Writing in the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Trita Parsi and Reza Marashi discuss the regional uprisings affect on the regional power-balance.  The others note Saudi Arabia and Israel's disapproval of the Arab Spring given the strategic and political implications for their own countries.  Parsi and Marashi state that while Saudi leaders understood there was little they could do to prevent U.S. supported revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, they moved ...

On Friday, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hosted a hearing on the human rights situation in Bahrain.  The commission – chaired by James McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) – requested the testimony of the following individuals: Joe Stork, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa programs at Human Rights Watch (HRW); Maryam Al-Khawaja, Head of Foreign Relations Office at the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR); ...

During a Policy Forum at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, chair of Middle East and Mediterranean Studies at Sciences Po Giles Kepel and Dr. Martin Kramer, the Washington Institute's Wexler Fromer fellow discussed the future of the Arab uprisings.  Kepel pointed tothe Arab people's economic grievances, frustrations over rampant corruption and the expiration of the Islamist threat as reasons for the revolution.  He also noted the differences between the Tunisian ...

Writing at Babylon & Beyond, Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center Paul Salem notes that the regional uprisings have not caused any shift in the region's strategic balance. He notes that rather than gaining influence, Iran's soft power has decreased as it's regime looks increasingly repressive in light of the new revolutionary models of Egypt and Tunisia. While Saudi Arabia remains worried about the effect of these transformations, it has ...

On Tuesday, the United States Institute of Peace, the National Democratic Institute, the Solidarity Center, and Human Rights Watch hosted a live video-conference with senior representatives of the Bahraini opposition including: Khalil Almarzooq, a leading member of the Al Wefaq Islamic National Society and its bloc’s official spokesperson; Dr. Muneera Fakhro, parliamentary member and senior leader of the leftist Wa’ad party; Mohammed Al Maskati, head of the Bahrain Youth Center ...

Given the uncertainty surrounding events in the Middle East, CNN.com asked five experts to address how the "Arab Spring" will play out in the coming months.   Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the Brookings Doha Center, states that in the coming months we will see a new paradigm for political transition in the Middle East as dictators use more forceful means to quell popular uprisings. Nader Hashemi notes the misnomer of  "Arab ...

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 ...

Speaking on Charlie Rose series, "Conversations on Diplomacy," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger discussed U.S. diplomatic efforts.  Clinton highlighted the the new challenges facing U.S. foreign policy as the focus shifts away from state-to-state relationships to networks and multilateral relations  and organizations.  She also noted the implications of new technologies and new media.  Kissinger noted the "huge changes" in state structure taking place ...

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 ...

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 ...

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on the implications of uprisings in the Middle East has on U.S. policy. The Committee—chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) – with ranking member Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) in attendance –requested the testimony of William J. Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs. To read full notes, continue below or click here for pdf. Senator John Kerry opened by stating that the ...

On  Monday,  Bahraini opposition groups wrote a letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealing  to the U.N. for intervention following the arrival of troops from Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries to help the Bahraini government quell the escalating street protests.  The letter which was signed by eight registered "political societies" in Bahrain, including the Shi'a group Al-Wefaq and the Leftist group Al-Wa'ad,  calls for an emergency meeting of the ...

Speaking on CBS's The Early Show, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed questions about international efforts in Libya stating that the British and French governments are going to the United Nations with a draft resolution to authorize international action and that the administration believes that it is important that there be a U.N. decision on whatever might be done and that the effort is not solely an American, NATO, or European one, ...

On Monday, the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion on the democratic uprisings taking place across the Middle East and the broader implications for the U.S. and the wider region.  Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow and Director of the Saban Center made opening remarks and moderated the event which included insights from the following speakers: Salman Shaikh, Fellow and Director of the Brookings Doha Center; Shadi Hamid, Fellow and Director of Research ...

F. Gregory Gause III, writing in Foreign Policy, discusses the difficulties of the reform process in the Gulf countries given the large number of ruling family members in important government posts.  Prior to the uprisings in Bahrain, the prime minister, three out of the four deputy prime ministers, and 10 out of the 23 cabinet ministers were from the al-Khalifa family.  Similar proportions of ruling family members can be found in the ...

Writing at Foreign Policy, Mohammed Ayoob states that while Libya is important, we should not forget about Bahrain where regime change may, in the long run, be an even more momentous event.  Bahrain is  not only located in a region with around 60 percent of the world's proven oil reserves and 40 percent of it's natural gas reserves, it is also a member of the regional security organization, the Gulf ...