POMED Notes: Rethinking U.S. Policy on Iran
On Thursday (10/4) the Atlantic Council hosted an event titled "Rethinking U.S. Policy on Iran," which sought to answer questions about sanctions and how Iran views itself. Barbara Slavin, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, acted as moderator, with remarks from Stuart E. Eizenstat, Board Director of the Iran Task Force at the Atlantic Council and a discussion with Suzanne Maloney, Senior Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East ...
Syria: International Community Struggles with Solution
U.N. Security Council members remain deeply divided on how to deal with the Syrian crisis, while both Syria and Iran have expressed discontent with perceived meddling in the conflict. "We heard calls from this podium, and on other platforms, ...
POMED Notes: Are the United States and Europe Meeting the Challenges of the Arab Awakening?
The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a debate on Tuesday (9/25) entitled “Rafik Hariri Debates on the Arab Transitions: Are the United States and Europe Meeting the Challenges of the Arab Awakening?” to discuss how the two entities can aid the Arab world during its time of transition. The panel featured Dr. Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO and Gen. Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of ...
Iraq Shutters 44 Media Outlets
The Iraqi government ordered the closure of 44 media outlets in the country, in a move Iraq's media commission said was aimed only at closing those groups operating without a license. However, there is at least one broadcaster, ...
POMED Notes: “Previewing the G-8 and NATO Summits: An Examination of the Summits’ Top Agenda Items”
On Wednesday, the Brookings Institute and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted the event " Previewing the G-8 and NATO Summits: An Examination of the Summits’ Top Agenda Items." The first discussion “Previewing the G-8 Summit,” featured Michael Froman, deputy assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affair, Bruce Jones, a senior fellow at the Managing global order at Brookings, and Justin Vaisse, a senior fellow ...
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Rejects Israel’s Presence at NATO Summit
Today, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced at a press conference that Turkey has refused to allow Israel to participate in the NATO conference scheduled to take place in Chicago on May 20. “There will be no Israeli presence at the NATO meeting unless they issue a formal apology and pay compensation for the Turkish citizens their commandos killed in international waters,” said Davutoglu. State Department Spokesman Victoria Nuland avoided ...
DC Lobbying Firm Contracts with Libyan Rebels
The Harbour Group, the first Washington firm to apply to represent the Libyan rebels during the revolution, signed a $15,000-per-month contract with the Embassy of Libya. The agreement will run from March 1 to the end of the ...
Rick Perry: Turkey is Run By “Islamic Terrorists”
Presidential candidate Governor Rick Perry claimed during the GOP debate that took place Monday, that Turkey "is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists." This statement was in response to Fox News correspondent Bret Baier's question concerning the increasing murder rate of women in Turkey, greater press restrictions, and alleged support of Hamas since an "Islamist-oriented party" came to power. Despite backlash from Turkish officials, the Perry campaign has refused to apologize. Perry's foreign ...
Red Cross: Syria Not in Civil War, but Situation Grave
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the humanitarian situation in Syria is serious, but that the country does not qualify as being involved in a civil war since the armed resistance lacks organization. ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger ...
“Meet Syria’s Opposition”: A Rundown of the Syrian Opposition and its Divisions
In the latest piece for Foreign Policy magazine entitled "Meet Syria's Opposition", Randa Slim discusses the current status of the Syrian opposition as a whole and gives a succinct breakdown of the different organizations and movements that are ...
NATO Announces End to Libya Campaign
NATO vowed it would end its controversial Libya campaign, concluding seven months of operations aimed at ousting Gadhafi. “We have fully complied with the historic mandate of the United Nations to protect the people of Libya,” NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said ...
PM Jibril Will Step Down After Libya Unites
Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril stated that he will step down from his post "once the country is liberated." While no members of the TNC will be allowed to participate in Libya's post-revolution government, "Jibril became the first TNC ...
Libya: Frustration over Delay in Announcing Cabinet
In Libya, some are expressing frustration over what they perceive as a delay in the TNC's announcement of a new cabinet. Since fighting continues over remaining Gadhafi strongholds, the TNC has not yet declared liberation, and therefore ...
Tunisia: Ayed Announces Jasmine Economic and Social Plan
On Monday Tunisian Minister of Finance Jalloul Ayed announced the Jasmine Economic and Social Plan, which is a five-year program that "aims to reduce unemployment and boost regional development." In the near future, the plan entails job creation to help ...
Turkey Seeks “Axis of Democracy” with Egypt
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu envisioned an "axis of democracy" in the region by aligning with Egypt. He said “this will not be an axis against any other country — not Israel, not Iran, not any other country, ...