Foreign Policy: The New Politics of Human Rights in the Middle East
Shadi Mokhtari wrote a piece detailing the growth of human rights movements within the Middle East. Regional voices calling for increased attention to human rights have grown in both number and legitimacy over the past two years. "Where they ...
Toby Jones: Embracing Crisis in the Gulf
Toby Jones, in a featured article for the Middle East Research and Information Report, discussed how opposition movements in the Gulf countries are affecting the United States. Jones argues the key task for the U.S. "is to aid ...
Government Actions Leave Questions in the Gulf
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah provoked outrage by opposition groups after suggesting an amendment to a key constituency electoral law. Demonstrations comprised of between 5,000-20,000 people also broke out yesterday. Speaking to the protesters, former lawmaker Musallam al-Barrak
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 ...
Obama Speaks on Middle East Policy at UN
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 ...
Internet Freedom Report Released, U.S. Internet Bill Passed
Early Saturday morning the Senate passed S.Con.Res. 50, which calls on "the United States to promote a global Internet free from government control and preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet today." The bill ...
Upcoming POMED Event: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) presents: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf Wednesday, September 26, 2012 SEIU Headquarters, First Floor Conference Room (1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW) 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (A light lunch will be available at noon.) While 2011 and 2012 have witnessed unprecedented changes across the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and ...
Yemen Announces Formation of New Election Committee
On August 30, Yemeni Minister of Legal Affairs Mohamed Mikhlafi announced the creation of an new election committee ahead of a round of elections which are slated to take place within the next two months. "The coming period ...
New York Times: Staying Power of Arab Monarchies
In the New York Times latest "Room for Debate," experts discussed what accounts for the ability of Arab monarchies to weather the turmoil that overturned authoritarian regimes elsewhere in the region. Christopher Davidson argued that the survival of the Gulf monarchies, at least, is a function of the social contract between the regime and the population. In these states, the regime as the mechanism to distribute wealth to citizens " has provided their ...
POMED Notes: Democratic Transition in the Middle East
On Thursday, Professor Mokhtar Benabdallaoui of Hassan II University in Casablanca, Morocco presented his research entitled “Democratic Transition in the Middle East: Between Authoritarianism and Islamism” which tackled the current state of Islamism in the Arab world, as well as its likely trajectory in the future of politics. Professor Samer Shehata of Georgetown University followed Dr. Benabdallaoui’s presentation with comments and questions. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here. Dr. ...
Bahraini Human Rights Activist Sentenced
Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to three months in jail on Monday for anti-government comments made on social media. The conviction involves one of several cases against the activist, who has been arrested and released ...
Over Half of Kuwaiti MPs Resign
Over half of the members of Kuwait's reinstated former parliament have resigned in protest of a court decision invalidating an Islamist election victory. Political scientist Abdullah al-Shayji believed the best option for the government would be "to restore the parliament ...
Qatar’s Migrant Workers Face Serious Abuse
A report by Human Rights Watch yesterday raised serious concern of abuses faced by migrant workers in Qatar. The report called on the football governing body FIFA, international contractors, and the Qatari government to ensure that the cutting-edge stadiums being ...
Oman Foreign Minister: “There is No Gulf Union”
Yousuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, the Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs said “There is no Gulf union" in a statement published only days before a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al ...
Bahrain Crackdown Bolstered by Allies’ Signals
A report by Frederic Wehrey of the Carnegie Endowment describes how the use of arrests, media censorship, warnings to Shia clerics, and increasingly aggressive counter-demonstration tactics against opposition groups is leading to an increasingly militarized and rejectionist movement against the Bahraini government. Discussions about transforming the GCC, a move that would lead to closer ties between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and Washington's decision to restart arms sales to the island ...
“Friends of Yemen” Gather in Saudi Arabia
Following Monday's suicide attack at a military parade drill in Sana'a, the "Friends of Yemen" gathered in Riyadh to provide political and financial support for Yemen. The coalition is co-sponsored by Britain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen with 27 countries and multiple ...