The Atlantic Council and Legatum jointly produced a report which delineates five myths about Egypt's current political transformation and post-revolution future. The authors of the report argue that "ailure in Egypt could lead other countries in the region to turn away from the very idea of democratic reform." They insist that the country's newly elected parliament and president must guarantee that new jobs constantly become available for the nation's growing youth population, ...

In an article written by assistant Harvard professor Tarek Masoud, he addresses and comments on prominent issues and events leading up to Egypt's current political state. He states that the combination of a "failing regime, aging leader, and a people increasingly willing to confront both" led to the revolution that overwhelmed Egypt in January. Masoud noted the amount of restraint that Mubarak's forces used in the earlier waves of the protests, suggesting ...

Today, the House Appropriations Committee released the FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which included a total of $39.6 billion in regular discretionary funding, an 18% decrease ($8.6 billion) from last year's level. Global War on Terror funding received $7.6 billion in the bill, $1.1 billion below the President's request. Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers noted that, "the bill provides essential support to secure and stabilize some of the most critical ...

In an interview with The Cable, Rep. Howard Berman discussed the negative implications of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's markup last week of H.R.2583, a State Department and foreign assistance authorization bill. Rep. Berman argued that the bill was a "waste of time" to begin with, and the over 100 amendments added by GOP Congressmen sent a negative signal to the international community. He criticized his GOP counterparts for throwing ...

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a nomination hearing for five ambassadors to the Middle East and Central Asia. The first of the hearing’s two panels featured the Honorable Anne W. Patterson, to be Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt. The second panel featured Michael H. Corbin, to be Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Matthew H. Tueller, to be Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, ...

In the Wall Street Journal today, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote an op-ed emphasizing the importance of U.S. involvement in Libya.  "We have an unequivocal national interest in ensuring Moammar Gadhafi's regime is defeated as quickly as possible," they wrote.  The senators emphasized that it was important for the U.S. to recognize and support the Transitional National Council through providing resources, as well as increasing ...

There were demonstrations Friday in several Jordanian cities including Tafileh, Karak, and Thiban demanding the resignation of Parliament and Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit. Protests also occurred in Amman demanding the abolition of the State Security Court. The Jordanian National Dialogue Committee, appointed by King Abdullah II, announced their recommendations for electoral reforms last week. The recommendations, submitted to the Prime Minister, propose increasing the number of seats in the Parliament and ...

Qatar's cabinet approved a new media law that is likely to be ratified during a meeting presided by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Thani. The draft states that journalists will be able write freely, "except on issues concerning national security and friendly countries." The Peninsula then adds, "There would be no censorship on the media." The law does, however, prevent journalists from being detained ...

On Wednesday the House of Representatives delayed a vote on H.Con.Res. 51 by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), which calls for the end of U.S. involvement in the NATO mission in Libya. Fearing the resolution's passage, GOP leaders worked Wednesday and today to come up with alternatives that would not adversely affect the NATO mission.  Today Rep. Kucinich argued in a press release that Congress "cannot stand by idly as a war of choice with significant ...

This week, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems released its new publication  "Guidelines for Understanding, Adjudicating, and Resolving Disputes in Elections (GUARDE)."  The paper hopes to educate readers on effective mechanisms for resolving election disputes and complaints through both formal and alternative resolution mechanisms. The report notes the importance international standards in adjudication of electoral complaints and discusses  legal frameworks for effective election complaints adjudication systems and offers case studies ...

On Wednesday, Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Kristen Gillibrand and Representatives Robert Dold (R-IL) and Ted Deutch (D-FL) introduced H.R.1714, the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act which increases U.S. support for Iranian dissidents and imposes new sanctions on companies that aid the ruling regime.  During a news conference, Senator  Kirk called on the United States to "make the issue of human rights a fundamental pillar of our international diplomacy with ...

Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Sebsi announced that the senior officials of the former ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party are banned from participating in the country's July 24th elections. The ban also applies to top aides to ousted president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia's Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi announced that he is seeking to try Ben Ali on 18 charges, including murder and drug trafficking. To this ...

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.

In response to the lifting of the emergency law in Syria, State Department spokesman Mark Toner expressed skepticism over Syria's repeal of its emergency laws. The repeal was coupled by a new law which requires protesters to register before holding demonstrations. Toner said the new law "may prove as restrictive as the emergency law it replaced." After reviewing the U.S.'s position toward Syria, Toner was asked why the ...