Sec. Kerry to Travel to the Middle East
From May 21 to May 27, Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to the Middle East. His visit will begin in Oman, and then he will move to Jordan, Israel, the West Bank. In Jordan, Kerry will ...
Jordan’s King Discusses Reforms, Syria During Washington Visit
King Abdullah II of Jordan visited Washington this week, meeting with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and members of Congress. During their meeting on Friday, President Obama congratulated the king on his recent economic and political reforms ...
April 29, 2013
Category: Conflict, Featured, Foreign Aid, Jordan, Political transition, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy
State Department Human Rights Country Report: Jordan
The State Department released its annual report on human rights in Jordan and concluded that the most significant human rights problems were: "citizens’ inability to peacefully change their government, reflected throughout the year in weekly demonstrations calling for various ...
April 22, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Human Rights, Jordan, NGOs, Reform, US foreign policy
POMED Notes – FY14 Department of State Budget Hearing
The United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs questioned Secretary of State John Kerry at the FY14 Department of State Budget Hearing on Thursday. Subcommittee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) presided. For full event notes continue reading or click here for the PDF. In Senator Leahy's opening statement, submitted for the record, he said that, "We do not want a Democratic foreign policy or a Republican ...
April 21, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Congress, Congressional Hearing Notes (Senate), Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Reform, Syria, US foreign policy
April 20, 2013
Category: Bahrain, Civil Liberties, Courts and Judiciary, Egypt, Elections, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Political transition, Qatar, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
Jordan’s King Swears in New Cabinet
On Saturday, Jordan's King swore in a new cabinet for Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. The Prime Minister selected the group of 18 ministers, the smallest cabinet in over 40 years, after two months of deliberations and consultations with the parliament. Secretary ...
POMED Notes: “Arab Uprisings and Mass Politics: Possibilities, Constraints and Uncertainty”
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in conjunction with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), hosted a panel discussion titled “Arab Uprisings and Mass Politics: Possibilities, Constraints and Uncertainty” featuring Laurie Brand, Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, and Steven Heydemann, Senior Advisor for Middle East Initiatives at USIP. Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, moderated. For full event ...
March 29, 2013
Category: Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Event Notes, Gulf, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, Political transition, Qatar, Reform, US foreign policy
Congressmen Urge Iraq to Ground Iranian Flights
Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) are expected to send a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki today expressing their concern with Iranian arms shipments across Iraq en route to Syria. Robert Ford, the U.S. ...
March 22, 2013
Category: Congress, Diplomacy, Featured, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, US foreign policy
New POMED Policy Brief: “Jordan’s Unfinished Journey: Parliamentary Elections and the State of Reform”
In POMED's latest policy brief, "Jordan’s Unfinished Journey: Parliamentary Elections and the State of Reform," Curtis Ryan, associate professor of political science at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, writes, "On January 23, 2013, the Hashemite Kingdom of ...
March 20, 2013
Category: From POMED's Team, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Policy Briefs, POMED, Reports, US foreign policy, US politics
POMED Notes: “Obama to the Middle East: Implications and Expectations”
Ahead of President Obama's upcoming trip to Israel and Jordan, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy held a policy forum titled "Obama to the Middle East: Implications and Expectations" on Tuesday, March 18, 2013. It featured Ambassador Dennis Ross, Counselor to the Washington Institute and former National Security Council member under President Obama, Michael Singh, Managing Director at the Washington Institute, and David Makovsky, Director of Project on the ...
March 18, 2013
Category: Diplomacy, Egypt, Human Rights, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Syria, US foreign policy
New POMED Op-ed: U.S. Should Urge Jordanian Reforms
Cole Bockenfeld, Advocacy Director at the Project on Middle East Democracy, wrote an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor discussing the necessity of more meaningful political reform in Jordan and greater U.S. pressure for these deeper changes. Jordan's ...
Rubio: Human Rights “Our Currency” in the World
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke Wednesday at the Washington Institute regarding his recent visit to the Middle East and offered his observations on U.S. foreign policy, political reforms, and foreign aid in the region. Addressing Jordan, Rubio stated he was ...
February 28, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Economics, Featured, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Jordan, Reform, US foreign policy
Unrest Continues in Yemen, UAE Rejects Academic
On Monday, Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi continued his surprise visit to southern Yemen by meeting with officials in Aden and advocating for using the upcoming national dialogue to solve the country's issues. Hadi arrived on Saturday amid Hirak (Southern Movement) ...
February 25, 2013
Category: Civil Liberties, Featured, Gulf, Human Rights, Jordan, Protests, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen
Kerry Reiterates Syria Approach in Talks with Jordanian FM
In remarks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed U.S. support for the kingdom's constitutional and electoral reform process and the U.S. Government's commitment to aiding Syrian refugees pouring into Jordan through ...
February 14, 2013
Category: Conflict, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Featured, Jordan, Parliament, Political transition, Reform, Syria
February 11, 2013
Category: Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Featured, Islamist movements, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, Parliament, Reform
POMED Notes: “After the Jordanian Elections: Challenges Ahead for the Hashemite Kingdom.”
On February 1, 2013 the Middle East Institute hosted an event titled "After the Jordanian Elections: Challenges Ahead for the Hashemite Kingdom." The speakers were Leslie Campbell, senior associate and regional director for the Middle East at the National Democratic Institute, and Danya Greenfield, deputy director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council. Both speakers monitored the Jordanian parliamentary elections on January 23rd. The ...
Weekly Wire – January 28
POMED's Weekly Wire for the week of January 28 is now available. This week's edition covers these and other highlights: Jordan Election Turnout Exceeds 50 Percent, MB Boycotts Sec. Clinton Testifies on Benghazi, Kerry Confirmation Hearing Commences Protests Mark Egypt Revolution Anniversary; State of Emergency Declared World Bank Approves $500m Loan to Tunisia Iraq: Seven Protesters, Two Police Killed in Protests To continue reading the full Weekly Wire, click here.
January 28, 2013
Category: Committee Meetings, Congress, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, US foreign policy, Weekly Wire
Opposition Gains Seats in Jordanian Election, Flaws Remain
Polls in Jordan closed at 8 p.m. yesterday and officials announced that 56.5 percent of the country’s 2.2 million eligible voters had cast a ballot. Before the election, predictions placed the turnout at 30 to 40 percent due to the Muslim Brotherhood's boycott. ...
Jordan Holds Elections, Muslim Brotherhood Boycotts
Jordan held its first election under newly reformed election laws today. Last year's reform stipulated that 27 seats out of Parliament's 150 will be filled proportionately based on party lists, increased the quota of seats reserved for women, and ...
January 23, 2013
Category: Elections, Featured, Islamist movements, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, Parliament