In the Wall Street Journal today, Mohammed Khazaei argues that the Islamic Republic of Iran has "welcomed the revolution in Egypt," as it is reminiscent of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.  "Iran and the new Egypt have embarked on the path of amity and reconciliation that can be rewarding to both nations," Khazaei writes.  In addition, Tehran and Cairo can embark on a new relationship that "enhances their cooperation in ...

A report released by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran featured interviews with 35 prominent Iranians living within Iran including, activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and members of the political oppositions and addressed the possibility of a military strike against Iran.  The interviewees expressed "grave concern" of the possibility of a military conflict, which would negatively impact the human rights situation and provide a "pretext for the full ...

In an interview with Toni Johnson from the Council on Foreign Relations, Ebrahim Moosa, professor of religion and Islamic studies at Duke University speaks on the role of political Islam in new governments across the region, including Egypt and Tunisia.  Moosa argues that Islam will be a factor in the emerging governments, but "people will be cautious about allowing too much of a blurring between political and religious boundaries." In addition, Moosa ...

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer and women's activist sentenced to 11 years in prison sent a letter in March 2010 to the head of Iran's judiciary.  The letter was released for the public today: "Your Judge confirmed that Iranian women cannot be ignored under any pretext," Sotoudeh wrote.  Isa Sahahrkhiz, an Iranian journalist and one of the founders of the Society for the Defense of Press Freedom in Iran ...

Dina Guirguis from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy analyzed the growing frustration within Egypt regarding the pace of constitutional change. Guirguia presented an argument of conflict and uncertainty within the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), especially concerning the extent to which SCAF would suppress popular protest. She noted the disagreements between SCAF and the Islamists, especially the Freedom and Justice and Party of the Muslim Brotherhood. ...

Cited in a report by the National Journal, the once 'new face' of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has excommunicated from the organization in order to create the populist Egyptian Current Party. Islam Lofty believes that Islam should not play a prominent role in Egyptian politics, and defines his new and more secular group as a "civic party with an Islamic frame of reference." Lofty created the new party to reflect the wants and ...

This week, the International Republican Institute (IRI) released a public opinion poll on Tunisia and an analysis of the results.  Since former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali did not allow independent surveys, there is a lack of current information and a "high demand for current survey data to provide Tunisian civil society and government officials an important tool to understand and respond to citizen priorities." Similar to the results of a March IRI ...

Geneive Abdo released the "New Green Movement Manifesto" authored by Iranian  intellectuals, who are the leaders of the Green Movement in Tehran.  It was released today in the Iran Primer by the United States Institute of Peace.  The manifesto outlined suggestions for future actions, inspirations and the organization of Iran's Green Movement. The authors recommended the formation of a Green Council led by about ten "leading and known" political and intellectual ...

In an op-ed, Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute,  discusses the current supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's rise to power and how his influence has prohibited state-building within Iran.  According to Khalaji, Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in an effort to prevent other religious authorities or high-profile revolutionary politicians from taking power.  Though, Khamenei lacked charisma and religious authority in the eyes of Khomeini's advisers, including, Ahmad ...

Writing in USA Today, Irena L. Sargsyan argues that contrary to Western fears, the  "Islamicization of politics" occurs not when Islamist parties participate in elections, but rather when a new government fails to implement promised reforms. Sargsyan asserts, "leaders often use Islam as a political tool to avoid reform, or when reform proves too difficult to implement. The same risk holds true for countries transitioning to democratic systems of government." In order to counter ...

On Tuesday, the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center and Gallup World Poll presented the key findings from a new poll entitled, “Egypt from Tahrir to Transition.” The event featured Gallup World Poll Deputy Director Jon Clifton and Mohammed Younis, senior analyst from the Abu Dhabi center. Clifton opened explaining the context of the World Poll initiative which began in 2005 and seeks to measure life evaluation trends across the globe. With ...

On Thursday, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a panel discussion on the future of women in the Middle East, with a specific focus on Tunisia and Egypt. The panelists included Lilia Labidi, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Republic of Tunisia, and Moushira Khattab, former Minister of Family & Population of Egypt. To see full notes, continue below. Or click here for the pdf. Lilia Labidi focused her comments on the ...

The Tunisian High Authority for Elections has voted 14-2 in approval of resolution that calls for constituent assembly elections to be delayed to October 16th. The body, which is independent from the interim government, first proposed the delay on Sunday after concluding that logistical conditions would be inadequate for the scheduled election date of July 24th.  Issander El Amrani considers the political reasons for delaying elections in Tunisia and Egypt. He ...

On Sunday, the Saudi government detained Manal al-Sharif on charges of "disturbing public order and inciting public opinion by twice driving in a bid to press her cause."  Sharif's drives are part of a campaign to highlight Facebook and Twitter campaigns she has organized to encourage women across Saudi Arabia to participate in a collective protest, supporting the right of women to drive,  scheduled for June 17.  Wajiha Howeidar stated that ...

In Foreign Affairs, Larry Diamond of the Hoover Institution offers analysis and policy recommendations for the Arab Spring. He writes that of all the autocracies that fell during the "third wave" of global democratization, only the Soviet Union experienced rollbacks from hardliners as quickly as the Arab Spring has. Emphasizing Egypt because of its regional influence, Diamond warns that the ruling military council will prevent genuine democratic transition, and may ...

Robert Satloff and Amos Yadlin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that while the Obama administration's mixed approach to the Arab Spring mostly falls al0ng the traditional realist-idealist divide, such tension does not exist in Syria which is against American values and interests. Hence, they classify the debate over Syria as between the devil you know and the one you don't. The administration's recent decision to extend ...

A new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that the United States remains unpopular in key Arab and Muslim countries, as it has remained for a decade. President Barack Obama is viewed unfavorably in all countries polled with the exception of Indonesia. The Arab Spring has correctly reflected regional enthusiasm for democracy, which is generally viewed as the best form of government. However, the poll shows that people ...