POMED Notes: “The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities”
On Wednesday, May 15, the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom held a panel titled, “The Rise of Islamism: Its Impact on Religious Minorities” to discuss Islamist radicalization in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Panelists included former Pakistani parliamentarian Farahnaz Ispahi; Professor of Iranian, Central Eurasian, and Islamic Studies at Indiana University Jamsheed Choksy; and Executive Director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism Stephen Schwartz. Nina Shea, Hudson ...
May 16, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Sectarianism
US: Ahmed Maher Arrest “Step Backward” for Egypt
The U.S. State Department has called last week's arrest of April 6 co-founder Ahmed Maher a "step backward" for Egypt's democratic transition. The U.S. has expressed concern about what it sees as a growing trend of arrests against political ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Political Islam, Political transition, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Egypt’s Litigious Transition”
The Atlantic Council hosted an event for the release of their new issue brief titled "Egypt's Litigious Transition." The event featured Mahmoud Hamad, author of the issue brief and Assistant Professor at Drake University, and Yussef Auf, a nonresident fellow at The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. The event was moderated by Dr. Michele Dunne, Director of The Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle ...
May 14, 2013
Category: Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
May 13, 2013
Category: Elections 2012, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Tunisia
Controversial Iranian Leaders Register as Presidential Candidates
Candidate registration for Iran's upcoming presidential election closed Saturday as two controversial figures, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, registered to appear on the ballot in June. Mashaei, a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani, ...
Brief: Reform Politics & Iran’s June Presidential Election
POMED has released its latest policy brief, "Reform Politics and Iran's June Presidential Election," by Farideh Farhi. As the Islamic Republic of Iran approaches its eleventh presidential election, the conflicting impulses that have shaped its 34-year life are once again manifest. ...
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
Egypt Revolution “Unpredictably” Reshaping Islamists, Analyst Finds
In a report for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Nathan Brown examines how the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafis and religious institutions in Egypt are being reshaped in fundamental ways by becoming increasingly involved in state politics. "For Egypt, ...
April 25, 2013
Category: Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition
POMED Notes – The Stakes in Egypt: Political Action and Democratic Change
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted an event titled "The Stakes in Egypt: Political Action and Democratic Change." The event featured a presentation from Amr Hamzawy, founder of the Free Egypt Party, and was moderated by Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment. For full event notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. Amr Hamzawy began by discussing the events that have unfolded in Egypt over the past week. ...
April 24, 2013
Category: Democracy Promotion, Economics, Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform
Turkey’s Troubled Politics: Rising Influence and Eroding Freedoms
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) presents: Turkey's Troubled Politics: Rising Influence and Eroding Freedoms Friday, April 26, 2013 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm SEIU Headquarters 1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW Click here to RSVP In a time when the Middle East has been experiencing unprecedented political change and opportunities for democratic openings, many observers and analysts have turned to Turkey to be a model of democratic transformation throughout the region. As Turkey rises as a regional power, ...
Iranian Coalitions Vie for Power Ahead of Elections
In the New York Times, Thomas Erdbrink describes a presidential power struggle as Iran prepares for elections this summer. Tensions are rising between outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters and a traditionalist coalition that includes members of ...
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
Video of the Day: BBC Interview with Ennahda President Rachid Ghannuchi
In the video above, Stephen Sackur interviews Rachid Ghannuchi, the president of Tunisia's ruling Islamist Ennahda party.
POMED Video of the Day: POMEPS Conversation with Matthew Buehler on Morocco’s PJD, Mauritanian Politics
In its latest conversation, the Project on Middle East Political Science's Marc Lynch hosted a conversation with doctoral candidate Matthew Buehler. In the interview, Buehler discusses the political landscape in Morocco and the PJD's role since the November 2011 elections, as well as the political situation in Mauritania. Buehler's doctoral dissertation compares the success and failure of opposition alliances between Islamists and leftists in the Arab Spring, specifically in Tunisia, Morocco, and ...
February 22, 2013
Category: Mauritania, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform, Tunisia
Morocco: Sahrawi Activists Sentenced, Trials Questioned
This week, Morocco sentenced two dozen of activists from the Western Sahara for allegedly killing members of the security forces in 2010. Eight were handed life sentences, while four received 30-year terms. However, Amnesty International called the trials "flawed" and ...
February 22, 2013
Category: Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, Reform, Western Sahara
Anniversary of Mubarak’s Ouster, New Grand Mufti Selected
Today marks the second anniversary of former President Hosni Mubarak's resignation. Protesters, upset with the current government's lack of progress and using the anniversary to express their anger, blocked trains and traffic and gathered outside of government buildings. In ...
POMED Notes: “Freedom in the World 2013: Democratic Breakthroughs in the Balance”
On Wednesday, January 16, 2013, Freedom House and the Council on Foreign Relations hosted a panel discussion on the release of Freedom House’s annual report on the state of political rights and civil liberties in the world, entitled “Freedom in the World 2013: Democratic Breakthroughs in the Balance.” The panel, moderated by Foreign Affairs Correspondent for CNN Jill Dougherty, featured Arch Puddington, Vice President for Research at Freedom House; Larry ...
January 18, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, POMED, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
Report Warns of Constitutional Backsliding of Women’s Rights in Post-Revolution Egypt
A new brief published by the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center details the grim prospects for women's rights under the country's constitution, adopted by public referendum in December. The author, Moushira Khattab, a former Egyptian ambassador ...
January 17, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Islam and Democracy, Legislation, Political Islam, Publications, Women
POMED Notes: “U.S. Grand Strategy in the Middle East: Is There One?”
On Wednesday (1/16), the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) hosted its 71st Capitol Hill Conference entitled “U.S. Grand Strategy in the Middle East: Is There One?” Moderated by Thomas R. Mattair, Executive Director of MEPC, the event featured Chas W. Freeman Jr., Chairman of Projects International, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and former President of MEPC; William B. Quandt, Professor at the University of Virginia and formerly of the ...
January 17, 2013
Category: Diplomacy, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Political transition, US foreign policy