Egyptians Respond to Verdicts, NGOs Still Under Scrutiny
The Associated Press reported Sunday on the scope of U.S. democracy aid to Egypt during the past year. Last October several Egyptians resigned from their positions with the International Republican Institute in protest of what they called undemocratic practices, such ...
Seventeen NGOs Criticize Iran’s Personal Freedoms Restrictions
Seventeen human rights and student organizations have called for Iran to uphold the right to education, expressing "deep concern for the alarming state of academic freedom" in the country. A joint statement released by the NGOs was critical of violations ...
Universal Periodic Review of Tunisia
The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights held a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Tunisia on May 22. A delegation from Tunisia presented the following as positive achievements; the revolution of last year has led to a democratic transition, the new government has taken several measures to safeguard civil society, and efforts have been made to prevent violence against women. Delegations in the hearing also noted other positive changes, ...
Summary and Highlights of the FY13 House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
On Thursday (5/17), the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2013 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. According to a committee press release, the bill totals $40.1 billion in regular discretionary funding, which is $2 billion or 5 ...
May 21, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Libya, Morocco, NGOs, Oman, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UN Human Rights Council, US foreign policy, Women, Yemen
POMED Notes: “Threats to Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders Worldwide – Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Hearing”
On Thursday, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing on threats and restrictions faced by human rights defenders and civil society. Congressman James McGovern (D-MA) chaired the hearing. Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) was also present. Panel one featured Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department, Donald Steinberg, Deputy Administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Tomicah Tilleman, ...
May 20, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Committee Meetings, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Human Rights, NGOs, US foreign policy
The Impact of Egyptian Presidential Polls
In an Ahram Online article, Yasmine Wali discusses the impact of opinion polls on the presidential race. “These polls can manipulate undecided voters, for example, dictating their political responsiveness by portraying the same group of candidates as ‘frontrunners’ at the expense of others,” says Said Sadek, a political scientist at the American University in Cairo. The article discusses, as an example, a poll by the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Centre, which ...
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
Foreign Journalists, Organizations, Bid to Monitor Egyptian Elections
According to the State Information Services (SIS), 923 foreign journalists have requested to register in order to cover the presidential election. Of the correspondents, 402 are visiting and 521 live in Cairo. The head of the SIS, Ismail Khairat, said the agency handed over the registration requests to the Supreme Presidential Electoral Council (SPEC) as a preliminary step before issuing cards to journalists allowing them to cover the elections. The ...
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: “Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges in the Middle East”
On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia held a hearing entitled, "Assessing U.S. Foreign Policy Priories and Needs Amidst Economic Challenges in he Middle East." The committee heard testimony from Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Mara Rudman, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for the Middle East at USAID. Mark Ward, Deputy Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions ...
May 10, 2012
Category: Committee Meetings, Congress, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), Countries, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, NGOs, Palestine, Political transition, Syria, US foreign policy
May 9, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, NGOs, Protests, Reform
Number of Monitoring Egyptian NGOs Declines
According to Egypt Independent, there are a small amount of Egyptian NGOs which have applied to monitor the presidential election, scheduled for May 23 and 24. The article references Egypt’s largest newspaper, Al-Ahram, as reporting that only 60 local ...
POMED Notes: A Discussion with Amr Hamzawy
On Friday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a discussion with Amr Hamzawy on the current political transition in Egypt. The speakers were Amr Hamzawy, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center and one of Egypt’s best known liberal members of parliament and media personalities, Marina Ottaway, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies at Carnegie Endowment for ...
POMED Notes: “The Arab Awakening: Progress or Peril?”
On Thursday, the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted an event titled “The Arab Awakening: Progress or Peril?” The discussion featured former congresswoman and Woodrow Wilson Center President Jane Harman and Member of Parliament and former senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Amr Hamzawy. The event focused on developments in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt since their respective presidents were overthrown, with an emphasis on Egypt. The event was moderated ...
May 3, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political Islam, Political transition, Tunisia
HRW Exposes Ongoing Police Brutality in Bahrain
Following a five-day visit to the country, Human Rights Watch reports, "Bahrain’s police are beating and torturing detainees, including minors, despite public commitments to end torture and police impunity." According to Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director of HRW, “Bahrain has ...
Reports of 8 NGOs Banned in Egypt Disputed
In a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland denied that eight American NGOs had been banned from conducting business in Egypt by the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs. The organizations reportedly (Arabic) included the Carter Center, Seeds of Peace, and Coptic Orphans. The news was originally announced on Monday according to Egyptian state media organization MENA. The news could not be confirmed by the eight organizations, and spokesmen from the ...
Eight American NGOs Refused Licenses in Egypt
Egypt’s Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs rejected the applications of eight American nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), which means the groups can no longer operate in Egypt legally, according to state –run MENA. The eight organizations include the Carter Center, Coptic Orphans, and Seeds of Peace. Sanne van den Bergh, the field office director for the Carter Center, said the group had not yet been contacted by the government and said ...
Shadi Hamid Considers Reconceptualizing U.S.-Egyptian Relations
Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center Shadi Hamid published a paper today entitled, “Beyond Guns and Butter: A U.S.-Egyptian Relationship for a Democratic Era.” The publication considers in depth the development of the U.S.-Egyptian relationship one ...
April 18, 2012
Category: Congress, Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood, NGOs, Political transition, US foreign policy
Amnesty: Bahrain’s Reforms “Have Only Scratched the Surface”
Amnesty International released a new 58-page report titled "Flawed Reforms: Bahrain fails to achieve justice for protesters," in which it says Bahrain's reforms have been "inadequate." "The authorities are trying to portray the country as being on the ...
