During his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci called for new limits on the freedom of expression. He suggested that the U.N. should take a lead role in such an effort by providing a forum ...

Despite the illegality of demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, sporadic protests have occurred during the last week. On September 23 a sizable rally took place at Tafiya Prison outside Riyadh to protest the imprisonment of alleged Islamic extremists, resulting in the arrest of ...

On September 28, the U.S. Department of State released a statement justifying its removal of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The Department’s primary justifications were the “MEK’s renunciation of violence, the ...

On September 27, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki addressed the U.N. General Assembly calling on the international community to address "violence and extremism," while also acknowledging the economic and social problems his government inherited as a result of the ...

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed al-Khalifa addressed the United Nations on Thursday, noting “serious challenges” to Bahrain’s security and stability, which he said the country had “addressed with full transparency, commitment and honesty.” He added that Bahrain’s King Hamad ...

International donors pledged an additional $1.5 billion for Yemen's political and humanitarian programs on Thursday at the fourth annual Friends of Yemen conference, on top of the $6.4 billion pledged at a similar meeting last month. U.S. Deputy ...

Earlier this week, the U.S. government announced new aid packages to Egypt that target "Egyptian priorities such as inclusive economic growth, job creation, rights and participation, and accountable and effective government." The efforts include the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund for small and ...

The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted a panel discussion Wednesday, titled "Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf." The panel included Maryam al-Khawaja, Acting President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Deputy Director of ...

At the U.N. General Assembly on September 26 Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi, President of the Republic of Yemen, and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, provided similar messages in their speeches.  Both addressed a recent provocative anti-Islamic film, criticizing ...

Three international human rights organizations have urged the leaders of Kuwait to end alleged abusing of more than 100,000 stateless people, also known as bidoun, in a joint letter. Refugees International, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International wrote Emir Sheikh Sabah ...

Morocco has been granted $190 million in financial assistance from the Arab Monetary Fund, an Abu Dhabi-based organization, to support trade with other Arab nations and help balance payments. “The Arab Monetary Fund supports the government’s strategy that ...

King Abdullah II of Jordan appeared on The Daily Show September 25  to discuss the ramifications of the Arab Spring. Abdullah said, "Jordan is part of the Arab Spring, but all countries have been affected differently." He pointed out that ...

On September 25, President Barack Obama spoke at the U.N. General Assembly focusing heavily on foreign policy in the Middle East. His speech addressed recent violence directed at U.S. embassies, reiterated the administration’s support for democratic reform, encouraged ...

Kuwait's top civilian court today rejected a government bid to alter voting boundaries.  The decision forces the ruling family to move ahead with parliamentary elections using a voting district map that appears to favor the opposition. Disagreement between the ruling ...

The exiled leader of the Hamas movement, Khaled Meshaal, is stepping down from his post. Meshaal, who has led Hamas for more than 15 years, made the announcement at a Hamas leadership meeting in Cairo. Although officials say ...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi met in New York to discuss the potential for expanded aid, despite the recent outbreak of violence in the region. The proposed $1 billion in debt relief ...

Reports have surfaced that an Iranian political group, the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), will be removed from the list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the coming weeks. After a ...