U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said on Tuesday that the international community was “failing” the Syrian people, calling for the arming of the Syrian opposition. After visiting a refugee camp along the border, McCain spoke to reporters saying, “The only way to reverse this is to help the opposition change the military balance of power on the ground.” Echoing these sentiments, Lieberman said, “We must give arms to freedom fighters to help them defend themselves and their families, at a minimum.” McCain declared a message to Russia, China, and Iran stating, “Shame on you. Shame on you for blocking the efforts that could be made by the United Nations to stop the slaughter.”

Josh Rogin reported in Foreign Policy that McCain and Lieberman were in the Hatay Province Tuesday to meet with leaders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) General Mustafa al-Sheikh and Colonel Riad al-Asaad. According to Rogin, the senators toured the Yayladagi refugee camp and are the first and most senior U.S. official to meet FSA leaders and visit the border.

“Make no mistake: The situation in Syria is an armed conflict. This is a war. Diplomacy with Assad has failed, and it will continue to fail as long as Assad thinks he can defeat the opposition in Syria militarily. And right now, using tanks and artillery and even attack helicopters, Assad has the upper hand,” the senators said. Earlier this month, the senators release a resolution calling for the arming of opposition. During their stay, the senators have met with SNC president Burhan Ghalioun, defected Syrian deputy oil minister Abdo Hussameldin, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, and recently recalled Turkish Ambassador to Syria Omer Onhon.

The senators have called for foreign air power to suppress Assad’s military. “Our deepest values and interests compel us to act in Syria, and we must do so before it is too late,” said the senators.

Reuters reported that police clashed with some 2,000 anti-government protesters marching on Monday to commemorate “Martyrs Day,” a day remembering the suppression of pro-independence demonstrators by the French. The protesters marched on Habib Bourguiba Avenue defying a ban on demonstrations in the area, and echoed the demand of the revolutionary protesters saying, “The people want the fall of the regime.” Reuters believes that the protest was constructed in defiance of the ruling Ennahda party, who the protesters compared to the Trabelsi family of Ben Ali’s wife Leila, blaming the government for rampant corruption and poor economic conditions. The law banning protesting on Habib Bourguiba Avenue introduced late March saw immediate backlash from opposition groups that demanded their right to peacefully protest.

David Charles wrote an article for Open Democracy detailing the events of the day. In contrast to the Reuters reports, the march was made up of young and old, men, women, and children and consisted at most of 50-60 people. Charles had the purpose for the march explained to him by a protester. The marcher explained that the “people were unhappy with progress after the revolution.” Others Charles spoke with expressed frustration with the protesters.  Reportedly, a Tunisian schoolteacher said that the people had freedom, but they didn’t now how to use it. Charles noted that while the teacher’s claims may have some truth in them, the protesters were still met with a “banning order” that made their peaceful march illegal, which raises questions about just how much Tunisia has changed.

***Update****

Tunisia Live reported that the march was organized by opposition members of the constituent assembly. Issam Chebbi, a assembly member from the PDP party present at the march, said “Habib Bourguiba Avenue is the symbol of the revolution and it has to be opened [to protest]. This decision [to close it] is a catastrophe for freedom.” Renowned human rights attorney Mokhtar Trifi, also present at the demonstration, said that the decision to close the avenue was “not legal” and “didn’t follow legal procedure.” “There is a significant deterioration in the situation of human rights [in Tunisia],” said Trifi.

On Monday six activists were detained in the U.A.E. after having their citizenship removed for criticizing the countries’ rulers, told they were “illegally residing in the oil-rich union.” Lawyer Mohammed al-Roken told the Associated Press that the six were subpoenaed to the Interior Ministry in Abu Dhabi, told that they were illegally In the country, and subsequently asked to sign a statement requiring them to find a new nationality within two weeks. After the six refused, they were taken to a detention center in Abu Dhabi where illegal immigrants were imprisoned.

U.A.E. authorities have weathered the storm of popular uprisings in the region through a barrage of subsidies combined with swift crackdowns on any political activity. Mohammed Abdel-Razzaq al-Siddiq, one of six, said that he and the others were members of an Islamist organization known as the “Reform and Social Guidance Association.” He explained their arrest was due to the organizations activities and campaigns calling for political reform.

Last week, the U.A.E. detained members of U.S.-funded democracy groups as they tried to leave the country after the closure of their Dubai office. This crackdown on civil society is just the latest of attacks on political activity. Similarly, five political activists including an economics professor at Sorbonne University’s Abu Dhabi branch were jailed after being prosecuted for anti-state charges.

Today, the deadline for the proposed ceasefire endorsed by Kofi Annan came into effect. However, violence continued across Syria. According to Foreign Policy, Syrian activists reported regime shelling in Homs and Aleppo, and further unrest in the capital of Damascus. The legitimacy Annan’s proposal was undermined on Sunday when the Syrian government issued additional demands to be amended to the proposal.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem reported in Moscow that Damascus had begun to withdraw its troops from cities in accordance with the ceasefire plan. Opposition groups, in stark contrast, said the government was “sending in even more reinforcements” rather than committing to a withdrawal.

The Syrian Observatory fro Human Rights said Monday’s violence claimed the lives of at least 105 people, bringing the three-day death toll close to 300.  . “We have received reports of 393 people killed since Syria accepted Annan’s plan,” said Ann Harrison of Amnesty International. The violence has not been contained in Syria, but rather has spilled over into Turkey and Lebanon, where gunfire across the border wounded several and killed one Lebanese cameraman.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said, “We certainly have seen no sign yet of Assad regime abiding by its commitment,” rebuking Assad regime for the spike in violence. China and Russia both made statements urging the Assad regime to take greater action to fulfill their duties defined in the agreed ceasefire. UN representatives reiterated their demands that the government “cease all military actions against civilians.” Following his visit to Turkey this weekend, Kofi Annan stated, “I remind the Syrian government of the need for full implementation of its commitments and stress that the present escalation of violence is unacceptable.”

On Friday, former Vice-President and Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman announced he was running for president. David Kirkpatrick wrote in the New York Times that “Mr. Suleiman, a retired general, could become a magnet for the support of Egyptians most unhappy with the revolt that ousted Mr. Mubarak.” The announcement created an immediate uproar. “I consider his entry an insult to the revolution and the Egyptian people,” said Khairat al-Shater, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate. A People’s Assembly committee quickly drafted a bill banning former regime members from running for president, though it will likely be rejected by the ruling military council. On Saturday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement detailing alleged human rights abuses by Egypt’s military against women. Specifically, HRW criticized the acquittal of the military doctor charged in the controversial “virginity tests” trial, saying, “the military justice system lacks the fundamental independence to remedy human rights abuses by the military.”

Referring to the recent visit by a delegation from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Washington Post’s Editorial Board cautions against the Brotherhood pursuit of applying Islamic Law, saying the Islamist group must realize that “secular citizens and minorities, who make up a large part of the population, will not accept discrimination.” Also writing for the Washington Post, Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt writes that President Barack Obama has “shown little passion for the cause” of promoting freedom and democracy; in Egypt, Hiatt points to how “the Obama administration embraced Hosni Mubarak until he was doomed … and then re-embraced the military regime that succeeded him, opening the military aid spigot despite many broken promises on democratization.” In the New Republic, Eric Trager argues that the FJP delegation’s avowed commitment to moderation is not credible. “The Muslim Brotherhood’s English-language moderation always seems to stand at odds with its truly radical ideology,” Trager writes.

Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz opened up to BBC about five changes she would like to see in Saudi Arabia. First, “a proper constitution that treats all men and women on an equal footing before the law but that also serves as a guide to our civil laws and political culture.” Second, amendments to the currently restrictive and “abusive” divorce laws. Third, an overhaul of the education system to encourage free thinking and innovation. Fourth, a complete reform of social services. Fifth, a change in the role of the Mahram – also known as the male chaperone currently mandated for women to travel or get around. The Princess, however, says now is not the right time for women to drive. Though she is supportive of women driving in the future, she is “against women driving until [they] are educated enough and until [they] have the necessary laws to protect [them].”

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, Prince Nawwaf al-Faisal, the Saudi sports minister, said women will not be participating in the upcoming London olympics. Human Rights Watch, which has written reports about the systematic repression of women’s rights in Saudi, criticized the minister’s decision. “If the International Olympic Committee was looking for an official affirmation of Saudi discrimination against women in sports, the minister in charge just gave it,” said Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at HRW. A woman was also sentenced to a flogging of 50 lashes for swearing in a text message during an argument with her friend.

Even on the day before the April 10 deadline for a cease fire, opposition groups reported 75 dead in Syria, and shooting across the Turkish and Lebanese borders. At least five were wounded in a Turkish refugee camp, and one Lebanese cameraman, Ali Shaaban, was killed. Human Rights Watch released a report titled “In Cold Blood” in which it documents over a dozen execution incidents that involved at least 101 civilian victims. Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, “[Security forces] are doing it in broad daylight and in front of witnesses, evidently not concerned about any accountability for their crimes.”

Nasser Al-Sarami writes in Al Arabiya that Bashar al-Assad is not serious about Kofi Annan‘s deadline, and says, “After April 10, the world might find out when it’s too late that nothing will work with Assad’s regime except fierce confrontation, for this is the only language it understands.” Fareed Zakaria concurs, hypothesizing that losing financial funding may be a way to entice Assad’s close circles to begin defecting. Another piece in Wall Street Journal  labels Annan’s plan a “farce” and argues that the U.S. “ought to give Syrians the confidence and security they need to persevere in a struggle that increasingly seems hopeless.” Doyle McManus argues in the Los Angeles Times that U.S. military intervention is a matter of “when,” not “if.” However, Fred Hiatt says that due to several different factors, Barack Obama‘s support freedom around the world has lacked passion. Part of his argument is, “Obama was tugged by the French and British into a military rescue of Libya’s revolutionaries, but offered little help to their Syrian counterparts, despite far greater human devastation.”

Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) joined 15 other organizations in penning a letter to President Barack Obama concerning the deteriorating health of human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. The letter comes at a critical time for al-Khawaja, whose condition has been worsening each day, and who has recently been kept from visits from his lawyer and family. The letter explains al-Khawaja’s dire condition, and urges President Obama to make a public call for his immediate and unconditional release. ” We are deeply concerned about the health of human rights defender Abdulhadi al-Khawaja,” the letter reads, ” and respectfully request that the United States urge the Government of Bahrain to release al-Khawaja immediately, and allow him to travel abroad, including for medical treatment, if he wishes to do so.”

Click here for the full text of the letter

A similar letter was also sent to King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa by a group of individuals, citing the government’s promises to abide by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry’s recommendation to release political prisoners. “In the interests of justice and reconciliation in your country, we urgently and respectfully ask you to release Mr al-Khawaja immediately and unconditionally,” the letter read.

POMED’s Weekly Wire for April 9 is now available.

This week’s edition includes the following top stories:

• Legislation – There was no relevant legislation introduced this week

• Committee Hearings – There were no relevant committee hearings this week

• From Washington – Officials debated the strength of Assad’s regime and his adherence to the April 10 deadline to withdraw security forces

• From the Middle East – Human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja’s health enters a critical phase after a two-month hunger strike

• In Case You Missed It – Georgetown University hosted a delegation from Egypt’s Freedom and Justice Party

To view the full Weekly Wire, click here.

Bahrainis continued to show solidarity in protesting the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix race at the end of April. A Twitter user posted a picture of graffiti art with the caption “Protester’s way of welcoming #F1 in #Bahrain, amazing graffiti work on Barbar’s walls.” British lawmakers discussed the pragmatism of going through with the race, saying “How has Bernie Ecclestone been satisfied that this year is different?” Individual teams have begun preparing for a fall out, reportedly giving their employees two tickets: one from China to Bahrain, another for their respective countries of residence. A leading member said, “I feel very uncomfortable about going to Bahrain. If I’m brutally frank, the only way they can pull this race off without incident is to have a complete military lock-down there.” F1′s governing body FIA, however, has not shown the same level of concern for teams’ safety, saying, “The FIA is the guarantor of the safety at the race event and relies, as it does in every other country, on the local authorities to guarantee security. In this respect we have been repeatedly assured by the highest authorities in Bahrain that all security matters are under control.”

In other news, activists appeared to have hacked the Facebook page of Bahrain’s national airline, Gulf Air, by replacing the profile picture of the airline with a picture of hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. Concern still runs high about al-Khawaja’s health as he has been on hunger strike for two consecutive months. His lawyer, Mohammed al-Jeshi, said he fears his client may have died after authorities refused to let him see al-Khawaja. “Authorities have been refusing since [Sunday] all requests, made by myself and by his family, to visit or contact al-Khawaja,” he said, “We fear that he might have passed away as there is no excuse for them to prevent us from visiting or contacting him.”

Two days before the April 10th deadline for President Bashar Al Assad to pull all troops, the Syrian National Council reported that another 130 people had died, 86 of them being civilians. Given the escalation in violence, “We urge the UN Security Council to intervene urgently to stop the humanitarian crisis caused by the regime against the unarmed Syrian people, by adopting a resolution under article 7 to ensure the protection of civilians,” the SNC said in a statement. However, the foreign ministry said in a statement that the government will not withdraw its forces from Syrian protest hubs without “written guarantees” from the opposition. “To say that Syria will pull back its forces from towns on April 10 is inaccurate, Kofi Annan having not yet presented written guarantees on the acceptance by armed terrorist groups of a halt to all violence,” the statement said. The commander of the Free Syrian Army, Riad al-Asaad, said his group was prepared to abide by the Annan agreement, but rejected the government’s new unilateral demand, citing that the FSA does not recognize the Assad regime as a legitimate body.

Annan, meanwhile, did not make any specific statements about the recent demands, but said he was “shocked” at the surge in violence. ”As we get closer to the Tuesday 10 April deadline, I remind the Syrian government of the need for full implementation of its commitments and stress that the present escalation of violence is unacceptable,” he said.

Reports said Saturday that hunger striker Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja was being mistreated by staff in the hospital where he currently lies. Concerned about Al-Khawaja’s life on the line, Front Line Defenders released a statement saying, “We further call on the U.N., the E.U., the U.S. and U.K. to issue public statements to this effect.” Bahrain media said a request had been made by Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal to move Al-Khawaja to a Danish hospital, citing the prisoner’s Danish citizenship. However, today the government announced that it cannot fulfill Soevndal’s request. The Supreme Judiciary Council said Al-Khawaja did not meetthe conditions stipulated in its criminal procedures law to hand over the accused to foreign countries, the Bahrain News Agency reported.” An official said,”The hand-over of accused and convicted persons to foreign countries takes place under specific conditions…This does not apply in Abdulhadi al-Khawaja’s case.”

In other news, Al Wefaq released a statement condemning “attacking private or public properties regardless the justification.”  The statement came after twitter buzzed with pictures of a bus burning on a main highway. “We continue to stress and emphasize to adhere to peaceful methods and reassure that the revolution’s audience do not resort to these methods even in the worst circumstances,” the statement said.

Bahraini security forces fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters marching Friday in support of a jailed human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is on the verge of death due to a hunger strike lasting nearly 60 days. One of his daughters, Zainab Al-Khawaja, was arrested in front of the Bahraini Ministry of Interior’s building as she shouted ‘baba’ (Arabic for father) and begged for her father’s release. Bahrain Center for Human Rights tweeted today that Zainab had been released after interrogation at public prosecution. Al-Khawaja’s other daughter, Maryam Al-Khawaja, wrote about her father, saying “I cannot come to terms with a world that would allow my father to die … My father, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is dying to live. Literally.”

All the calls for Al-Khawaja’s release have spurred further controversy over holding the Formula One (F1) Grand Prix race later this month. Richard Burden, Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: “Damon Hill is right to call on the governing body of motorsport to rethink its decision to go ahead with this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix.”

On Friday, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, in a show of progress toward transition, fired several old-regime figures and relatives of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh from military posts. Air force chief Gen Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, Saleh’s half brother, and head of the presidential guard Gen Tarek Mohamed Abdallah Saleh, his nephew, were both fired. Reports said, however, that Mohammed Saleh refused to step down from his post and take his new position as assistant to the minister of defense, and threatened to cause chaos if three opposition military officials are not removed from their military posts along with him. The following day, Sanaa’s airport was forcibly shut down when gunmen loyal to Saleh blasted buildings at the airport with anti-aircraft guns. Associated Press reported that “The airport attack suggests that removing the commanders comes with its own set of dangers — if it is even possible.”

In other news, Peter Salisbury, writing for Foreign Policy, says Yemen has significant progress to make in its economic sector, and Hadi is being carefully watched by all levels of society to ensure that progress is indeed being made. However, with the instability in the country and the nature of the projects that need to be built, Salisbury hypothesizes that “it is conceivable that most initiatives won’t even have reached the construction phase by the end of the two year transition period.”

On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a conference with high-level representatives of Islamist parties from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Libya. Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, gave opening remarks. The first panel, titled “Building New Regimes After the Uprising,” featured Mustapha Elkhalfi, Moroccan minister of communication, Abdul Mawgoud Rageh Dardery, member of parliament for the Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt, Nahil Alkofahi, member of the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Action Front Party in Jordan, and Sahbi Atig, member of National Constituent Assembly for the Ennahda party in Tunisia. Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, moderated the panel. The second panel, titled “Writing a New Constitution,” featured Khaled Al-Qazzaz, foreign relations coordinator for the Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt, Osama Al-Saghir, a member of National Constituent Assembly for the Ennahda party in Tunisia, and Mohamed Gaair, public relations for the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. Nathan Brown, a senior associate for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, moderated the panel.

For full event notes, continue reading below, or click here for the PDF

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On Thursday, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a one-day conference with high-level representatives of Islamist parties from Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya. The Third panel of speakers discussed the “Economic Challenges of Transition,” featuring Mondher Ben Ayed, president and CEO of TMI and Oradist (Tunisia), Nael Al-Masalha, chairman and director of Al-Essra Hospital (Jordan), and Hussein Elkazzaz, managing director and co-founder of SKPOS Consulting (Egypt). Massood Ahmed, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia department at the International Monetary Fund, chaired the discussion.

For full event notes, continue reading below, or click here for the PDF

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Five political opposition groups in Bahrain released a joint statement today holding the Bahraini authorities responsible for the death of Ahmed Ismail and demanding the release of human rights activist Abdulahdi Al-Khawaja.  The opposition groups stated in regards to Ismail’s case: “Undoubtedly, use of live ammunition enters the country into a serious stage. Needless to say, only official organs including civilian militias working for the regime possess such weapons.”

In addition, opposition groups called for the release of Alkhawaja and all detainees including political leaders “immediately and without restrictions or conditions.”  Furthermore, the statement cautioned that the “repercussions of the possible martyrdom of Abdulhadi in prison as a result of hunger strike for more than fifty-five days [...] would elevate security and political tensions to a new stage of tensions and dangers.”  BBC reported that Al-Khawaja has been moved to a hospital clinic and is being fed intravenously after losing 10 kg (22 lb.)

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) also called for the release of Al-Khawaja. PHR called on the Government of Bahrain to “immediately release Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, allow an impartial investigation of allegations of torture and ill-treatment during his detention, and hold all perpetrators of torture accountable for their actions.”  An image of Al-Khawaja taken yesterday by his lawyer is available here.  Furthermore, PHR also called for the immediate release of three medics serving two to three year sentences, including Hassan Matooq, Younis Ashoori, and Ahmed Ali Al Moshatat, as well as ”all others who are imprisoned for adhering to professional duties or exercising basic freedoms.”

On Wednesday, Sara Sorcher reported in the National Journal that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is urging Interpol to deny Egypt’s request for the arrest of American employees of foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations who left the country after a travel ban against them was lifted last month. Sorcher reported that Egypt asked Interpol to issue “red notices” for the NGO workers shortly after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waived the democratization conditions set by Congress on Egyptian military aid. Sources close to the case said U.S. officials are attempting to convince Interpol that the request for “red notices,” considered a precursor to an extradition request, is “politically motivated.” Interpol’s constitution “strictly forbids it to undertake any intervention in matters of ‘political, military, religious or racial character.’” Douglas McNabb, an international criminal lawyer,  said those who are listed under Interpol’s “red notices” are essentially “landlocked” because they are likely to be arrested if they leave the U.S.

Writing for Salon, Erin Cunningham writes that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) is preparing to press Egypt’s military for more transparency in its financial dealings, especially concerning its enormous business interests. “The army must go back to its normal role as defender of the nation, and it should not have this kind of economic control,” said Karim Radwan, a member of the FJP’s executive committee, “It should not be a state within a state.” Marina Ottaway and Nathan Brown explain that the conflict between the Brotherhood and the Supreme Council of the Armed forces could lead Egypt away from its pursuit of the “Turkish Model,” meaning “a military that keeps its finger in the political machinery in disruptive and undemocratic (but often manageable) ways and an Islamist party that uses its popularity to move the society slowly in its direction.” In the Los Angeles Times, Ari Ratner connects the the beginning of Passover on Friday with the anniversary of the 2008 labor strikes that inspired the April 6 Movement, and eventually the January 2011 revolution. Ratner urges continued engagement with Egypt, and to avoid the “temptation to shrink from Egypt’s contradictions and just defend America’s ‘core interests,’ such as the Camp David accords and the freedom of the Suez Canal.” In February, Democracy Reporting International (DRI) issued a briefing paper on the legal framework for Egypt’s presidential elections.

On Thursday, the Middle East Institute hosted an event titled “Egypt and the Dynamics of Transition and Revolution.” The speaker was Shafeeq Ghabra, professor of political science at Kuwait University, who spoke about the roots of Egypt’s revolution and the current political situation. Professor Ghabra was introduced by Kate Seelye, Vice President for Programs and Communications at the Middle East Institute.

For full event notes, continue reading below, or click here for the PDF.

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A delegation from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) arrived in Washington, D.C. this week in an attempt to diffuse growing concern about the group’s dominance of Egyptian politics. A panel of FJP members, including Sondos Asem, the editor of the FJP’s official website, presented at a forum where they assured attendees of the party’s commitment to the civil state. “We are seeking to fulfill the demands of the young people who revolted in Tahrir Square, and these demands are our priorities,” said Asem. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, an FJP lawmaker from Luxor, said the party was dedicated to the “objectives” of Islamic law, rather than its “rulings.” The FJP drew the ire of its rivals this week when it nominated Brotherhood Deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater for the presidency, violating an earlier pledge. A member of the FJP delegation, Khaled al-Qazzaz, said “we approached people outside of the Brotherhood that we respected, like people in the judiciary, but none of them would agree to be nominated,” and added that a candidate from outside the Brotherhood could institute radical changes and dissolve the parliament.

Eric Trager calls the Muslim Brotherhood’s nomination of al-Shater a “critical shift in its political strategy” and a sign that “it is now pursuing outright political dominance.” “The Brotherhood’s pursuit of a political monopoly undermines prospects for democracy in Egypt,” he adds, saying, “any assurances that it makes to the contrary cannot be trusted.” Trager recommends that the U.S. “develop a credible economic aid package that would be dispersed incrementally, and only so long as the Brotherhood acts responsibly,” and “Washington should use military aid in similar fashion to hold the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) accountable.” In a profile of al-Shater, Alexander Brock and Jessica Cusano outline the presidential hopeful’s political positions. Brock and Cusano write that al-Shater does not believe an Islamic state is incompatible with a democratic political system, saying “al-Shater appeals to the Islamic concept of shura (consultation) as a means of grounding representative democracy within an Islamic framework.”