Josh Rogin reported in his blog in Foreign Policy that U.A.E. authorities have “detained foreign employees of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and is preventing at least one of them from leaving the country.” Two of NDI’s Dubai office employees, director Patricia Davis , an American, and her deputy director Slobodon Milic, a Serbian National were stopped at the U.A.E. airport in Dubai as they tattempted to vacate the country. Although Davis was eventually let on the ...

On Wednesday, the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University hosted a panel of members of the political arm of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). The panelists included Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a Freedom and Justice member of parliament from Luxor and a member on parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee; Hussein El-Kazzaz, an economic advisor for the Muslim Brotherhood and Freedom and Justice Party; Sondos ...

Everette E. Dennis, dean of Northwestern University in Qatar,  published an article in the Huffington Post, expressing the need for a free and independent media to develop in Libya. Dennis writes that while Qaddafi left Libya with little societal infrastructure this has left a “blank slate,” and provides the Libyan people an opportunity to promote transparency and engage in “great debates that will shape their future” by building a free and independent ...

On Tuesday, more than 80 retired military officials advised Congress against cutting the nonmilitary foreign policy budget, declaring that it is of “the utmost importance” that “civilian programs have the resources to maintain the hard-fought gains of our military.” The retired officials said in a letter that the State Department and other civilian-led programs are “particularly critical” during this time of withdrawal, as they will take on greater responsibility. The letter ...

Foreign Affairs hosted a debate concerning the status of the region post-revolution featuring Shadi Hamid, Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center, and Robert Malley, Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis group. The duo discussed the latest developments of the Arab Spring, including possible intervention in Syria, events that may challenge the stability of the so-far stable monarchies, the legitimate fears of minorities ...

Dimi Reider wrote an entry in a series of posts in the New York Review of Books blog concerning the fate of democracy in Israel. The article discusses several legislative proposals, some passed and some pending ratification that are largely in opposition to basic democratic principles including freedom of assembly, speech, asylum, association and the right to an independent judiciary. Reider lists examples of such laws including a new amendment to a 50-year-old law targeting ...

In response to the ongoing crisis in Egypt concerning the raid of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the ensuing trial involving NGO workers, POMED has released an updated backgrounder on the issue. On February 10, 2012, POMED released an initial backgrounder covering the issue. Since that time, the travel ban on foreign employees has been lifted and most have returned to their respective homes. However, the crisis remains far from resolved. ...

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon declared that Libyan authorities should investigate violations after U.N. report found both opposition and loyalist forces had committed war crimes during last years revolution. As the investigation was announced Ban Ki-Moon affirmed his support for the U.N. Support Mission of Libya to remain in the country as it deals with continued human rights abuses and a sensitive security situation. Reports of arbitrary arrests, vendetta attacks, and torture ...

Libya’s electoral law, voted into law by the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC)  last month, will provide guidelines for selecting the country’s first democratic government. The international community, including the U.S., has praised the law as a noteworthy step in Libya’s transitional period. The law was developed over a few months by the NTC taking into considerations of the Libyan people. It allows for Libyan’s holding dual-citizenship to run for political ...

Writing in Foreign Policy, director of the Middle East Graduate Studies Program at the University of Exeter Omar Ashour discusses the development and formation of the Libyan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The Libyan MB, he writes, announced on March 3rd the establishment of the Justice and Construction party, showing signs that Libya is likely to follow the “electoral path of Islamist success” seen across other Arab countries. Long oppressed and ...

On Friday, Human Rights Watch published an article condemning the U.A.E.'s recent action of expelling Syrian nationals that participated in a protest outside of the Syrian Consulate in the emirate of Dubai. After participating in a peaceful protest, Emirati authorities made a decision to cancel the residency permits of dozens of Syrians living in the Emirates. "The U.A.E calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to respect the right of peaceful protesters, ...