President and Founder of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi and Research Director Reza Marashi write about how Iran views the Arab Spring "as a challenge not only to the status quo powers investing in an order that suppresses the streets, but also the powers that claim to champion them."  Both Parsi and Marashi argue that Tehran's decision-makers are more concerned with winning over the soft power of the ...

Writing in Foreign Policy last week, Justin Gengler discussed the growing anti-American radicalization in Bahrain. In contrast to the narrative of Shiite radicalization, a radical anti-American narrative has spread with pro-government Sunnis, and been legitimized and supported by the regime. As examples, Gengler cited the media campaign against the U.S. and President Barack Obama, government-orchestrated protests against American interference, and regime support for a cleric who has blamed the U.S. for ...

On Tuesday, the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted a panel discussion with the Heinrich Böll Foundation of North America to announce the release of a new publication, The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012: Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights in the Middle East. The discussion featured Stephen McInerney, Executive Director of POMED and author of the report; Daniel Brumberg, Senior Adviser to the Center for Conflict ...

In response to opposition group al-Wefaq's withdrawal from the National Dialogue, Human Rights First today called on the U.S. government to "immediately and publicly declare whether it still supports the Bahraini government’s National Dialogue." After his recent trip to Bahrain, Brian Dooley reported that "a wide range of human rights defenders in Bahrain told us last week the dialogue is cosmetic, and the U.S. government is losing credibility by being associated with ...

Qatar closed its embassy in Damascus and withdrew its ambassador last week, after attacks on the embassy compound by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Further signaling the growing international pressure against the Syrian regime, a statement released by EU Foreign Minister in Brussels asserted that "until the unacceptable violence against the civilian population is halted... the EU will pursue and carry forward its current policy, including through sanctions." And Britain's Foreign Minister ...

During an interview on Saturday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized that while the U.S., Turkey, and the international community can offer support with financial aid and expertise, democratic transitions in the Arab world must be led from within. Referring to the "troubling" events in Syria, Clinton expressed concern that "none of us really have influence other than to try to say what we believe and to encourage the changes that we ...

Writing in the New York Times Magazine, James Traub describes the foreign policy approach of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Like President Barack Obama, Kerry has long supported the approach of "engagement," by meeting and forming relationships with both democratic and authoritarian leaders. For example, in 2009 and 2010 Kerry traveled to Syria four times, conveying to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a list of moderate reforms recommended by the White House that were ...

Al-Wefaq, Bahrain's largest Shiite opposition group announced on Sunday that it planned to pull out of the national dialogue that had been begun with the government.  An al-Wefaq spokesman said that the national dialogue was "not serious" and members would not be participating in Sunday's session.  In addition, members of al-Wefaq were unhappy about the number of seats they were granted at the table, which was 35 out of 300. ...

Syrian's opposition met on Saturday in Istanbul and elected a National Salvation Council to present "a united challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's rule." Meeting participants elected a 25-member National Salvation Council that consisted of Islamists, liberals and independents.  Nearly 350 people attended the meeting, including a number of Syrian exiles.  Due to the crackdown on Friday, the meeting participants were unable to connect with the Syrian opposition in Damascus via ...

On Tuesday, The Brookings Institution held a forum on “The European Union Response to the Arab Spring” featuring Catherine Ashton, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Police.  The forum was moderated by Martin Indyk, the vice president and director of the foreign policy department at the Brookings Institution.  Ashton spoke on the role of the European Union in supporting the Arab Spring. For full text, ...

Bahraini security forces have been increasing their use of tear gas against protesters, which have resulted in numerous deaths including the death of Zainab Hassan, 47 year old mother of two girls. In addition, riot police attacked people's homes in Sitra on Friday and chased people out of the village. An Irish group began a fact finding mission in Bahrain to determine the condition of detained medical workers and doctors that ...

James Traub writes in Foreign Policy on Friday about the meeting in Istanbul with the Libya Contact Group, an assembly of representatives from NATO, Middle Eastern countries, international organizations and the U.S. State Department that spoke on the possibility of a "good outcome" in Libya.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that it is essential to "keep the alliance speaking with one voice."  The coalition decided on Friday to recognize ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday that Turkey must act on concerns for increasing human rights violations and secular traditions.  Clinton said that the detainment of journalists and intellectuals was "inconsistent" with Turkey's economic and political progress.  She added that Turkey "should recommit itself to the course of modernization and embrace the democratic institutions of statehood." However, Clinton said that despite these concerns, Turkey should be a model for ...

The New York Times argues that the U.S. has now "turned decisively" against Syria. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's condemnation yesterday was intended to address the criticism of inconsistent approaches towards Libya and Syria. Officials report that the shift in U.S. policy has been weeks in the making, and in the coming days Obama may call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down. Andrew Tabler notes that while Assad's regime is "disintegrating," a transition "is ...

Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director at the Brookings Institution, argues that the global democracy community gained a second wind at the recent Community of Democracies meeting in Lithuania. The renewed support for democracy by the Obama administration, the leadership of newer democracies, and the developing promise of the Arab Spring, have contributed to notable progress in terms of democracy assistance programs, support to civil society, and reforming the ...

The Libya Contact Group meeting this Friday will likely include China and Russia for the first time after Turkey extended the invitation to the two permanent U.N. Security Council members.  Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selçuk Ünal said, "the two countries have not yet confirmed if they will be participating and at what level; however, we expect their participation." David Tafuri, a former State Department official and legal adviser to the Transitional National Council ...

Andew Tabler writes on how the U.S. should respond to protester's attacks on the U.S. and French embassies on Monday in an article released by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy entitled, "Syrian Mobs Attack U.S. and French Embassies." "The United States should sternly protest the assault, noting clearly the involvement of regime associates, the slow response of government security forces, and Syria's obligations under the Vienna Convention to protect ...