POMED Notes: “Foreign Policies of Emerging-Market Democracies: What Role for Democracy and Human Rights?”
April 18th, 2011 by Anna
On Thursday, April 14th and Friday, April 15th, the Managing Global Order project at the Brookings Institution and the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy hosted a conference on the foreign policies of emerging-market democracies and their efforts to advance human rights and democracy. The conference, called “Foreign Policies of Emerging-Market Democracies: What Role for Democracy and Human Rights?,” featured leading experts on Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and multilateral affairs. Samantha Power, special advisor to the president and senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights at the National Security Council, provided commentary during a lunch keynote address on the administration’s efforts to work with the emerging democracies. In the conference’s final panel, Larry Diamond of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University moderated a discussion featuring Thomas Carothers, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow at Brookings; and Moises Naim, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
For POMED’s full notes, continue reading below. Or, click here for the PDF.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Internet Freedom and Democratic Transformation in Egypt”
April 7th, 2011 by Alec
On Wednesday, April 6th, Human Rights First hosted a breakfast panel discussion titled “Internet Freedom and Democratic Transformation in Egypt.” The event featured Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Esraa Abdel Fattah, Media Director, Egyptian Democratic Academy; Richard Allan, Director of Policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Facebook; Andrew McLaughlin, Former Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy, the White House; and Meg Roggensack, Senior Advisor for Business and Human Rights, Human Rights First.
For full notes, continue below. For pdf version, click here.
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Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Event Notes, Reform | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Who is the Libyan Opposition: A Discussion with Ali Aujali”
April 4th, 2011 by Alec
The Center for American Progress held a discussion on Monday entitled: “Who is the Libyan Opposition: A Discussion with Ali Aujali.” Senior Fellow Brian Katulis moderated the discussion with Ali Aujali, former Libyan ambassador to the U.S. and current Representative of the Transitional National Council (TNC) of the Libyan Republic to the U.S.
For full notes, continue below. For pdf version, click here.
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Posted in Event Notes, Libya | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Assessing the Situation in Libya”
April 1st, 2011 by Alec
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Thursday afternoon entitled, “Assessing the Situation in Libya.” Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg testified before the committee. Committee Chairman Senator John Kerry (D-MA) moderated the hearing. Ranking Member, Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) was also in attendance. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Bob Corker (R-TN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), James Risch (R-ID), Tom Udall (D-NM), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) made appearances during the hearing to question the witness.
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Posted in Congressional Hearing Notes (Senate), Event Notes, Libya, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Budget Hearing – USAID”
March 30th, 2011 by Alec
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations held a budget hearing for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Administrator of USAID, Dr. Rajiv Shah, testified before the subcommittee. The Congressional panel was moderated by subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX). Ranking Member Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and House Appropriations Chairman Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) were also in attendance along with Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
For full notes, continue below. For pdf, click here.
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Posted in Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Freedom, Human Rights, Legislation, Libya, NGOs, Tunisia, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The Arab Uprisings: A View from the University on Tahrir Square”
March 24th, 2011 by Alec
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted an event on Wednesday, March 23rd entitled “The Arab Uprisings: A View from the University on Tahrir Square.” Lisa Anderson, President of the American University of Cairo, gave prepared remarks which were followed by a question and answer session from the audience. Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies at The Carnegie Endowment moderated the event.
For full notes, continue below. For pdf version, click here.
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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Reform, Tunisia | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Answering the Iranian People’s Call for Human Rights”
March 18th, 2011 by Alec
On Tuesday, the National Iranian American Council hosted an event on Capital Hill focused on government perpetrated human rights abuses against the Iranian people and what steps the international community can take to thwart them. The even was entitled, “Answering the Iranian People’s Call for Human Rights.” The panel included Nader Hashemi, co-editor of The People Reloaded: the Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future, Alireza Nader, International Policy Analyst at the Rand Corporation, and Sarah Leah Whitson Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa Director. NIAC also hosted these speakers at the event: Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the original sponsor of Stand with Iranian People Act; Ambassador Jonas Hafström, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States; Nazila Fathi, former New York Times correspondent based in Iran; and Suzanne Nossel, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations.
For full notes, continue below. For pdf version, click here.
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Posted in Event Notes, Human Rights, Iran, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: Libyan Outreach Group Press Conference
March 18th, 2011 by Kyle
On Friday, The Libyan Ambassador to the United States H.E. Ali Sulaiman Aujali along with Dr. Radwan Masmoudi, President of the Center of Islam and Democracy and Aly R. Abuzaakouk, Director of Libya Human and Political Development Forum held a press conference at the Murrow Room, at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to call on President Obama to support the pro-Democracy and Anti-Gaddafi forces, which is represented by the National Transitional Council in Libya. They also presented a letter, signed by over 1,500 scholars and pro-democracy activists, which was sent to President Obama calling for certain provisions in response to the violence in Libya.
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Posted in Event Notes, Libya | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Sen. John Kerry on U.S. Policy Toward the Middle East”
March 17th, 2011 by Alec
Senator John Kerry (D-MA) delivered a speech at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East in light of the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and continued unrest and protests across the entire region. Marwan Muasher, vice president of studies at The Carnegie Endowment introduced Senator Kerry and made brief remarks about the current unrest in the region.
For full notes, continue below. For pdf version, click here.
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Posted in Arab League, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Journalism, Judiciary, Legislation, Libya, Middle Eastern Media, Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Protests, Reform, Terrorism, Tunisia, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Voices of Tahrir: Perspectives on Democratic Reform in Egypt”
March 17th, 2011 by Anna
On Thursday, March 10, 2011, IRI hosted a video teleconference discussion with several leading civic and political actors in Egypt. On the call were Abdullah Helmy of the Reform & Development Party; Shady Taha, a leader in Al Ghad Party; Hossam El Din Ali from the Egyptian Democratic Academy; Israa Abd El Fatah, a founding member of the April 6 Youth Movement; and Kamal Nabil, a human rights activist in Egypt. Sam LaHood, IRI’s regional country director in Egypt, was also on the videoconference. The group was asked to discuss the continued push for reforms in Egypt, how to harness the current enthusiasm to achieve long-term and lasting change, and what will be needed from Egypt’s civil and political institutions to make the transition to democracy real.
Due to technical difficulties, the videoconference was cut short. However, some of the speakers did have a chance to make brief statements. In addition, audience members were able to submit questions to be answered by the panelists at a later date (their answers are below).
To read the full notes, continue below or click here for the pdf.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Egypt, Event Notes | Comment »
POMED Notes: HFAC Hearing on USAID and MCC FY2012 Budget
March 17th, 2011 by Kyle
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held an open hearing on the future of foreign assistance along with USAID and Millennium Challenge Corporation FY 2012 budget requests. The committee, chaired by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and with ranking member Congressman Berman (D-CA) in attendance, requested the testimony of two individuals: Daniel Yohannes, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation and Dr. Rajiv Shah administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
For full notes, continue below. For pdf version, click here.
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POMED Notes: “FY2012 Budget Hearing”
March 11th, 2011 by Alec
The House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs of the House Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing on Thursday, March 10, 2011 for the administrations FY2012 budget request. Subcommittee Chairwoman, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), chaired the hearing with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifying before the subcommittee.
For full notes, continue below. For PDF, click here.
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Posted in Congress, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Legislation, Muslim Brotherhood, Reform, sanctions, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “National Security & Foreign Policy Priorities in the FY2012 International Affairs Budget”
March 3rd, 2011 by Alec
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on Wednesday, March 2nd, on national security and foreign policy priorities in the FY2012 budget with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifying before the committee. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) is the Committee Chair and Senator Richard Luger (R-IN) is the Ranking Member of the committee
For full notes, continue below. For PDF, click here. For video, click here.
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Posted in Event Notes, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges”
March 2nd, 2011 by Naureen
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held an open hearing to assess U.S. foreign policy priorities in light of the country’s current economic challenges. The Committee — chaired by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and with Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) in attendance — requested the testimony of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
To see full notes, continue below or click here for pdf. To see webcast, click here.
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Posted in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Protests, Reform, sanctions, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Referendum in South Sudan and the Road to Independence”
February 25th, 2011 by Alec
The Heritage Foundation hosted a panel discussion on Thursday entitled, “Referendum in South Sudan and the Road to Independence.” Ray Walser, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst at The Heritage Center moderated the event with Jon Temin, Director of the Sudan Program at USIP (United States Institute for Peace), Amb. Richard Williamson, former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, and Amb. Ezekial Lol Gatkuoth, Head of Mission to the U.S. for the Government of South Sudan speaking.
For full notes, click below. For PDF, click here. For video, click here.
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Posted in Event Notes, Sudan | Comment »
POMED Notes: “After Mubarak”
February 17th, 2011 by Alec
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a panel discussion on Wednesday entitled, “After Mubarak,” discussing the difficulties that lay ahead for Egypt in the aftermath of Hosni Mubarak’s ouster by protesters and implications for U.S. policy. Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment and former Foreign and deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, moderated the panel. Marina Ottaway, Director of the Carnegie Endowment’s Middle East Program, and Michele Dunne, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment and editor of the Arab Reform Bulletin, also spoke on the panel. Amr Hamzawy, Research Director and Senior Associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, was scheduled to be teleconferenced in live from Cairo, but technical difficulties prevented his participation.
For full notes, continue below or click here for PDF. For video, click here.
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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “After the Uprisings: U.S. Policy in a Changing Middle East”
February 11th, 2011 by Naureen
On Thursday, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a discussion on recent and ongoing events in Tunisia and Egypt and their influence on U.S. relations with the region’s governments and people and what steps the U.S. government can take to support democratic transitions in Egypt and Tunisia. POMED Executive Director Stephen McInerney made opening remarks and introduced panelists: Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution at Stanford University and founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy; Tom Malinowski, Washington Director at Human Rights Watch; and Mona Yacoubian, Special Adviser at the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, United States Institute of Peace.
To read full notes continue below, or click here for pdf.
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Posted in Algeria, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Event Notes, Events, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, POMED, Protests, Reform, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Recent Developments in Egypt and Lebanon – Implications for U.S. Policy and Allies in the Broader Middle East, Part 2″
February 11th, 2011 by Alec
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs hosted Part 2 of a hearing on recent political developments in Egypt and Lebanon and their implications on U.S. policy in the region. The hearing was moderated by committee chair Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen with comments and questions from House Representatives Howard L. Berman (D-CA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY), Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), Chris Smith (D-NJ), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), David Rivera (R-FL), Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), William Keating (D-MA), Dan Burton (R-IN), David Ciciline (D-RI), Edward R. Royce (R-CA), Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Donald A. Manzullo (R-IL), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), and Mike Pence (R-IN). Deputy Secretary of the State Department James B. Steinberg testified before the committee.
For a full transcript of Deputy Secretary Steinberg’s testimony, click here.
To read full notes continue below or click here for pdf.
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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Lebanon | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The Role of Citizen Journalism and Social Media in the Middle East and North Africa”
February 10th, 2011 by Naureen
On Monday, the National Democratic Institute hosted a discussion about the role new and social media has played in the dissemination of information and in supporting offline mobilization across the region. Joelle Jackson, senior program officer at NDI made opening remarks. Chris Spence, chief technology officer at NDI moderated the event and introduced the panelists: Houeida Anouar, a Tunisian digital activist; Golnaz Esfandiari, senior correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and editor of the Persian Letters blog; and Raed Jarrar, Iraqi-American blogger and political advocate based in Washington.
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Posted in Egypt, Event Notes, Freedom, Iran, Iraq, Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, Protests, Reform, Tunisia | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Egypt on the Brink”
February 4th, 2011 by Naureen
On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in partnership with the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a discussion on the rapidly evolving crisis in Egypt. Michele Dunne, Senior Associate in the Middle East Program at Carnegie Endowment moderated the event and introduced the panelists: Amr Hamzawy, Research Director and Senior Associate of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut who joined the panelists from Midan Tahrir in Cairo; Bahey al-Din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies; and Neil Hicks, advisor to Human Rights First.
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Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Events, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Military, Muslim Brotherhood, POMED, Protests, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
