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 Thursday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held the second hearing on “Preserving Progress: Transitioning Authority and Implementing the Strategic Framework in Iraq.” In attendance were Congressmen Steve Chabot (R-OH), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), and Brian Higgins (D-NY). Witnesses included Max Boot, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; Michael Eisenstadt, Director of Military & Security ...

On Wednesday, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) hosted a panel discussion on the state of the news media in Iraq. The discussion centered on a report commissioned by CIMA and written by journalist Sherry Ricchiardi titled “Iraq’s News Media After Saddam: Liberation, Repression, and Future Prospects,” which was released in March 2011. CIMA senior director Marguerite Sullivan introduced the panel, which ...

Marina Ottaway and Danial Anas Kaysi from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a commentary entitled "Iraq: Coalition Under Stress." The report highlights the political brinkmanship occurring within Iraq's national unity government, brinkmanship that has the potential to bring down the government. The authors highlight the tensions between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is becoming an "increasingly presidential prime minister" and Council of Representative Speaker Osama Nujeifi, who is determined to assert ...

On Wednesday General James L. Jones, former National Security Advisor gave a speech entitled “The New Security Dynamic in the Mediterranean” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Security Forum 2011.  Admiral Guido Venturoni, former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee introduced General Jones.  Craig Cohen, Vice President for Research and Programs at CSIS moderated the event.  The two discussants were Dr. Stephen Flanagan, Senior Vice President ...

On Wednesday the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies hosted Omar al-Mashhadani, a former spokesman for the Parliament of Iraq and currently a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for a talk entitled "Iraq and the Arab Spring".  Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, introduced al-Mashhadani.   Notes on the event are located below the break, or can be accessed in PDF form here.   On Wednesday ...

Speaking at the Business Forum Promoting Commercial Opportunities in Iraq on Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized the importance of continuing to expand U.S. investments in Iraq. She stated that expanding economic opportunities "is as essential as building democratic institutions," as the two "go hand in hand." In the context of the Arab Spring, she argued that Iraq has been "a leader in demonstrating...that democracy delivers." She concluded that "we want ...

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing entitled "Preserving Progress: Transitioning Authority and Implementing the Strategic Framework in Iraq, Part 1." In attendance were Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), and Gerald Connolly (D-VA). Witnesses included Patricia M. Haslach, Iraq Transition Coordinator, Department of State, Christopher Crowley, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East, and Colin ...

Last week, following President Barack Obama's address on the Middle East, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the Dean Acheson Lecture at the United States Institute of Peace where he discussed the Arab Spring.  McCain opened by noting that the uprisings  in the Middle East represent a repudiation of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda and stated that Arab Spring should be "a clarifying event for the United States" which presents an ...

Moisés Naím, writing for the Carnegie Endowment, discusses why the United States and Europe are attacking Libya with bombs and Syria with words. He first dismisses arguments that the justification for war in Libya is oil, arguing that it would be easier for U.S. oil companies to have security under Gadhafi rather than under the chaos that has ensued.  He states that there are five reasons why the same response ...