Yesterday, the European Parliament put forth a Motion for a Resolution regarding the breaches of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Bahrain. While expressing concerns that human rights violations have continued unabated since the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), the Resolution called on the Bahraini security forces to cease the "violence, repression, prosecution, detention, and torture of peaceful demonstrators." The Bahraini authorities are urged to conduct independent ...

On Thursday, the Middle East Center at the Wilson Center held an event titled “Iran After the 2012 Majles Elections.” Bijan Khajehpour, a managing partner at Atieh International, presented his interpretation of the results of the March 2 parliamentary elections in Iran. Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, moderated the event. To read the full text of the report continue reading below, or click here for PDF version   Bijan ...

POMED is now accepting applications for our Summer 2012 internships. We are looking for policy interns, research interns, and an Egypt programs intern. Successful applicants will be bright, highly-motivated individuals with strong academic backgrounds and an interest in U.S. foreign policy as it relates to prospects for democratic reform in the Middle East. Regional language skills are a plus, but not required for our policy and research positions. The Egypt intern ...

On Thursday, The Institute for the Study of War hosted a panel discussion on the evolving political crisis in Iraq and its implications for Iraqi stability and U.S. national interests. The speakers were Dr. Michael Knights, Lafer fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Marisa Cochrane Sullivan, deputy director at the Institute for the Study of War, Dr. Laith Kubba, senior director for the Middle East and North ...

On Thursday, The Middle East Institute and the Stimson Center hosted a panel discussion about the worsening crisis in Syria after Russia and China vetoed the U.N. Security Council resolution. The panel featured Aram Nerguizian, a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Randa Slim, an adjunct research fellow at the New America Foundation, and Mona Yacoubian, the senior advisor on the Middle East for the Stimson ...

On Wednesday, the New America Foundation hosted a panel event to discuss a within approach of the upheaval in Egyptand the perspective that can be expected by the newly-elected Parliament. The panel was organized in the framework of the launch of Ashraf Khalil’s book Liberation Square: Inside the Egyptian Revolution and the Rebirth of a Nation. The panel included Ashraf Khalil, Cairo-based independent journalist, Foreign Policy and Rob Malley, director of the ...

On Tuesday, the Berkley Center for Religious Peace & World Affairs at Georgetown University hosted a discussion on the book Silenced: How Apostasy & Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide. The speakers were the authors Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom, and Nina Shea, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of the Center for Religious Freedom. The discussion was moderated ...

Bahraini detainees and human rights activists convicted of involvement in anti-government demonstrations have begun a hunger strike today. The 14 prominent activists and opposition leaders began the strike "in solidarity with pro-democracy protests and in protest against the brutal crackdown," said the leader of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR), Mohammed al-Maskati.  The hunger strike was initiated in protest of Bahrain’s interior minister, Lt. Gen. Sheik Rashid bin Abdullah Al ...

On Thursday, the Center for National Policy hosted a panel on the recent dispute between the U.S. and Iranian government, and whether Tehran's desire to develop a nuclear program will end diplomatically or militarily. The speakers were Dr. Afshon Ostovar, a Middle East analyst for the Center for Naval Analyses Strategic Studies, Mattew Kroenig, a Stanton Nuclear Security fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Alireza Nader, a senior ...

On Wednesday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a panel on encouraging Arab innovation across the Middle Eastand North Africa (MENA).  As political freedoms continue to grow, can that innovation translate into economic growth and a true knowledge economy? The speakers were Inger Anderson, vice president of Middle East and North Africa for the World Bank and Rami Khouri, director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and ...

On Tuesday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United-States (IISS-US) hosted a round table followed by a discussion. The round table dealt with the Arab World perspective regarding the upheaval in Syria, particularly from the Gulf approach. The lecturer was Mr. Emile Hokayem, Senior Fellow for Regional Security at the IISS-Middle East in Manama, Bahrain. The moderator was Mr. Andrew Parasiliti, Executive Director, IISS-US and Corresponding Director, IISS-Middle ...

Representatives Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced a resolution with David Dreier (R-CA), Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and David Price (D-NC) applauding Tunisia's peaceful "Jasmine Revolution." The resolution praised Tunisia's peaceful "Jasmine Revolution" as "the first of several movements throughout the Middle East and North Africa and inspired democracy and human rights activist throughout the region and around the world." The elections on October 23, 2011 were considered "the first competitive, multi-party democratic election of the ...