Protesters, U.S. Call for the Reformation of Lebanese Government
March 14 members rallied in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut to protest the bombing assassination of General Wissam al-Hassan. The group issued a statement saying, “The fall of Hassan is the ultimate proof of the fall of the Lebanese state and its ...
October 23, 2012
Category: Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, Civil Society, Egypt, Elections 2012, Featured, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Syria, Tunisia, US foreign policy, US politics
October 23, 2012
Category: EU, Featured, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Protests, Syria, United Nations, US foreign policy
Syrian Violence Spills Over into Lebanon
On October 19, a car bomb, believed to have targeted Lebanese Security Chief Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, exploded in Beirut killing him and at least 6 others. Deemed an act of terror, Syria has been implicated in the attack after ...
October 19, 2012
Category: Featured, Freedom, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Syria, Uncategorized, US foreign policy
Analysts Examine Arab World Finances, Missing Aid
The Financial Times released a special report entitled "Arab World: Banking and Finance," with key articles on Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. Simeon Kerr wrote on Bahrain, noting the country ...
October 12, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Economics, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Gulf Cooperation Council, Lebanon, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Uncategorized, US foreign policy
PM Appointed in Jordan, Netanyahu Calls for Early Elections
Abdullah Ensour was appointed prime minister by King Abdullah II, with the task of forming a new government ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections. No deadline has been set for the establishment of a government, but it would be in ...
October 11, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Elections, Featured, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Parliament, Political transition, Protests, Reform
October 4, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Islamist movements, Lebanon, Libya, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Women, Yemen
Internet Freedom Report Released, U.S. Internet Bill Passed
Early Saturday morning the Senate passed S.Con.Res. 50, which calls on "the United States to promote a global Internet free from government control and preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet today." The bill ...
September 24, 2012
Category: Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Egypt, Featured, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Iran, Jordan, Journalism, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE
IRGC Presence in Syria and Lebanon Scrutinized
Lebanon's president Michel Suleiman demanded an explanation for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's presence in the country, amid conflicting statements from Iranian officials. General Mohammed Ali Jafari, commander of the Guard, said that high level members of the elite force were in both Syria and Lebanon, ...
September 16, 2012
Category: Diplomacy, Featured, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Lebanon, Protests
Syrian Minister Ready to Discuss Assad Resignation
Syrian minister, Qadri Jamil, admitted to be open to the prospect of Bashar al-Assad stepping down as part of a negotiated settlement to end the 17 months of conflict in the counrty. "As far as his resignation goes ...
Lebanon Appeals for Aid Amid Soaring Refugee Numbers
Lebanon appealed to the international community for aid Monday in the face of rapidly growing number of Syrian refugees in the country. Activists report that the influx of refugees just last week brought the total population to 90,000. Social ...
POMED Notes: Democratic Transition in the Middle East
On Thursday, Professor Mokhtar Benabdallaoui of Hassan II University in Casablanca, Morocco presented his research entitled “Democratic Transition in the Middle East: Between Authoritarianism and Islamism” which tackled the current state of Islamism in the Arab world, as well as its likely trajectory in the future of politics. Professor Samer Shehata of Georgetown University followed Dr. Benabdallaoui’s presentation with comments and questions. For full event notes, continue reading below or click here. Dr. ...
July 12, 2012
Category: Algeria, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Freedom, Gulf, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, Political transition, Tunisia
Lebanon’s Palestinian Refugees Protest Amid Syrian Violence Spill-Over
Dozens of Palestinians in Lebanon's Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, near the southern town of Sidon, protested Sunday over recent conflicts that resulted in the death of a Palestinian teen near a refugee camp in north Lebanon. Protesters called for ...
Pew Report: Faltering Perception of U.S. in Middle East
The Pew Research Center has released its Global Attitudes Project report. Their latest findings show that public opinion of the U.S. and President Barack Obama in several Middle Eastern and North African countries remains fairly low. Overwhelming majorities of Egyptians, Jordanians, and Turks held unfavorable views of U.S. foreign policy, while in Lebanon and Tunisia public opinion on the subject was more evenly divided. In all those countries, approval ratings of ...
POMED Report: Analyzing the FY13 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills
The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) released a report contrasting the House and Senate Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2013, examining the potential impact of these bills on foreign aid and democracy assistance. Among the notable findings are additional ...
June 12, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, POMED, Reports, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UN Human Rights Council, US foreign policy, Western Sahara, Yemen
More Clashes Erupt Along Lebanese Border
Renewed clashes broke out between Syrian troops and residents of the Lebanese border town of Aarsal today. The report from Now Lebanon states that most residents of Aarsal are Sunni and support the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. ...
Assad Denies Houla Involvement
President Bashar al-Assad gave his first speech in five months Sunday before the newly seated Syrian parliament, in which he condemned last week's massacre in Houla but placed the blame on foreign terrorists. “The crisis is not internal, rather ...