The New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, reported the U.S. military secretly dispatched a task force of more than 150 "planners and other specialists" to a Jordanian military training center near Amman. The task force will help the Jordanian military "handle ...

In an op-ed, professor Mark LeVine describes why democratic transitions have been so drastically different across the Middle East. He argued that the initial movement in Syria was not as successful as Egypt or Tunisia due in part to a ...

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabeh al-Ahmad al-Sabah has "called upon all people to work together to maintain stability, security and national unity," after he issued a decree dissolving parliament.  In response, opposition groups warned "the current intentions of ...

On his 100th day as president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi issued a general amnesty for all protesters and political prisoners arrested between January 25, 2011 and June 30, 2012 in connection to the revolution, excluding those charged with murder. Morsi had ...

The Libyan General National Congress rejected Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abu Shagur's proposal for an emergency government on October 7. The plan, composed of 10 governing ministries, failed to pass by a vote of 125 to 44. Seventeen members of parliament ...

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Amman on October 5 to call for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections. The demonstration was the largest since weekly protests began in early 2011. Jordanian opposition groups ...

A Yemeni court upheld the death sentence of Mubarak Hadi al-Shabwani, prompting members of al-Shabwan tribe to blow up power lines near the Yemeni capital. The attack led to the loss of electricity throughout Sana'a, reversing progress on improving the ...

On Tuesday (10/2), the Wilson Center hosted two panel discussion in their series entitled; "Women after the Arab Awakening." The first panel, "Today's View from the Ground", featured Dalia Ziada, Executive Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies ...

Riot police were dispatched to shut down black-market money changing operations near Tehran's merchant bazaar on October 3. The confrontation sparked violent clashes, while hundreds gathered for an impromptu demonstration to protest the rapid drop in the value of ...

King Abdullah II announced  that Jordan will elect a new Parliament by the beginning of next year, amid fears of violence as pro-government and opposition forces called for protests this Friday. The protest organizers, including the Muslim Brother ...

State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland explained that due to concern from Congress over the recently-announced $450 million of assistance pledged to Egypt, the State Department is "going to have to work with the Congress in the coming days ...

King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced his country's commitment to talks on Western Sahara, offering to grant an autonomous status within its sovereignty. However, the Polisario Front, which is fighting for independence and supported by Algeria, rejected the proposal. ...

At least three activists were killed in the Eastern Saudi governorate of Qatif on September 26, sparking large protests over the weekend among the majority Shi'a population there. The unrest came on the heels of separate protests and ...

The appeal of nine Bahraini medics who treated victims of government crackdowns was rejected for the final time, and many of the sentences stem from "participating in illegal demonstrations." The sentences range from one month to five years. A number ...

During his address to the U.N. General Assembly, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci called for new limits on the freedom of expression. He suggested that the U.N. should take a lead role in such an effort by providing a forum ...

Despite the illegality of demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, sporadic protests have occurred during the last week. On September 23 a sizable rally took place at Tafiya Prison outside Riyadh to protest the imprisonment of alleged Islamic extremists, resulting in the arrest of ...

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed al-Khalifa addressed the United Nations on Thursday, noting “serious challenges” to Bahrain’s security and stability, which he said the country had “addressed with full transparency, commitment and honesty.” He added that Bahrain’s King Hamad ...

The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted a panel discussion Wednesday, titled "Will the Monarchs Reform? Challenges to Democracy in the Gulf." The panel included Maryam al-Khawaja, Acting President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Deputy Director of ...

Three international human rights organizations have urged the leaders of Kuwait to end alleged abusing of more than 100,000 stateless people, also known as bidoun, in a joint letter. Refugees International, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International wrote Emir Sheikh Sabah ...

Morocco has been granted $190 million in financial assistance from the Arab Monetary Fund, an Abu Dhabi-based organization, to support trade with other Arab nations and help balance payments. “The Arab Monetary Fund supports the government’s strategy that ...