Kuwait’s Largest Tribe to Participate in Elections
Kuwait's Awazem tribe, the largest tribe in Kuwait, has decided to forego the national opposition's boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections on July 25. As Sheikh Falah bin Jamaa, chief of the Awazem tribe, commented, "we might have our ...
Kuwait Court Dissolves Parliament
Kuwait’s Constitutional Court ordered for the dissolution of parliament on Sunday and called for new elections. The top court’s ruling came after an opposition challenge to the voting system was thrown out. The case had questioned the constitutionality of ...
POMED Notes: “Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa Hearing: A Crisis Mismanaged: Obama’s Failed Syria Policy”
On Tuesday, June 5, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled “Obama’s Failed Syria Policy.” Mr. Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Ms. Danielle Pletka, Vice President of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and Dr. Jon Alterman, Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, testified. The committee’s chairman, Rep. ...
Syrian Leadership Condemns AKP’s Handling of Istanbul Protests
The Syrian Foreign Ministry released a report on Monday condemning the Turkish government's response to the protests in Taksim Square. The report criticized "the violence practiced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against peaceful demonstrators" and called for Syrian nationals ...
POMED Notes: CSID 14th Annual Conference – “Can Tunisia Succeed as a Model?”
The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) hosted its 14th Annual Conference titled "Democratic Transitions in the Arab World" on May 29th, 2013. The conference included several panel discussions, one of which examined whether the Tunisian experience could succeed as a model for other post-revolution Arab countries and featured John Carey, Chair of the Department of Government at Dartmouth College; Joelle Fiss, Senior Associate at Human Rights ...
Bahrainis Protest Dialogue, Dispersed By Police
Police used tear gas and stun grenades in Manama yesterday to break up protests organized by Shi'ite opposition groups. The Interior Ministry had previously refused to give permission for the demonstration, claiming it was illegal and promising punishment for ...
Democratic Leadership on House Foreign Affairs Finalized
Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL) won the ranking member spot on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa in an unexpected maneuver on Tuesday. Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA), the third ranking Democrat on the committee, ...
Egyptian Court Orders Retrial For Mubarak
An Egyptian court ordered a retrial for former president Hosni Mubarak and former interior minister Habib al-Adly, who are serving life sentences for their roles in the killings of protesters in the 2011 revolution. Mubarak will also be
U.S. Official Visits Yemen Amid Political Unrest
U.S. Homeland Security undersecretary Rand Beers was in Yemen this week discussing security, trade, and immigration issues. In a statement released Tuesday Beers said, "The United States has a profound interest in advancing Yemen's security and prosperity," and that "By enhancing ...
Supporting Protests, Iraqi Sunni-Kurds Boycott Cabinet
Photo Credit: AP In continuing political turmoil facing Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, Sunni and Kurdish ministers boycotted a cabinet meeting Tuesday in support of protesters in Sunni-dominated provinces. The boycott comes at a time of heightened ...
Saleh to Participate in Yemen Dialogue, Prompting Boycotts
A series of suspected drone strikes underscored a tense week in Yemen as various factions threatened to pull out of the upcoming National Dialogue and three kidnapped European tourists remained in captivity. ...
Uncertainty for Democracy in Iraq
Following a stroke last week, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s questionable health led to uncertainty about Iraq’s future. Peter Galbraith addressed these concerns in an opinion piece in Foreign Policy, noting that Iraq currently lacks a successor that could wield ...
Increasing Pessimism Over U.N. Approach to Syria
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah proclaimed earlier this week, “Anyone who thinks that the armed opposition is capable of the military battle is very mistaken,’” referring to the conflict in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin on the ...
Carnegie: Can Lebanon Survive the Syrian Crisis?
The Carnegie Endowment released a new paper written by Paul Salem, titled "Can Lebanon Survive the Syrian Crisis?" The paper addresses the current political climate in Lebanon, and how the Syrian crisis has affected the situation on the ...
POMED Event: Examining Jordan’s Unrest and Coming Elections
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) presents: Examining Jordan’s Unrest and Coming Elections Friday, December 7, 2012 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm The Henry L. Stimson Center 1111 19th Street, NW, 12th Floor A light lunch will be available at 12:30 pm. With Jordan’s parliamentary elections currently scheduled to take place in late January, Jordanians are poised to go to the polls for the first time since the start of the uprisings that swept across the ...