Freedom House Releases Internet Freedom Report
April 26th, 2011 by Naureen
Last week, Freedom House released its report on internet freedom in 37 countries around the world. The report found that while the number of internet users have increased, “governments have stepped up efforts to regulate, and in some instance tightly control, the new medium.” The study highlights the increase in the number of blocked and filtered sites as well as the arrest of bloggers and internet users posting information contrary to the government’s views. It also notes the fact that a large number of governments, such as Saudi Arabia, have deliberately blocked access to information related to politics, social issues, and human rights. It also notes the sophistication of these regimes to filter and control content or even shut down the internet, as was the case in Egypt. The report notes that intensified censorship and arrest of users came “in the context of popular protests or contentious elections” in countries like Bahrain, Iran and Tunisia and highlights the importance of sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter in social and political activism during the recent and ongoing events Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain. In the study, Jordan was listed as a “country at risk” due to the monitoring of some activity by authorities and the adoption of a new law on cybercrimes that may be used to limit free expression on the internet.
Jordan, Turkey and Egypt received a “Partly Free” designation while Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Iran were labeled as “Not Free.” Iran received the lowest internet freedom score due to the internet restrictions put in place following the 2009 Green Revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s stake in the Telecommunications Company of Iran and the banning of encrypted e-mail sites like Gmail.
Posted in Bahrain, Civil Society, Corruption, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Iran, Jordan, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Technology, Tunisia, Turkey | 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 »
Sec. Feltman’s Travel to Bahrain, State Dept. Addresses Questions on US Stance on Bahrain
April 19th, 2011 by Naureen
On Monday, Assistant Secretary of State Jeff Feltman met with Bahraini government officials, representatives of Bahraini civil society and members of the opposition to reaffirm “the long standing commitment of the United States to a strong partnership with both the people and the Government of Bahrain.” He also emphasized “the fundamental need for respect for human rights,” reiterated U.S. support for Bahraini national reconciliation and dialogue, and “concurred with the Bahraini leadership’s own embrae of the principles of reform and the respect for rule of law and coexistence.”
State Department spokesman Mark Toner addressed reporters’ questions on Secretary Feltman’s trip to Bahrain and criticism of U.S. policy and rhetoric on Bahrain by stating that the talks between Feltman and Bahraini leadership “took place in a very constructive atmosphere.” He also reiterated the Administration’s belief that “the Bahraini Government needs to respect human rights and needs to address the legitimate aspirations of its own people.”
Posted in Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
HRF Calls on the Administration To Publicly Condemn Human Rights Abuses in Bahrain
April 18th, 2011 by Naureen
On Monday, Human Rights First called on the Obama Administration “to make clear publicly its opposition to ongoing abuses” especially as the Bahraini Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa visits Washington, DC this week. Nearly 600 opposition activist and government critics have been detained in the last two months, with four having died while in police custody this month. Director of the Human Rights Defender program at Human Rights First Brian Dooley stated, “It’s time the Obama Administration lived up to its rhetoric on democracy in the Middle East by speaking out unambiguously on continuing abuses in Bahrain” especially as the regime targets lawyers and doctors who have provided assistance to protesters. Dooley continued by stating: “The Bahrain government should not be held to a different standard because of its ties to Saudi Arabia or for any other reason. The U.S. Government needs to make a decisive break from supproting dictators if it is to have credibility with those in the region working for democracy.”
Dooley also noted how the whereabouts of detained activists such as Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, former head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and prominent defense lawyer Mohammed Issa Al-Tajer remain unknown.
Posted in Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Human Rights, Military, Protests, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »
Bahrain Update: GCC Troops to Stay As Counter to Iran, PM Says Conspirators in “Coup Attempt” To be Held Accountable
April 18th, 2011 by Naureen
On Monday, the Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa announced that Gulf troops will stay in Bahrain until its rulers are satisfied that they have effectively countered threats from Iran. ”There is an external threat on the whole Gulf,” Al Khalifa said. He also reiterated that the GCC troops are not there to police, but rather to protect Bahrain’s “vital installations against a foreign threat.”
Bahrain’s state news agency also said on Monday that seven detained opposition supporters will go on trial before a military court for the killing of two policemen and “other charges.” Earlier this month, the media was banned from covering military precedings, leading activists such Nabeel Rajab, the head of Bahrain’s Human Rights Center to believe that the government is hiding something. In an interview at Democracy Now!, Farnaz Sanei, Human Rights Watch Bahrain and Iran researcher said that “[w]hat we’re seeing in Bahrain today is a full-scale crackdown on any sort of dissent in the country…this has gone well beyond trying to reestablish security.” Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa stated that “Bahrain has witnessed a coup attempt. No violators would get away with it. All conspirators and abettors must be held accountable.” In the meantime, the Bahraini government is continuing to arrest members of the opposition and Bahraini activist Zainab Al-Khawaja continues on the eighth day of her hunger strike. Al-Khawaja urged the U.S. government to put pressure on the Bahraini government to release her family members who were beaten and detained last week. Her father Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is a well known Bahraini human rights activist.
Posted in Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Iran, Protests, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »
Photo: ‘Free Bahrain’ Protest Outside Saudi Embassy in Washington
April 15th, 2011 by Alec
Photo courtesy of Max Fisher
Posted in Bahrain, Protests, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Yemen: Saleh Calls for Dialogue While Protesters Demand His Exit
April 15th, 2011 by Kyle
On Friday, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh addressed a rally of his supporters and called on the opposition movement to join in dialogue: “We call on the opposition to consult their consciences and come to dialogue and reach an agreement for security and stability of the country.” The opposition has set a two week deadline for Saleh’s departure following their refusal of a Saudi brokered deal backed by the Gulf Cooperation Council. Protesters took to the streets in Taiz, Aden, and Sana’a continuing to call on Saleh to step down. Seven people were injured when security forces fired live ammunition at tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Taiz. An electric power plant was attacked by tribesman causing outages across the country as clerical and tribal leaders came out in opposition to Saleh’s constitutional legitimacy.
Posted in Gulf Cooperation Council, Human Rights, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Yemen | Comment »
Speculation of Saudi Instability Overblown Says Obaid
April 13th, 2011 by Alec
Nawaf Obaid, senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, says that reports of the downfall of the Saudi monarchy as “inevitable” are grossly exaggerated. The speculation that mass uprising will reach Saudi Arabia is based entirely on casual perusal of Facebook pages calling for protests, he says : “17,000 Facebook fans or ‘protesters’ do not necessarily translate into 17,000 Saudi rioters [...] One cannot forecast events based on a count of virtual fans at a social network. ” Obaid also argues that the following “nightmare scenario” of the country’s oil infrastructure being crippled thus sending the world into devastating crisis is unlikely as the government has state of the art security systems to protect its overall energy security. Notions that the Kingdom’s energy security is threatened by the restive Shia in its eastern provinces is a “mistaken impression” based on false reports that the Shia represent the majority in these areas. Over two million Sunni Saudis and foreign workers have relocated to these areas in search of economic opportunities depriving the Shi’ites of a statistical majority. Ultimately: “Fears about Saudi stability verge on the irrational [...]The kingdom has long been, and will probably long remain, the most stable and secure provider of energy in the world.”
Posted in Oil, Protests, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism | Comment »
Bahrain: Henderson Believes U.S. is Caught Between Iran and Saudi Arabia
April 12th, 2011 by Kyle
Simon Henderson, writing for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, discusses the U.S. relationship with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia along with U.S. and regional concerns over Iran’s role in the Bahraini uprising. Henderson concludes that the root of the problem in Bahrain is not Iran, but instead the oppressed Shi’ite population whose “second-class status” was “institutionalized” under reforms made by King Hamad in 2002. Within the al-Khalifa ruling family, Henderson states there is a division between those seeking reconciliation and hardliners who are being steered to a hard line response due to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s influence in the country. This sentiment was reiterated by King Abdullah who reportedly told President Obama that he “would never allow Shiites to rule Bahrain.” Henderson concludes that high level meetings show good signs in terms of bilateral negotiations, however, the “United States and its Gulf allies are at odds on how to achieve political progress in Bahrain… Washington’s relations with Manama will remain problematic — and vulnerable to exploitation by Iran.”
Posted in Bahrain, Diplomacy, Human Rights, Iran, Military, Protests, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: AP Reports Protests in Shi’ite Towns
April 8th, 2011 by Alec
The AP has reported, based on reports from a Saudi human rights activist, that hundreds of Saudi Shi’ites demonstrated on Friday in the east of the country. They reiterated key demands from previous protests in the mainly Shi’ite province that Saudi Arabia release people arrested at previous demonstrations and withdraw its troops from Bahrain. The protests reportedly passed peacefully.
Also confirmed, is the arrest and imprisonment of Saudi human rights activist Dr. Mubarak Aal-Zuair who was arrested on March 20th for appealing to the Interior Ministry on behalf of illegally detained prisoners. He is being held without charge and being denied access to his family and a lawyer.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Protests, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Bahrain, GCC Push Back Against Iranian ‘Interference’
April 7th, 2011 by Alec
Iran has been vocal about its opposition to Saudi forces’ presence in Bahrain and its support for Bahraini Shi’ites in the protests that have engulfed the tiny island nation. Iran has issued several warnings to Saudi Arabia condemning Saudi troops’ “suppression” of protesters in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has in turn condemned what it sees as Iranian meddling in Arab regional affairs. Kuwait recently busted an Iranian spy ring in the country which has only worsened tensions between Iran and the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council. GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani specifically condemned Iranian ‘meddling’ saying it “threatened security and stability in the region.” Bahrain’s embattled opposition has weighed in, expressing dismay over Iranian ‘interference’ with opposition leader Ali Salman stating that both Iran and Saudi Arabia were using Bahrain to conduct a “proxy war.”
Posted in Bahrain, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Military, Protests, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
Yemen: Gulf States Mediation on Possible Saleh Resignation
April 7th, 2011 by Alec
Arab Gulf states that have been involved in mediating the crisis in Yemen are making a more aggressive push for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad ibn Jassim Jaber al-Thani spoke on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council in stating that the organization hoped to reach a deal with Saleh to step down soon. The opposition in Yemen has suggested that current Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi lead a caretaker government and also welcomed any attempts to help usher Saleh out of power. General Ali Mohsen and Saleh himself have also reportedly welcomed the GCC’s invitation for an upcoming meeting in Riyadh to discuss further plans. Meanwhile, protests have continued in Yemen’s second largest city, Taiz, where 16 people were killed on Monday.
Posted in Gulf Cooperation Council, Protests, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Yemen | Comment »
Yemen: Continued Protests Call for Prosecutions Amid Exit Negotiations
April 6th, 2011 by Ali
Across Yemen, thousands continued protesting against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Hundreds of university students in Aden province were met with tear gas and arrests. While the conditions for Saleh’s exit are being negotiated in Riyadh, Yemenis are calling for the prosecution of regime officials.
Update: The Obama administration is receiving restrained praise for its quiet withdrawal of support for Saleh. Others criticize the administration for its belated and incomplete consistency in supporting pro-democracy movements in the region. This in spite of worries, most prominently expressed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, about the US counter-terrorism efforts in a post-Saleh Yemen. The State Department has said that the US intends to continue counter-terrorism cooperation with Yemen.
Posted in Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
Concerns Over Sectarianism Underlie Gates-Abdullah Meeting
April 6th, 2011 by Ali
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with King Abdullah in Riyadh to discuss a $60 billion arms deal and the threat of Iran. American officials would not state whether Gates would criticize Abdullah for sending troops into Bahrain. “The Saudis,” however, “believe that the Shiite uprising next door in Bahrain might encourage a similar revolt by Saudi Arabia’s own Shiite minority population, a concern that the Obama administration does not dispute.” The US wants Bahrain’s political system to better represent its Shi’a majority. Underscoring these fears, Iran’s Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called for Bahraini protestors to resist the monarchy. Academics have questioned the supposed zero-sum game between supporting the rights of Bahraini Shi’as and maintaining stable relations with a US Naval base host. They do so by minimizing the sectarian character of unrest, dismissing the allegiances of Bahraini Shi’as to Iran and proposing that income from the proposed US base expansion be distributed amongst the population.
Posted in Bahrain, Diplomacy, Iran, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism | Comment »
Cook Argues Middle East Could Be a Nightmare in the Short Run
April 6th, 2011 by Kyle
Steven Cook, writing in the Atlantic, believes that the Arab spring could end on the “banks of the Nile” due to the “defenders of the status quo in the region.” Cook asserts that Muammar Gadhafi’s attacks on the Libyan people were the “ultimate counterrevolutionary step” and President Barack Obama was correct in stating the U.S. has a, “very practical interest in making sure that the changes that are sweeping through that region are occurring in a peaceful nonviolent fashion.” However, Cook argues that Tripoli is not the only center of counterrevolution and possibly not the most important; this title he reserves for Riyadh. Highlighting Saudi Arabia’s support for Bahrain’s ruling Sunni minority and potentially Yemen, Cook argues that Riyadh although not directly connected to all counterrevolutions across the region “offers implicit encouragement” to the status quo. Cook affirms that factions of revolutionaries may in the end take up arms and play into the hands of the counterrevolutionaries by perpetrating mass violence. In closing, Cook alleges that the growth of potential democratic players in the region could create an existential crisis that in the short term could lead to a “divided, contested, and destabilized region.”
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Women Form Parallel Municipal Councils Following Exclusion from Elections
April 1st, 2011 by Naureen
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch called on Saudi election committees to allow women to vote and run for seats on the municipal councils following a statement made on Monday by Abd al-Rahman Dahmash, president of the general committee for the election of municipal council members, that “[w]e are not prepared for the participation of women in the municipal elections now.” He promised however, that they will be allowed to participate in the future. The exclusion of women in the 2005 elections was justified on the basis that many women lacked identity cards, however, that is no longer the case. The HRW report shows that such policies violate the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Arab Charter for Human Rights, both of which Saudi Arabia is a party to. Activists stated that there is the lack of political will to allow women to participate and called on the government to end sexual discrimination. Dr. Hitoon Ajwad al-Fasi, a Saudi human rights activist and history lecturer at King Saud University, stated that female activists “have decided to create municipal councils paralleling the men-only municipal elections” noting that there is nothing in the Saudi legal system that prevents women from launching their municipal council or to participate in “real elections.”
Posted in Civil Society, Elections, Freedom, Islam and Democracy, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Women's Rights | Comment »
Bahrain: Government Continues Crack Down on Opposition While West Preoccupied by Libya
April 1st, 2011 by Naureen
The Bahraini government has continued its crackdown on members of the opposition by stepping up the arrests of Shi’a Muslims, including many cyber activists. The opposition claims that approximately 400 people have been detained or are missing. Nabeel Rejab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights stated that “Almost all the bloggers and activists who aren’t in jail are now in hiding.” On Thursday, however, prominent blogger Mahmood al-Yousif was released from custody. Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, a member of the Shi’a opposition group, Al-Wefaq stated, “The government says it is taking steps to ensure stability and security, but what’s happening is the exact opposite. We’re in one of the most dangerous stages, where citizens have no security.”
Alastair Crooke, writing in Christian Science Monitor discusses “the hypocrisy of the West’s intervention on behalf of Libyan rebels in the face of its implicit endorsement of the repressive leadership in Yemen and Bahrain.” He calls on the West to stand up against the “Saudi-led counter revolution.”
Posted in Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Gulf Cooperation Council, Human Rights, Libya, Military, Protests, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »
Takeyh Believes Saudi and Egypt are Key, Not Libya
March 29th, 2011 by Kyle
Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ray Takeyh, believes that the most important events taking place in the Middle East over the last week are not the military actions in Libya, but the “plebiscite in Egypt,” “the stalled attempt to usher in a constitutional rule in Bahrain, ” and “the ongoing turmoil in Yemen.” Takeyh believes that the U.S. must continue ardently supporting reform in the region even in light of the Arab League’s support for the military action in Libya.
He believes that the U.S. must focus on Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and that we must press the Egyptian military towards the transition to civilian rule. In regards to Saudi, he states: “Riyadh can be instrumental in advancing the cause of stability in the Gulf should it move away from its zero-sum confrontation with Iran and intolerant obsession with the Shiites.” He argues that the U.S. must also do more to effect Saudi policy to help effect a modernization of gulf politics. Thus, Takeyh recommends that the U.S. European nations focus on Libya while it focuses its efforts on broader reforms in the region.
Posted in Arab League, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Freedom, Gulf, Iran, Libya, Military, Multilateralism, Reform, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »
Bahrain Crisis Risks Saudi-Iranian Confrontation, Internal Civil War
March 24th, 2011 by Alec
Salman Sheikh, writing at Foreign Policy, states that the situation in Bahrain is exposing, “long simmering tensions and rivalries between Saudi Arabia and Iran.” Continued escalation in Bahrain could draw the two countries into a regional or proxy war that would greatly and negatively affect the United States. Therefore, an urgent attempt at “de-escalation” is needed to start a national dialogue in Bahrain. Sheikh further calls Saudi Arabia’s categorization of the GCC military mission in Bahrain as open-ended, worrisome. Coupled with a campaign of arresting dissidents and the use of violence by security forces, the presence of Saudi-led GCC troops is exacerbating and deepening culture of resistance in Bahrain thereby increasing the chance of a “full blown civil war.” The greatest challenge for the United States, he says, will be managing the rupture in U.S.-Saudi relations the crisis has caused, which is deeply affecting American influence and security interests in the region.
Posted in Bahrain, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »
The Guardian’s Map of the Arab Spring
March 22nd, 2011 by Kyle
Click on image for hyperlink.
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Events, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Israel, Jordan, Journalism, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Military, Morocco, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, NATO, Palestine, Political Islam, Political Parties, Protests, Public Opinion, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, United Nations, US foreign policy, Yemen | Comment »
