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POMED: This Week’s Events

7:00-9:00: AUSIS: Alienation and Exile in the Arab World: Tamim Al-Bargouti 7:00-9:00: Politics and Prose: Engaging the Muslim World with Juan Cole..

POMED Notes: Democracy and Conflict

Do transitions to democracy dampen violent, extremist forces or ignite them? Yesterday afternoon, POMED and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a panel discussion on the relationship between democratization and conflict, asking whether democratization is likely to be a force for stability or unrest in the Middle East...

The Next King of Saudi Arabia?

Rob at Arab Media Shack brings to our attention an article in Forbes on Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. “Is there a possibility that Alwaleed might someday be king? “Sure,” he tells a visitor en route from Riyadh to Cairo last fall to attend a dinner hosted by Egypt’s first lady. A few days later, when asked again during a videotaped interview, Alwaleed is more coy. “The chain of command of people who could become king in this country is between the sons and the grandsons of..

Public Opinion in the Muslim World

WorldPublicOpinion.org and the START Consortium at the University of Maryland recently released a study on perceptions of al Qaeda, Islamist movements, and U.S. policy in the Muslim world. The report reflected public opinion in Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Azerbaijan, and Nigeria...

Finding Equality and Justice Through Islam

In the International Herald Tribune, Zainah Anwar highlights the challenges ahead for those wishing to work toward Musawah, “the global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family.” She explains how this movement is unique, and is often met with skepticism, as it seeks justice and equality for women not through a secular, human rights framework but through the lens of religion. Anwar argues that the decision to ignore religion has allowed “the most conservative forces within..

Gamal Mubarak Visits DC

Gamal Mubarak, son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, “quietly slipped into Washington” this week for a visit with the suspected purpose of gauging American sentiment ahead of his father’s trip later this spring. Additionally, some say he is “trying to lobby Congress against any sort of conditionality or earmarking in appropriations of U.S. aid to Egypt.”..

POMED Notes: Strategies for Engaging Political Islam: A Middle East, U.S., and E.U. Trialogue

Yesterday, POMED and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung hosted a discussion on developing practical strategies for engaging Islamists. Political Islam is becoming a major force in the Middle East, yet Western policymakers remain unfamiliar with its principles and practices. In working to promote democracy throughout the region, these parties can no longer be ignored. Therefore, what are the best ways to begin a dialogue? How do Middle Easterners think the U.S. and E.U. can play a positive ro..

Rebuilding Relations with the Muslim World

Robert Creamer at The Huffington Post identifies five key issues Obama should focus on in an attempt to “defuse Muslim anti-Americanism and prevent growth in the population of politically radicalized Muslims.”..

US-Egyptian Relations- Post Ayman Noor Release

There has been much speculation about how United States policy towards Egypt will change given the surprise release of former Presidential candidate Ayman Noor. Some analysts from the Eurasia Group argue that, “…Mubarak wants Obama to recognize that he will not play the role of America’s obedient servant. When Washington applies pressure, Egypt can and will say no. Mubarak is 80 years old. He has held power for nearly three decades, and he wants some respect. The release comes on Mubar..

Erdogan’s Calculations

In the International Herald Tribune, David Phillips calls on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to improve relations with Israel and work towards normalization of relations with Armenia and Cyprus. Phillips accuses Erdogan of courting Hamas for electoral gain and cautions his willingness to embrace “the Islamist street”. ..

Blogger Freedom in Egypt

While the news of Ayman Nour’s release is a very positive sign - Michael Slackman reminds readers that civil liberties still have a long way to go in Egypt. Slackman particularly note the severe censorship endured by bloggers in Egypt:..

Muslim Brotherhood Reform

In more Egyptian news, the Arabist cites an interesting piece on the Muslim Brotherhood who removed a ban from their platform for both Copts and Women to be president in Egypt. The Arabist writes, “this is being held as a victory for “reformists”. This is good (notwithstanding that most believe Egyptians would never elect a Copt or woman), and they are also reiterating that any Ulema Council would be under Azhar and issue non-binding opinions”..

Ayman Nour

As news of Ayman Nour release have made their way around, several interesting points are being made. First off, Marc Lynch notes that most Egyptian coverage does not see this timing as coincidence. The Egyptian coverage, “ties it directly to Mubarak’s desire to improve relations with Washington by removing an ongoing irritant and offering a fresh start with the Obama administration.”..

More Trouble in Cairo

Egypt continues to catch headlines for the wrong reasons. Noha El-Hennawy, at Babylon and Beyond, reports on Thursday’s protests in the streets of Cairo. Activists gathered in opposition to the conviction of a pro-Palestinian journalist who was sentenced to two years in prison. Magdy Ahmed Hussein was convicted for illegally crossing into the Gaza Strip during the recent Israeli operation. Hussein was tried in a military court, where the right to appeal is denied...

Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt?

Mehdi Khalaji of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy writes an interesting piece on the prospects of a Muslim Brotherhood-Iranian alliance. While he admits it is unlikely, history, he attests would prove otherwise. Khalaji concludes:..

Repairing American Public Diplomacy in the Middle East

William A. Rugh has a good article at Arab Media and Society about improving America’s image in the Middle East. While the last few years have seen improvements, overall American public diplomacy is not being utilized to its full potential. Rugh advises a continuation of engagement with Arab media - President Obama’s interview on Al Arabiya is a step in the right direction. He also suggests reforming the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which is responsible for all U.S. government inte..

Freedom House Middle East Map -

Via Middle East strategy at Harvard, the 2009 Freedom House “Freedom in the World Survey“. The study concludes:..

Thinking about Egypt

A new book entitled, “Egypt and Egyptians in Mubarak’s Era 1981-2008″ has recently been published and offers harsh critique of Mubarak’s rule...

POMED Notes: Human Rights in the Arab Region in 2008

POMED, the Open Society Institute, and the Democracy Coalition Project hosted an event marking the release of the English newly released report from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, From Exporting Terrorism to Exporting Repression: Human Rights in the Arab Region...

Advice for the new President

With President Obama naming several high level officials to his foreign policy staff, in addition to demonstrating that the Middle East would be a priority for the administration, several commentators have been wondering what the President’s “change” policy would look like for the region. There has been no shortage of suggestions for the new President-Another piece today advocating for a more nuanced and direct approach to political Islam as well as one from George Lesser on thinking ..