On Friday, the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center held a discussion with David Ottaway, senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, with a welcome by Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, who opened the discussion by describing Ottaway’s new paper and how it relates Saudi Arabia to the Arab Spring.  For full event notes, continue reading. Or, click here ...

The London Evening Standard has reportedly uncovered links between Dr. Saeed Shehabi's London-based group Bahrain Freedom Movement and the Iranian Government. According to the Standard "Dr. Shehabi has made speeches supporting Iranian hardliners and worked for 13 years in offices owned by the government of Iran." These links are troubling as Dr. Shehabi has been as a "credible voice on Bahrain" and even met with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown when ...

Farnaz Fassihi writes in the Wall Street Journal that Iran's support for Syria "has rapidly eroded Tehran's credibility among Arab's" resulting in a "foreign policy dilemma" for Iran.  Fassihi argues that Iran's support for President Bashar al-Assad will further isolate Iran within the region, however, abandoning Assad "will crumble Iran's platform in Syria." Fassihi writes that Iranian officials have taken a "selective approach" to the Arab Spring hailing Egypt's movements as ...

Eric Trager writes on the role of the Muslim Brotherhood throughout the political transition of Egypt.  Trager argues that "The Brotherhood is Egypt's most cohesive political movement, with an unparalleled ability to mobilize its followers, who will serve it extremely well in a country still unaccustomed to voting."  From January through March this year, Trager interviewed about 30 current and former Brotherhood members in an effort to examine its organizational ...

Despite the growing international condemnation of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Assad "remains defiant" and said that he "will not relent in pursuing 'terrorist groups' in the country." Assad released this statement after speaking with Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu.  Additionally, security forces continued cracking down against protesters and killed nearly 30 more people despite Turkey's demands for violence to end.    

According to U.S. and Bahraini officials, both countries renewed a defense pact in 2002 that allows the U.S. to access bases in Bahrain until 2016. Had this early renewal not occurred, the pact would run out in October 2011. Bahrain is currently, the home for the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the defense pact allows allows the U.S. to "preposition its military equipment."  Additionally, it allows for consultations if security crises ...

Doug Saunders writes on the Islamist movement in Libya specifically citing Mohammed Busidra as the "post-Gadhafi kingmaker."  Busidra is an "Islamist ringleader who escaped the 1996 one-day massacre of 1,200 of his fellow inmates and survived a decade in solitary confinement."  Throughout the protests against Libyan Leader Muammar Gadhafi, Saunders writes that Busidra has "brought together Libya's disparate moderate Islamist leaders into the country's only united political force."  Additionally, Busidra ...

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke on the uprisings in Egypt and former President Hosni Mubarak's trial, the possibility of a similar uprising in Iran and the fate of opposition figures Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi. In regards to Mubarak's removal, Ahmadinejad voiced disappointment "over the global management which separates some governments from their people to the point that the people, for the sake of reaching ...

The Economist published an article describing how Turkey's own version of democracy has become a prevalent model for some Middle Eastern countries aspiring to make the switch to a more democratic government. In years past, the "Turkish model" allowed for a moderate Islamist party (AK) to take control and efficiently run the democratic government, without inciting too much backlash from civilians and the military. Aside from the altercation that transpired in ...

In the Wall Street Journal, Elliott Abrams argues that American leadership can ultimately help prevent a civil war in Syria.  Thus far, Abram argues that the U.S. has not had a strategy toward Syria except "prayers that Syria doesn't turn into Libya." Abrams writes that because the Alawite society has different degrees of support for the Assads, it is important for the U.S. to address them both publicly and privately through ...

Egyptians joined soldiers on Monday to drive out pro-democracy protesters from Tahrir Square and some lined the streets to applaud the soldiers, while others "ganged up" on activists as they fled the square.  Today's crackdown followed massive demonstrations on Friday where Islamists joined together against the liberal and secular youths by calling for an Islamic state. AlMasry AlYoum reported a series of violent brawls and street fights between street vendors and ...

The U.S. State Department announced today a new program "Ask Alan" that engages Iranians through a Persian language social media brand, USAdarFarsi, which is active on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.  The State Department's Persian Language Spokesman, Alan Eyre will provide answers in Farsi to questions from fans in 5-7 minute long videos.  The topic for August is visas. However, Iran continues it's harsh treatment against political prisoners as Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari ...