POMED Notes – “The Story of Convicted NGO Workers in Egypt”
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Johns Hopkins University hosted a panel on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 9:00am at the Nitze Building in Washington on the experience of three U.S. NGO workers who were recently convicted in Egypt. The three NGO workers the panel featured included Nancy Okail from Freedom House, Yehia Ghanem from the International Center for Journalists (ICJ), and Lila Jaafar ...
June 28, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Courts and Judiciary, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Freedom, NGOs, Reform, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: The Arab Silent Majority: Challenging Assumptions about Regional Transitions
On Thursday, June 27, the Project on Middle East Democracy held an event at the Council on Foreign Relations titled: "The Arab Silent Majority: Challenging Assumptions about Regional Transitions." The panel was moderated by Stephen McInerny, the executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy and featured panelists Ellen Lust, associate professor of political science at Yale University, and Jakob Wickman, a founding partner of JMW Consulting. The panelists ...
Request for Review of Economic Assistance to Egypt
In the wake of the recent NGO trial in Egypt, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, and Rep. Gerald E. ...
Egypt’s Rival Protests Begin
Egypt's protest weekend began on Friday morning with a pro-Morsi rally outside the main mosque in the Nasr district. Although Morsi's opponents do not officially demonstrate until Sunday, several groups have formed and turned out across Cairo and ...
U.S. State Department Makes First Comments on Qatar Leadership Transition
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday made its first comments on Qatar's transition of power from Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to the new Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. While on Tuesday both U.S. President Barack ...
June 28, 2013
Category: Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Featured, Freedom, Leadership Transitions, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Uncategorized, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Turkey at a Crossroads: What do the Gezi Park Protests Mean for Democracy in the Region?”
On Wednesday, June 26, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled “Turkey at a Crossroads: What do the Gezi Park Protests Mean for Democracy in the Region?” Dr. Hillel Fradkin, director at the Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World at the Hudson Institute, Dr. Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Mr. Kadri ...
June 27, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Secularism, Turkey
Morsi Speech Sparks Anger, Criticism
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made a speech late on Wednesday that has garnered immense criticism from the Egyptian opposition and sparked anger among portions of the Egyptian public. President Morsi admitted that he had made some mistakes in his ...
Bahraini Legislators Respond to Letter from US Congress
A group of Bahraini legislators issued a response to a letter sent earlier this month by 20 Members of the United States Congress that expressed concern at the delayed visit of U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture ...
New Qatar Emir Makes First Address, Reveals Cabinet
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani gave his first public speech today since his father officially handed him power over the country yesterday. He began by promising to "continue with his father's reform agenda and growth projects" and stressing ...
June 26, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Diplomacy, Economics, Egypt, Featured, Gulf, Hezbollah, Israel, Leadership Transitions, Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, Qatar, Sectarianism, Syria, Youth
Saudi Human Rights Activist Sentenced to 8 Years
A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced Abdul-Karim al-Khader, a founding member of one of Saudi Arabia’s leading human rights organizations, to eight years in jail on grounds of inciting sedition. Al-Khader is the co-founder of the Saudi Political Civil ...
June 26, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Saudi Arabia
June 25, 2013
Category: Afghanistan, Diplomacy, Economics, Featured, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Leadership Transitions, Qatar, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy
U.S. Navy Officer Presents New Strategy for Bahrain
Commander Richard McDaniel, USN, Federal Executive Fellow at Brookings' Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, published a report entitled "No 'Plan B:' U.S. Stretegic Access in the Middle East and the Question of Bahrain," on how the U.S. ...
June 25, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, US foreign policy, Youth
Obama Discusses Turkey’s Protests with Erdogan
On Monday, President Barack Obama spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about a range of issues, including the Syrian crisis and protracted demonstrations in Turkey. According to a White House statement, “The two leaders discussed ...
Eight Arrested in Egypt over Shiite Killing
A mob attack in a village near Cairo resulted in the death of five Shia worshipers on Sunday. The mob accused the worshipers of spreading Shia beliefs. The mob numbered in the hundreds and some reports indicate that ...
June 25, 2013
Category: Egypt, Featured, Islam and Democracy, Muslim Brotherhood, Protests, Sectarianism
POMED Now Accepting Fall Internship Applications
The Project on Middle East Democracy is now accepting applications for our Fall 2013 internship term, which runs from August-December 2013. We have openings for the following positions: Policy Intern, Civil Society Partnerships Intern, Research Intern, Egypt Programs Intern, and Iran Programs Intern. Applicants are encouraged to apply to multiple positions that fit their interests. Please see the description for each internship and direct any questions you have to Todd ...
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 ...
Continuing Clashes in Lebanon Kill Sixteen Soldiers
Armed followers of Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, a hard-line Sunni cleric, clashed with the Lebanese army at a checkpoint near Sidon in southern Lebanon on Sunday. Fighting broke out after Assir's supporters opened fire at the checkpoint but it is ...
Egypt’s Army Delivers Warning Amid Protests
On Sunday, Egypt’s army chief warned that the military is prepared to intervene in order to stop the nation from descending into a “dark tunnel” of internal conflict. General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi gave the statement ahead of mass protests planned ...
U.S. Increases Military Aid to Jordan
Citing security concerns in Jordan, which borders the Syrian civil war, President Barack Obama told Congress on Friday that 700 U.S. troops would remain in the country following training exercises until the situation improves. "The deployment of this detachment ...
