U.S. Announces Nonlethal Assistance to Syrian Opposition
Secretary of State John Kerry announced Thursday that the United States will provide $60 million in nonlethal assistance to the Syrian Opposition Coalition. The assistance will include food rations and medical supplies as well as training, but according ...
February 28, 2013
Category: Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, EU, Featured, Foreign Aid, Syria, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “The Resistible Rise of the Islamists?”
The Woodrow Wilson Center held an event titled “The Resistible Rise of the Islamists?” on February 27th featuring Marina Ottaway, Senior Scholar at the Wilson Center, and Les Campbell, Senior Associate and Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa at the National Democratic Institute. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, moderated. The event coincided with the release of Ottaway’s paper “The Resistible Rise of Islamist Parties.” For full event ...
February 28, 2013
Category: Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Islamist movements, Morocco, Muslim Brotherhood, Tunisia
Rubio: Human Rights “Our Currency” in the World
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke Wednesday at the Washington Institute regarding his recent visit to the Middle East and offered his observations on U.S. foreign policy, political reforms, and foreign aid in the region. Addressing Jordan, Rubio stated he was ...
February 28, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Economics, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Jordan, Reform, US foreign policy
February 27, 2013
Category: Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Foreign Aid, Political transition, Syria, US foreign policy
Obama Speaks with Morsi, Opposition Boycotts Elections
President Barack Obama spoke with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on the phone yesterday. A White House statement said that the President reaffirmed America's "strong commitment to the Egyptian people as they continue their transition to democracy," and that he emphasized Morsi's ...
U.S. Congressmen Send Morsi Letter on NGO Law
Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), the top Democrat on the committee, wrote a letter to President Mohamed Morsi on Friday expressing serious concern regarding a draft NGO ...
February 26, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Legislation, NGOs, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: House Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, “Demonstrations in Tahrir Square: Two Years Later, What has Changed?”
On Tuesday, February 26, the United States House Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa held a hearing entitled “Demonstrations in Tahrir Square: Two Years Later, What has Changed?” to discuss US policy toward Egypt in light of the country’s recent political turmoil. The subcommittee heard testimony from Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations; Katrina Lantos Swett, Chair of the US Committee ...
Syrian Opposition Reverses Decision to Boycott International Conference
The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) reversed its decision to boycott a conference in Rome designed to help raise funds and political support for the Syrian opposition. After a phone call between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and SNC leader Mouaz al-Khatib, ...
Analysis: “Foreign Aid Advances U.S. Security, Prosperity, and Global Leadership”
The Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) published a piece on Monday asserting that foreign aid "plays an indispensable role in furthering America’s strategic, economic, and moral objectives throughout the world." FPI reports that the sequester would slash the U.S.'s international affairs budget by up to 5.3% in FY 2013, and that "some lawmakers have even proposed eliminating development programs." The piece argues that "foreign aid promotes national security by helping to fight the causes of terrorism, stabilize ...
Unrest Continues in Yemen, UAE Rejects Academic
On Monday, Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi continued his surprise visit to southern Yemen by meeting with officials in Aden and advocating for using the upcoming national dialogue to solve the country's issues. Hadi arrived on Saturday amid Hirak (Southern Movement) ...
February 25, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Featured, Gulf, Human Rights, Jordan, Protests, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen
NGO Presses Kerry to Discuss Turkish Human Rights
In an open letter to Sec. John Kerry ahead of his first visit to the Middle East as Secretary of State, Amnesty International urges him to address the human rights violations in Turkey. The letter states that the U.S. could do ...
POMED’s Weekly Wire – February 25
POMED's Weekly Wire newsletter for the week of February 25th is now available. In this edition, we cover the following top stories: Sec. Kerry Preps for Egypt Visit, Morsi Announces Election Date Sen. Corker Meets with Tunisian Officials, New PM Chosen Lebanese Legislative Committees Approve Draft Elec. Law Yemeni Dialogue Planning Stalls amid Resignations, Protester Deaths Iranian Supreme Leader Meets with Reformists To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.
February 25, 2013
Category: Conflict, Diplomacy, Featured, Political transition, Syria, US foreign policy
Egyptian Opposition Threatens Election Boycott
President Morsi's announcement of a date for Egypt's parliamentary elections has met with opposition. Mohamed ElBaradei claimed the elections would bring instability that could necessitate military intervention. He also characterized the new policy as a recycling ...
February 25, 2013
Category: Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Featured, Legislation, Muslim Brotherhood, Parliament, Political transition, Reform
Syrian Opposition Declines International Visit Invitations
Syria's National Coalition has announced it will not participate in a Friends of Syria summit in Rome next month. The group also declined invitations to visit Moscow and Washington. A spokesperson attributed the decision to concerns ...
February 24, 2013
Category: Conflict, Diplomacy, Featured, Foreign Aid, Protests, Syria, United Nations, US foreign policy
Analysis: “Saudi Arabia and Qatar in a Time of Revolution”
The Center for Strategic and International Studies' Middle East Program released its latest Gulf Analysis Paper, "Saudi Arabia and Qatar in a Time of Revolution," by Bernard Haykel. The paper reviews both countries' behavior during the Arab Spring and finds that they have been "proactive in the pursuit of revolutionary change" despite their conservative domestic policies. It notes that Qatar has been particularly assertive, treating the turbulence as an opportunity to ...
February 22, 2013
Category: Diplomacy, Gulf, Muslim Brotherhood, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
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
February 22, 2013
Category: Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Featured, Legislation, Parliament
Senate Appropriations Subcommittees Formed
Two weeks ago, the subcommittees for the Senate Appropriations Committee were released to the public. Of note is the State, Foreign Operations subcommittee, which consists of Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Mary ...
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