POMED Notes: “Building a Brighter Future in Syria”
On Friday, May 17, Freedom House hosted a panel discussion titled “Building a Brighter Future in Syria.” Panelists included Kinda Kanbar, a Syrian journalist; Mohammed Aly Sergie, Senior Editor at Syria Deeply; Omar Hossino, a Syria analyst; and Oubab Khalil, Chief of Staff for the National Coalition of Syrian Opposition Forces. Daniel Calingaert, Freedom House Executive Vice President, moderated the discussion. For the full event notes continue reading. Daniel Calingaert introduced the ...
May 17, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Political transition, Sectarianism, Syria, US foreign policy, Women, Youth
Home of Top Shia Cleric Raided in Bahrain
Bahraini authorities raided the home of a prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim on Friday. Opposition group al-Wefaq said Qassim was not home at the time of the raid but there were women and children present. A leading human rights activist ...
May 17, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, US foreign policy
Blogger Escapes from Bahrain, Government Responds
Bahraini blogger and free-speech advocate Ali Abdulemam recently escaped from the Kingdom of Bahrain after more than two years in hiding. A team of people and outside supporters, including artist Tyler Ramsey and human rights groups Amnesty International and the American ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Featured, Human Rights, Protests, Reform
POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Tunisia’s Transition: A View from the Field”
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) held a panel discussion on the role of human rights in Tunisia’s constitution-writing process titled “Human Rights in Tunisia’s Transition: A View from the Field” featuring Amel Azzouz, a deputy in Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly from the Ennahda party; Amna Guellali, Human Rights Watch Tunisia Researcher; Stephen McInerney, Executive Director of POMED; and Joyce Kasee, ...
May 9, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Parliament, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia
POMED Notes: “Egypt in Transition”
On Monday, May 6, the New America Foundation hosted an event titled “Egypt in Transition.” The event was moderated by Leila Hilal, Director of the Middle East Task Force at New America Foundation. Panelists included Ahmed Maher, co-founder and chief coordinator of the April 6 Youth Movement, Jawad Nabulsi, co-founder of the Nebny Foundation and founder of the Legislative Support Council, and Nur Laiq, Senior Policy Analyst at the International ...
POMED Video of the Day: Michele Dunne, Tamara Wittes on Egypt
In an interview with Egyptian channel CBC, Michelle Dunne, Director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, and Tamara Wittes, Director of the Brookings' Saban Center for the Middle East discuss the current situation in Egypt. Topics of focus include U.S. policy towards Egypt, the Egyptian opposition, and ongoing negotiations between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund.
May 1, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Economics, Egypt, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, NGOs, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Egypt
The State Department's 2012 report on human rights practices in Egypt notes a host of concerns resulting from the country's 2011 revolution and transition to democracy. Among the most problematic were the increased vulnerability of women and minorities ...
April 24, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, NGOs, Political transition
Congressmen Seek Conditions on U.S. Aid to Egypt
On Thursday, five Congressmen sent a letter to the House State and Foreign Operation Subcommittee on Appropriations requesting that it "include language to provide specific benchmarks and, moreover, an overall strategy for U.S. foreign aid to Egypt" in its ...
April 23, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Congress, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, NGOs, US foreign policy, US politics
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Bahrain
The annual State Department country report on human rights practices in Bahrain detailed heavy-handed repression in 2012 and reports that the government maintains a system of extra-judicial detention facilities where torture routinely occurs. The most serious human rights problems ...
April 23, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Courts and Judiciary, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, US foreign policy
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Algeria
The Department of State's annual country reports on human rights practices details restrictions on the freedom of assembly and association, lack of judicial independence, and overuse of pretrial detention that continue to tarnish the Algerian government's record in 2012 ...
April 22, 2013
Category: Algeria, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Courts and Judiciary, Featured, Human Rights
POMED Notes – FY14 Department of State Budget Hearing
The United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs questioned Secretary of State John Kerry at the FY14 Department of State Budget Hearing on Thursday. Subcommittee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) presided. For full event notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. In Senator Leahy's opening statement, submitted for the record, he said that, "We do not want a Democratic foreign policy or a Republican ...
April 21, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Congress, Congressional Hearing Notes (Senate), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy
NGOs Send Letter on Bahrain to Racers
A group of NGOs sent a letter regarding human rights abuses in Bahrain to racers participating in the upcoming Formula One Grand Prix in the country. The letter outlines the protest movement in Bahrain and the government's response to the protests. ...
March 26, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Featured, From POMED's Team, Political transition, US foreign policy, US politics, Yemen
POMED Notes: “The Struggle for Democracy in Tunisia”
On Wednesday, March 20, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Georgetown University, and the Conflict Management Program at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies hosted a two-panel discussion featuring a delegation of prominent Tunisian academics. For complete event notes, continue reading or click here for the PDF. Daniel Brumberg, Senior Adviser at USIP and Co-Director of Georgetown University's Democracy and Civil Society Program, gave ...
March 22, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Freedom, Political Islam, Political transition, Tunisia, Women
POMED Notes: “Human Rights and Rule of Law in Egypt’s Young Democracy”
The Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a discussion titled "Human Rights and Rule of Law in Egypt’s Young Democracy" with Heba Morayef, Egypt Director for Human Rights Watch, and Mahmoud Salem, Egyptian political activist and founder of the blog “Rantings of a Sandmonkey.” Amy Hawthorne, incoming Senior Fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center, moderated the discussion, and Tarek Radwan, Associate Director for Research at the ...
March 20, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, EU, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political transition, Reform
Rubio Proposes New Conditions for Egypt Aid
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) submitted an amendment to H.R. 933 placing conditions on two forms of U.S. assistance to Egypt unless the country adopts economic reforms and human rights safeguards. The amendment will also begin a comprehensive, long-term reevaluation of ...
March 13, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Legislation, NGOs, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy, US politics
POMED Notes: “Syria Beyond Assad: Building a New Syria from the Grassroots”
The Stimson Center and the Middle East Institute co-hosted a panel discussion entitled “Syria Beyond Assad: Building a New Syria from the Grassroots.” The panel featured Leila Hilal, Director of the Middle East Task Force for the New America Foundation, Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria and English-language Spokeswoman for the Syrian Local Coordination Committees, Elizabeth O’Bagy, Senior Research Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, Honey al-Sayed, Host ...
March 8, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Islamist movements, Syria
POMED Notes: “Constitutionalism and Human Rights in Tunisia: The Islamist-led Democratic Transition Post-Arab Spring
On Tuesday, March 5, 2013, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at The Johns Hopkins University and the Maghreb Center hosted a conference titled "Constitutionalism and Human Rights in Tunisia: the Islamist-led Democratic Transition Post-Arab Spring." The opening remarks for the conference were conducted by Dr. Nejib Ayachi, President of the Maghreb Center, Dr. Mohammed Mattar, Executive Director of The Protection Project at SAIS, and Issam Saliba, Secretary of ...
March 7, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Courts and Judiciary, Democracy Promotion, Economics, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Journalism, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia, Women, Youth
U.S. Congressmen Discuss Bahrain, Aid to Egypt
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke to the Senate this week on his recent trip to Bahrain. He emphasized Bahrain's status as a close ally of the United States and expressed hope that the Government of Bahrain will abide by the ...
March 2, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Legislation, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy, US politics
Libyan PM Vows Respect for Rights
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, speaking at the 22nd Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva Wednesday, vowed his country will fully respect human rights. Recognizing that Libya is still suffering the consequences of Qaddafi's long dictatorship, ...
March 1, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Libya, Political transition, Reform, US foreign policy