Photo Credit: Associated Press

U.S. Military Deploys Task Force to Jordan

The New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, reported the U.S. military secretly dispatched a task force of more than 150 "planners and other specialists" to a Jordanian military training center near Amman. The task force will help the Jordanian military "handle ...

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State Dept. Working to Unblock Egypt Aid

The State Department has announced that is continuing to work with Congress to remove a block  on $450 million of aid to Egypt. Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, "We are continuing our regular consultations. We had a ...

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Analyst Examines Differences among Arab Uprisings

In an op-ed, professor Mark LeVine describes why democratic transitions have been so drastically different across the Middle East. He argued that the initial movement in Syria was not as successful as Egypt or Tunisia due in part to a ...

Photo Credit: Arab Times Online

Kuwait Dissolves Parliament, UAE Slams Brotherhood

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabeh al-Ahmad al-Sabah has "called upon all people to work together to maintain stability, security and national unity," after he issued a decree dissolving parliament.  In response, opposition groups warned "the current intentions of ...

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POMED Notes: Death from Above

On Thursday, the Center for National Policy hosted a panel discussion entitled, "Death from Above: Drones and Targeted Killings." The panel featured Peter Bergen, Director of the National Security Studies Program at the New America Foundation, and Christopher Swift, Adjunct ...

The Brookings Institution: Americans on the Middle East

The Brookings Institution published a study of American opinions on the Middle East, conducted by the University of Maryland’s Program on International Policy Attitudes and Anwar Sadat Chair Shibley Telhami. The study sought to gauge American first impressions and public opinion of the attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East, and whether attitudes on other issues have changed since the attacks. A poll conducted as part of the study found that a majority ...

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Thousands March on Maspero as Morsi Pardons Protesters

On his 100th day as president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi issued a general amnesty for all protesters and political prisoners arrested between January 25, 2011 and June 30, 2012 in connection to the revolution, excluding those charged with murder. Morsi had ...

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Analysts React to Romney’s Middle East Policy Speech

The Obama campaign responded to Mitt Romney’s Virginia Military Institute speech, citing it as lacking “meaningful specifics or outline” and “full of platitudes.” The website quoted James Lindsay of the Council on Foreign Relations, who argued that the ...

Weekly Wire – October 9th

POMED's Weekly Wire for October 9th is now available. This week we highlight these and other top stories: Romney Talks Middle East Policy, Foreign Aid in Speech Demonstrations, Election Boycott Calls Shake Streets of Amman Reps. Ros-Lehtinen, Jordan Question Aid to Egypt Libyan Prime Minister Receives Vote of No Confidence To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.

POMED Notes: U.S.-Egyptian Relations: Where is the Bilateral Relationship Headed?

The Center for National Policy hosted an event on Thursday (10/4) entitled “U.S.-Egyptian Relations: Where is the Bilateral Relationship Headed?” The discussion centered around the slow and initial tepid response of the new Egyptian leadership to the attack on the U.S. embassy in Cairo. The response caused some members of Congress to advocate for a cut in U.S. assistance. On the other hand, both Egyptian and U.S. officials have indicated ...

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Romney Tackles Middle East Policy in Latest Speech

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressed his foreign policy positions in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute. Romney suggested that "it's time to change course in the Middle East." "I know the President hopes for a safer, ...

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Kuwait Parliament Dissolved, Elections to Follow

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved the 2009 parliament, just over three months after it was reinstated by the constitutional court. According to Kuwaiti law, new elections must be held within 60 days. Former opposition parliamentarians welcomed ...

American Middle East Network for Dialogue at Stanford Seeking Applicants

The American Middle East Network for Dialogue at Stanford (AMENDS) is seeking applicants to be a part of its 2013 program. AMENDS is a student initiative at Stanford University that enables the most promising youth change agents from across the Middle East, North Africa, and United States to learn from each other, advance their work, and share, through TED style talks, their ideas and experiences with the world. Delegates for the ...

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Libyan Prime Minister Receives Vote of No-Confidence

The Libyan General National Congress rejected Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abu Shagur's proposal for an emergency government on October 7. The plan, composed of 10 governing ministries, failed to pass by a vote of 125 to 44. Seventeen members of parliament ...

Photo Credit: AP

Jordanians Call for Boycott of Upcoming Elections

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Amman on October 5 to call for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections. The demonstration was the largest since weekly protests began in early 2011. Jordanian opposition groups ...

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Amid Protests, Bahrain’s Nabeel Rajab Begins Hunger Strike

Bahraini riot police have reportedly used water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to reach the former site of the Pearl Roundabout. Meanwhile, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) ...

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Debate over U.S. Aid to Egypt Continues

In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, expressed concerns and raised a number of questions ...

POMED Notes: Meeting of the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy

The U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy to the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs held a quarterly meeting on Wednesday (10/3), hosted by Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Jose W. Fernandez. The meeting focused on U.S. Government economic related assistance for supporting Egypt’s democratic transition and how the U.S. Government can assist U.S. businesses seeking to operate in Egypt. The meeting was conducted ...

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International Community Responds to Syrian Attack on Turkey

After the Syrian military shelled the Turkish border town of Ackakale, killing five Turkish citizens, Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan responded by proclaiming, “Under the rules of engagement and international law, Turkey will never let the ...

POMED Notes – Syria After Assad: Managing the Challenges of Transition

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) brought Syrian opposition members together on Thursday (10/4) to discuss the Day After Project, an eight-month effort to plan for a post-Assad Syria, coordinated by USIP and created by a group of 50 academics and opposition members. Although the report was released in August, this was the first presentation the report to the U.S. public. The project was divided into working groups, and each ...

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