Qatar’s Migrant Workers Face Serious Abuse
A report by Human Rights Watch yesterday raised serious concern of abuses faced by migrant workers in Qatar. The report called on the football governing body FIFA, international contractors, and the Qatari government to ensure that the cutting-edge stadiums being ...
Oman Foreign Minister: “There is No Gulf Union”
Yousuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, the Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs said “There is no Gulf union" in a statement published only days before a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al ...
Bahrain Crackdown Bolstered by Allies’ Signals
A report by Frederic Wehrey of the Carnegie Endowment describes how the use of arrests, media censorship, warnings to Shia clerics, and increasingly aggressive counter-demonstration tactics against opposition groups is leading to an increasingly militarized and rejectionist movement against the Bahraini government. Discussions about transforming the GCC, a move that would lead to closer ties between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and Washington's decision to restart arms sales to the island ...
“Friends of Yemen” Gather in Saudi Arabia
Following Monday's suicide attack at a military parade drill in Sana'a, the "Friends of Yemen" gathered in Riyadh to provide political and financial support for Yemen. The coalition is co-sponsored by Britain, Saudi Arabia and Yemen with 27 countries and multiple ...
May 23, 2012
Category: al-Qaeda, Civil Society, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Political transition, Reform, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy, Yemen
U.N. Monitors Caught in Syrian Crossfire
On Tuesday, a convoy of U.N. monitors found themselves caught in a violent clash between protesters and Syrian government forces. Arriving in Idlib province to observe the checkpoints of Syrian forces, the monitors came across residents mourning a man who had been killed ...
POMED Notes: “The Civil Insurgents: The Arab Uprisings and Civil Society”
On Tuesday, the new America Foundation hosted a conference titled “The Civil Insurgents: The Arab Uprisings and Civil Society.” The discussion was focused on the role of civil society in the Arab Spring and in the future of the Arab states. The conference was moderated by Leila Hilal, co-director of the New America Foundation Middle East Task Force. The panelists were Abulnabi Hasan Alkery, President of the Bahrain Transparency Society, ...
May 15, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, EU, Event Notes, Foreign Aid, Gulf, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Israel, NGOs, Palestine, POMED, US foreign policy
Rajab’s Detention Extended; Opposition to Saudi-Bahrain Union
Prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who was recently arrested for "inciteful" tweets, had his detention extended by another week. His lawyer, Mohamed al-Jishi, said Rajab is facing two trials: one on May 16th for his tweets, and ...
May 14, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, NGOs, Saudi Arabia, Secularism
POMED Notes: The Regional Implications of Shia-Sunni Sectarian Conflict In Middle East and South Asia
On Wednesday, the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University hosted a discussion on the sectarianism that has emerged as a major fault line in Middle East politics. The speaker was Vali Nasr, a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University. The event was moderated by Shireen Hunter, a visiting professor at Georgetown University. For full event notes, continue reading ...
April 12, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Event Notes, Gulf, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, Syria
The Affair Between Arab World Monarchies
In the interests of “staying in power at all costs,” Samia Errazzouki writes in Jadaliyya that Morocco, historically focusing its efforts on strengthening its ties with Europe, has shifted its focus back toward Arabia, coming largely as the ...
April 11, 2012
Category: Arab League, Bahrain, Featured, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, US foreign policy
Rami Khoury: The Counter-Revolution is in Full Swing
Rami Khoury writes in the Daily Star today that the fight to “beat back the revolutionary democratic waves” sweeping across the Arab world “is now in full swing.” This counterrevolution, he writes, is evidenced in Washington’s “rock solid ...
April 11, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Countries, Egypt, Featured, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
March 27, 2012
Category: Diplomacy, Featured, Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon, Political transition, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Nations, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Yemen, Syria, and the Gulf States”
On Friday, the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University hosted the second day of its annual symposium, “The People want the fall of the Regime: The Arab Uprisings and the future of Arab Politics.” The second panel discussed “Yemen, Syria, and the Gulf States,” featuring presentations from Stacey Philbrick Yadav, director of the Middle Eastern Studies program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Bassam Haddad, Director of the ...
March 23, 2012
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Category: Countries, Event Notes, Gulf, Human Rights, Political transition, POMED, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy, Yemen
“Progress vs democracy” in the Gulf
In a comment, Mishaal Al Gergawi proposed comparing democracy and development focusing on Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Al Gergawi said that Kuwait is perceived as an "aspirational beacon of political participation in the Gulf," and the U.A.E. as a ...
POMED Notes: Syria: On the Edge of Civil War
On Thursday, the Center for National Policy hosted a panel discussing choices facing the international community and the implications of an ever increasingly violent conflict in Syria. Among the panelists were Middle East Project Director Mona Yacoubian, Washington Bureau Chief of Al-Arabiyya Hisham Melham, and Professor Daniel Serwer from Johns Hopkins University. The event was moderated by Bloomberg News correspondent Indira Lakshmana. For full event notes, continue reading below or click ...
February 24, 2012
Category: Countries, EU, Event Notes, Gulf, Hezbollah, Lebanon, POMED, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, US foreign policy
Assad Sets Date for Constitution Referendum
On Wednesday, President Bashar al-Assad announced a referendum on a new constitution to be held on Feburary 26 “as part of promised political reforms.” According to a draft seen by the AP, the reforms would allow political parties other than the Baath to be officially recognized. Reportedly, the draft stated, “The state’s political system is based on political pluralism and power is practiced democratically through voting,” the president would be limited ...
February 15, 2012
Category: Gulf, Human Rights, Syria, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council, United Nations
The Tipping Point: Transitions to Democracy in the Middle East and Latin America
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies in association with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies released a report, “Transitions to Democracy and the Arab Spring: Does Latin America Hold Lessons for the Middle East,” that examines how insights from Latin America’s democratization experience may be relevant for the Middle East today. The symposium was divided into two panels: the first explored the domestic challenges to democratization in Latin America ...
February 8, 2012
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Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
POMED Notes: The Arab Spring: Implications for US Policy and Interests
On Thursday, the Middle East Institute in concert with Freedom House hosted a discussion panel on the implications of the Arab Spring for US policy and interests in the Middle East region. The discussion panel was also charged with introducing a planned and authored by numerous scholars in cooperation with MEI entitled, The Arab Spring: Implications for US Policy and Interests. Discussants on the panel were scholars who participated in ...
December 19, 2011
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Category: Countries, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Gulf, Israel, Political transition, Protests, Reform
POMED Notes: “A Reawakened Rivalry: the GCC vs. Iran”
On Friday, the Middle East Policy Council hosted an event entitled "A Reawakened Rivalry: the GCC vs. Iran." The panel was moderated by Omar Kader, Chairman of the board at the Middle East Policy Council, and featured Thomas Lippman, former reporter, editor, and Middle East correspondent at the Washington Post, Thomas R. Mattair, executive director at the Middle East Policy Council, and Alex Vatanka, a scholar at the Middle East ...
October 10, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Iraq, Political transition, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “Arab Spring: Is America Getting It Right?”
On Tuesday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a debate to be aired on BBC's The World Debate on U.S. foreign policy in response to the uprisings in the Middle East. Matt Frei, anchor for BBC's World News America moderated the event and introduced the following panelists: Marwan Muasher, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment; Tamara Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of Near Eastern ...
May 27, 2011
Category: al-Qaeda, Arab League, Bahrain, Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, EU, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Yemen, Youth
Saudi’s Anti-Revolution Campaign
Neil MacFarquhar, writing at the New York Times, discusses Saudi Arabia's efforts to upend the revolutionary progress that has spread across the region. The most recent steps include giving $4 billion in aid to Egypt's Supreme Miitary Council, working ...
May 27, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy, Yemen