the Emirates. "The U.A.E calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to respect the right of peaceful protesters, ...
U.A.E. Cancels Residencies of Syrian Nationalists
Emirati authorities have cancelled dozens of Syrians' residency permits after they partook in a non-sanctioned protest in front of the Syrian consulate on February 10. More than 2,000 people protested against the Syrian regime in front of the consulate located in the emirate of Dubai. The Syrian National Council has been in negotiations with U.A.E. officials in order to have the residency permits of those arrested reinstated. Reportedly, Dubai police had asked the ...
The Tipping Point: Transitions to Democracy in the Middle East and Latin America
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies in association with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies released a report, “Transitions to Democracy and the Arab Spring: Does Latin America Hold Lessons for the Middle East,” that examines how insights from Latin America’s democratization experience may be relevant for the Middle East today. The symposium was divided into two panels: the first explored the domestic challenges to democratization in Latin America ...
February 8, 2012
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Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
Arab Uprising Impact’s on Press Freedom
In its 10th annual press freedom index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) assessed the evolution of press and media freedom after one year of turmoil in the Arab world. RWB noted "The transitions that have begun are not necessarily leading towards more ...
Five UAE Activists Pardoned
Emirati President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan pardoned five political activists Monday after they had been convicted a day earlier of charges including "insulting the country's top leadership, endangering national security, inciting people to protest and urging a boycott ...
UAE President Pledges Enhanced Political Participation
The president of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan promised greater political rights to citizens at the opening session of the country's Federal National Council (FNC), a partially elected advisory assembly with few legislative powers. “Empowerment is ...
November 9, 2011
Category: Featured, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Journalism, Rule of Law, UAE
October 11, 2011
Category: Featured, Freedom, Government, Political transition, Protests, Reform, UAE
UAE: Human Rights Groups Urge Release of Activists Before Elections
Amnesty International, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Front Line Defenders, and Human Rights Watch have urged the UAE to release five activists--Ahmed Mansoor, a blogger and member of Human Rights Watch's Middle East advisory board and ...
POMED Notes: “Tweeting the Arab Revolution”
On Thursday, the Project on Middle East Political Science held a discussion with Sultan al-Qassemi, a columnist based in the U.A.E., well-known for his tracking of the events of the Arab Spring via Twitter, to explore the powers and pitfalls of social media during revolution. Marc Lynch, Director of the Middle East Studies Program at the Elliott School of International Affairs and author of the blog "Abu Aardvark," introduced al-Qassemi. ...
September 16, 2011
Category: Bahrain, DC Event Notes, Egypt, Freedom, Protests, Technology, Tunisia, UAE
Dep. Secretary Burns Visits Saudi Arabia and UAE
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE this week to meet with top officials. After his Tuesday meeting with Assistant Minister of the Interior Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Burns met with King Abdullah ...
September 15, 2011
Category: Diplomacy, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UN Security Council, US foreign policy
Opposition in Bahrain Set to Boycott Parliamentary Elections
Al-Wefaq, Bahrain's largest Shiite group, reported on Friday that it would boycott the parliamentary elections taking place next month. Khalil Marzooq, a leader of Al-Wefaq, said at a rally near Bahrain's capital that "if the party participates in the September elections, it will be giving the government a stamp of approval." He added that the group disagrees with how security forces treated protesters. Anthony Mathew Jacob writes in Tehran Times that ...
August 13, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Political Parties, Protests, Saudi Arabia, UAE
International Condemnation of Violence in Syria
Syrian security forces increased their hold on Hama on Saturday and human rights activists reported at least 24 deaths on Friday during demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad. Violence increased despite the growing concern from the international community. Oil-rich ...
August 6, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Elections, Featured, Freedom, Government, Gulf Cooperation Council, Human Rights, Kuwait, Military, Oman, Protests, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE
UAE Begins Blogger Trials
The trials of five bloggers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) began Monday. The five, Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, Fahad Salim Dalk, Ahmed Abdul Khaleq, and Hassan Ali al-Khamis, are accused of "publicly insulting" top government officials. Many of ...
Gulf States “Nervous” About Arab Spring
The New York Times describes the "tensions beneath the surface calm of U.A.E. political life," including the opening of a trial earlier this month of five activists. And The Economist writes about how the Arab Spring is making U.A.E. "nervous," citing the growing campaign against even mild dissent. While calls for reform were met with the official announcement of plans to expand the right to vote to all U.A.E. citizens, the government shows no ...