Egypt: New Pew Poll and Prospects for Liberal Factions
April 26th, 2011 by Ali
The Pew Research Center published a poll on Egypt’s political outlook on Tuesday, offering the “first credible” statistical insight of the political trends in post-revolutionary Egypt. Researchers conducted personal interviews with 1,000 Egyptian adults between 24 March and 7 April. Generally, the poll shows a highly favorable view of the military, and split support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the April 6 Movement and Ayman Nour’s Al-Ghad party. The New York Time’s coverage of the poll highlighted the optimism most Egyptian feels about the trajectory of the country. In contrast, Ahram Online, focused on the more than half of Egyptians who do not want to keep the peace treaty with Israel or maintain an Israeli embassy in the country, as well as the mere 36 percent of Egyptians who believe Coptic Christians should be able to freely practice their religion. Haaretz’s analysis emphasized that college-educated Egyptians are more likely to support the peace treaty than the working class.
A recent Financial Times op-ed underscores worries about Egypt’s liberal bloc, “Unfortunately, much of the energy of liberal Egypt seems to be focused on pursuing the old regime rather than preparing for the future.” The April 6 Movement announced its withdrawal from the Revolutionary Youth Coalition (RYC), citing the coalition’s interference in the movement’s internal affairs. April 6 seeks to create a comprehensive umbrella coalition that can participate in parliamentary elections.
Posted in Civil Society, Egypt, Islamist movements, Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Youth | Comment »
Senator McCain Discusses Protest Movements Across the Middle East
April 25th, 2011 by Naureen
In an interview with The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) expressed his belief that the U.S. should resume its leadership of NATO operations in Libya, recognize the Transitional National Council as the “legitimate voice of the Libyan people,” and arm the rebels lest the situation turns into a stalemate which empowers al-Qaeda or Muammar Gadhafi‘s regime. He also called on President Barack Obama to formally declare that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost his legitimacy as a ruler by slaughtering his own people. However, he cautioned against calls for regime change as failure to secure regime change could hurt the United States’ credibility. He also stated his opposition to direct U.S. involvement in Syria noting that he does not see a way for the U.S. to help the opposition in any way other than through expressions of solidarity with the protesters.
Discussing Egypt, Senator McCain stressed the importance of ensuring a successful transition in Egypt given the regional importance of the country. He expressed his belief that the Supreme Military Council under the leadership of General Mohamed Tantawi has handled the transition “very well so far.” The Senator also expressed his concern over the situation in Yemen where it is unclear what will come next. McCain also noted the different situations and complexities in the various protest movements across the Middle East and also noted the impact it has had in places like China and Russia.
Posted in al-Qaeda, Bahrain, Civil Society, Corruption, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, EU, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Jordan, Libya, Military, Morocco, NATO, Protests, Reform, Syria, Tunisia, United Nations, US foreign policy, Yemen, Youth | Comment »
Jordan: National Dialogue Committee to Conclude Work in Four Weeks
April 25th, 2011 by Ali
Jordanian Senate President Taher Masri said the work of the National Dialogue Committee is running smoothly and should conclude in under a month. The four subcommittees which comprise the National Dialogue Committee are charged respectively with general framework, political parties, elections and constitutional amendments. The committee has been criticized for lacking youth representation and for serving as more of a royal think tank.
Posted in Civil Society, Elections, Freedom, Jordan, Legislation, Political Parties, Youth | Comment »
Analyst Notes The New Age of Pan-Arabism
April 22nd, 2011 by Naureen
Writing at Foreign Policy, Parag Khanna notes the new age of Pan-Arabism that is characterized by societies demanding good governance and an inclusive political process. He states that the anti-authoritarian revolutions are “truly borderless” following Al Jazeera’s shaming of Arab autocrats — with the exception of Bahrain — and young activists training together across the region. Khanna also highlights the Arab League’s backing of a no-fly zone in Libya and considerations of peacekeeping forces for Palestine and Lebanon as “examples of a meaningful transnational Arab political sphere coming into being.” Khanna states that “the next great step toward a new Arab renaissance will come through physically overcoming the region’s arbitrary political borders” following the model of the European Union which has moved towards investing in cross-border infrastructure. He states that the Gulf countries could easily finance projects such as the Palestinian Arc project and trans-Arab transport corridors.
Posted in Arab League, Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, EU, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Protests, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Youth | Comment »
Morocco: Protest Movement Refuses King’s Constitutional Committee
April 18th, 2011 by Ali
Morocco’s February 20 Movement has refused to join a consultative committee formed by King Mohammed VI to review the constitution. Spokespersons for the movement complained that the committee was formed unilaterally and does not appear to take their demands seriously. The movement is calling for mass protests on April 24th, primarily in Tangiers and Salé.
Posted in Civil Society, Morocco, Protests, Reform, Youth | Comment »
Yemen: Negotiating a Timetable for Saleh’s Exit; Rifts Over Prosecution
April 18th, 2011 by Ali
Yesterday, Yassin Saeed Noman, the leader of the Joint Meeting Parties and three other opposition leaders were slated to travel to Riyadh to meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). There, they were to discuss the timetable of a draft agreement from earlier this month which calls for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to transfer presidential powers to his deputy and leave office. It also gives him and his family immunity from prosecution. Senior Yemeni officials reported that the United States, European Union and GCC are pushing for Saleh to “hand over his powers immediately and formally leave office within the next three months.”
At an event earlier this month, the National Democratic Institute’s Les Cambell remarked that there was a rift between the traditional opposition and the youth protesters over the extent of their demands, including bringing Saleh to trial. Ali al-Jaradi, a spokesperson of the al-Tagheer Square protesters, criticized Saudi Arabia’s mediating role, citing the kingdom’s part in installing President Saleh in power in 1978.
Posted in Diplomacy, Gulf Cooperation Council, Protests, Public Opinion, US foreign policy, Yemen, Youth | Comment »
POMED Notes: CSID Conference on Egypt and Tunisia
April 18th, 2011 by Ali
On Friday, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) held their 12th Annual Conference under the theme “Tunisia’s and Egypt’s Revolutions and Transitions to Democracy.” CSID President Radwan Masmoudi opened the conference by giving special attention to discerning real and fake stability and development in Egypt and Tunisia.
The first panel, chaired by George Washington University Visiting Scholar and Program Committee Chair for the event, Radwan Ziadeh, was entitled “The Jasmine Revolution’ and Transition to Democracy in Tunisia: Why and How?” Jaloul Ayed, the Tunisian Minister of Finance, opened the panel following a brief introduction by Tunisian Ambassador Mohamed Saleh Tekaya.
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Posted in Civil Society, DC Event Notes, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Judiciary, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political Parties, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, Sectarianism, Secularism, US foreign policy, US politics, Youth | Comment »
Yemen: GCC Proposal Rejected by Protesters
April 12th, 2011 by Kyle
On Tuesday, tens of thousands of Yemeni’s took to the streets in protest of mediation proposal by the Gulf Cooperation Council. The protests took place because the plan offers President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution. The mediation proposal called on Saleh to transfer power to his deputy, but gives no specific timeframe for him to leave office. It also included immunity from prosecution for Saleh and his family. “The initiative does not clearly mention the immediate departure of the head of the regime and it did not touch on the fate of his relatives who are at the top military and security agencies that continue killing the peaceful protesters,” the anti-government Civil Alliance of the Youth Revolution, which represents 30 youth groups, said in a statement. The proposal has been accepted by President Saleh.
Posted in Civil Society, Gulf Cooperation Council, Protests, Reform, Yemen, Youth | Comment »
Khalil Discusses the “Youthquake” in the Middle East
April 12th, 2011 by Kyle
Lydia Khalil, writing for The Australian, highlights the role that the youth (shabab) have played in the Middle East since revolutions spread across the region. Khalil states, “This young Arab generation, much like the West’s protest generation of the 1960s, will change not just the politics but the entire culture and outlook of the Middle East.” Chronicling the sensational stories of Neda Agha Soltan in Iran, Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia and Khaled Said in Egypt, Khalil articulates how the horrific deaths of these individuals coupled with increased internet access helped to change the region forever. “These victims and the anonymity of the internet allowed masses of shabab to coalesce around symbolic figures to give themselves a voice, a voice that was not easily detected by the state,” Khali said. Khalil argues that there is a strong desire for democracy amongst this generation and they are “playing a meaningful role in shaping the new global identity, adding their innovations into the mix.”
Posted in Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Protests, Reform, Tunisia, Youth | Comment »
