September 28, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Diplomacy, Featured, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Kuwait, NGOs, Oman, Political transition, Protests, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US foreign policy
Upcoming POMED Event: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) presents: Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf Wednesday, September 26, 2012 SEIU Headquarters, First Floor Conference Room (1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW) 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (A light lunch will be available at noon.) While 2011 and 2012 have witnessed unprecedented changes across the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and ...
September 19, 2012
Category: Events, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Kuwait, Oman, POMED, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Women
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 ...
Dept of State: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
The U.S. Department of State released its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011. Particular emphasis was placed on the Middle East and North Africa, where developments in the Arab Spring led to significant changes in ...
Hurdles Still Exist for Saudi Women Attending Olympics
After recent talks with Saudi Arabia, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge described having females represent Saudi Arabia in the London Olympics as "not an easy situation." Saudi Olympic Committee President Prince Nawaf bin Faisal does not approve of the country’s sending female athletes to the Games under a Saudi flag. Saudi Arabia, along with Qatar and Brunei, are the only countries that have never fielded women on their Olympic ...
Tunisia’s Blooming Political Scene Receives Billions in Aid Assistance
Wafa Ben Hassine reports in Jadaliyya today about the blossoming political scene in Tunisia. It notes how partisan activities have prospered in post-revolution Tunisia, noting that what was more-or-less a one party system now has officially 118 parties. Issues such as the role of religion, freedom of expression, and civil liberties have been hotly debated. With such a plethora of political actors, Jadaliyya notes that its sometimes hard to keep ...
April 26, 2012
Category: Elections, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Political Islam, Political transition, Qatar, Tunisia, US foreign policy
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
New POMED Policy Brief: The Arab World’s Unlikely Leader: Embracing Qatar’s Expanding Role in the Region
Against a backdrop of political upheaval and unrest throughout the Middle East, Qatar has appeared remarkably stable in its internal politics. In contrast to that internal quiet, however, has been an aggressive and changing foreign policy through which Qatar has pursued a new role of power in the region. Since the 1990s, Qatar has been forced to rethink its position in the region due to geopolitical changes. With the ascendancy of ...
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
“The Role of Religion Will Be Determined by The People” – FRIDE
FRIDE released a report this month discussing the role religion will play in the ongoing transitions to democracy across the MENA region. The report discussed the emergence of Islamist parties into the political sphere, some new and some established, and the implications of the ideologies on their political decisions. Religion has always been " a major force of Arab Politics." According to the report, the success of Islamist parties can be attributed to their ...
February 24, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Countries, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Libya, Morocco, Political Islam, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Secularism, Tunisia, Yemen
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
Qatari Emir Considering Sending Troops to Syria
In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, said he would be in support of Arab military intervention in Syria. His comments come in the time of rising violence in Syria. Although ...
Qatar Urges Saleh to Tender Resignation
Qatar pressed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign a power transfer deal "without delay" after prolonged protests against his rule. "We call on the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to immediately sign the Gulf initiative without delay," Prime Minister ...
November 17, 2011
Category: Arab League, Featured, Journalism, Political transition, Protests, Qatar, Yemen
Syria: Assad Fails to Halt Violence Despite Arab League Deal
Since President Bashar Al'Assad agreed to the Arab League initiative last Wednesday to halt the violence, civilian deaths have continued to occur on a daily basis and "more than 100 people have been killed there in the past ...
November 7, 2011
Category: Arab League, Diplomacy, Featured, Human Rights, Protests, Qatar, Syria, United Nations
Qatar: “Pygmy With the Punch of a Giant”
An Economist analysis discusses the growing role Qatar has played in Middle Eastern geopolitics, stating that the tiny Gulf country "punches far above its weight." The article refers to the role Qatar played in the Libyan uprising, which ...
Qatar to Hold Advisory Council Elections in 2013
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani stated Qatar will hold Advisory Council (parliamentary) elections in the second half of 2013. “We know that all these steps are necessary to build the modern state of Qatar and the Qatari citizen who ...
TNC Requests Further NATO Help, Qatar’s Role Clarified
At a meeting in Doha, Qatar, Mustafa Abdel Jalil of the TNC said NATO should stay involved in Libya until the end of this year to prevent Gadhafi loyalists from leaving the country. The U.S. State Department
October 12, 2011
Category: Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Political transition, Qatar, US foreign policy