HRW Calls for Moratorium on Executions in Iraq
Earlier today, Human Rights Watch called upon Iraqi authorities to halt all executions and abolish the death penalty. With the onset of 2012 Iraq has executed at least 65 prisoners, 51 in January, and another 14 in February. ...
February 9, 2012
Category: Featured, Human Rights, Iraq, Political transition, UN Human Rights Council
Iraqiya Coalition Ends Parliament Boycott
The Sunni-backed bloc of parliament, Iraqiya, has announced it will end its boycott and return to parliament. “As a good-will gesture, Iraqiya announces its return to Parliament meetings to create a healthy atmosphere to help the national conference, and to ...
POMED Notes: Next Generation Peacebuilding and Social Change in the Arab World
On Wednesday, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted an event highlighting the success of “Salam Shabab,” an Iraqi TV show that just premiered its first season. A screening of the final episode of the show was then followed by a brief lecture by Marsha Williams, President at Harvest Research Group and then a panel discussion with Brett Pierce, Co-Executive Producer and former Sesame Workshop Producer, Hussam Hadi, Producer of Salam Shabab, and ...
Iraq Heads Towards Civil Strife
In less than a month after U.S. troops exited the country Iraq's government appears in turmoil. Barham Salih, Prime Minister of the autonomous northern Kurdish region, said the internal conflicts are "tearing the country apart," with the new motto being, "I'll have him for lunch before they have me for dinner." Over the past several months, the security services, under Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, have incarcerated more than 1,000 members ...
January 23, 2012
Category: Civil Society, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Iraq, Journalism, Kurdish Region, Military, Political Parties, Political transition
Report: Freedoms in Iraq: An Increasing Repressive Legal Net
In December, 2011, IREX, in partnership with the Centre for Law and Democracy, published the report Freedoms in Iraq: an Increasingly Repressive Legal Net, detailing five pieces of legislation affecting the freedoms of assembly and expression in Iraq. The Journalists Rights Law is the only one passed into law as of August 2011, while the other four – the Commission of Media and Communication Law, Informatics Crimes Law, Political Parties Law and ...
Iraq’s Sunni Cabinet Ministers Suspended
An Iraqi official stated that the Sunni bloc of the Cabinet, Iraqiya, has been suspended since boycotting its sessions. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh stated that with the suspension, the Sunni ministers will not be "allowed to manage ministries, and all ...
Iraq: Al-Maliki Threatens Power-sharing Government
On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki threatened in a news conference to release documents that he claims "implicated his opponents in terrorism," deepening the political crisis in the country. Al-Maliki also warned the Kurdish community that ...
December 18, 2011
Category: Featured, Government, Iraq, Military, Political transition, US foreign policy
November 29, 2011
Category: Diplomacy, Featured, Government, Iraq, Military, Multilateralism, Political transition, US media, US politics
Iraq: Mass Arrests of Baath Party Members
The Government of Iraq has arrested hundreds of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and ex-military officers over an alleged coup plot with ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi. While several officials characterized the round-up which ...
November 3, 2011
Category: Featured, Government, International Law, Iraq, Political transition, Protests, Sectarianism
POMED Notes: “Hezbollah in the Wake of the Arab Spring”
On Tuesday, the Middle East Institute hosted a presentation by Randa Slim, a scholar at the Middle East Institute and Levant expert, which discussed the future of Hezbollah in the context of the Arab Spring. Slim addressed the way that Hezbollah views the Arab Spring, the domestic strategies of Hezbollah in the changing landscape of the Middle East, and how the Arab Spring affected the standing of Hezbollah in the ...
October 11, 2011
Category: Bahrain, DC Event Notes, Events, Government, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Political transition, Saudi Arabia, Syria, US foreign policy
POMED Notes: “A Reawakened Rivalry: the GCC vs. Iran”
On Friday, the Middle East Policy Council hosted an event entitled "A Reawakened Rivalry: the GCC vs. Iran." The panel was moderated by Omar Kader, Chairman of the board at the Middle East Policy Council, and featured Thomas Lippman, former reporter, editor, and Middle East correspondent at the Washington Post, Thomas R. Mattair, executive director at the Middle East Policy Council, and Alex Vatanka, a scholar at the Middle East ...
October 10, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Events, Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Iraq, Political transition, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy
Change in Leadership at Al Jazeera
On Tuesday, Al Jazeera's director general Wadah Khanfar stepped down from his post after 8 years as the network's top executive. Khanfar, who started as a correspondent for Al Jazeera, stated that "he had been discussing his decision to step down with ...
September 22, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Featured, Iraq, Journalism, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Syria, US foreign policy
Op-Ed: “A Troop Drawdown That Would Fail Iraq”
As recent media reports suggest that the Obama administration has made a decision to reduce the number of troops in Iraq, possibly to as few as 3,000. However, administration officials have denied any decision has been made on troop levels in Iraq. In an editorial by senators John McCain(R-AR) , Joseph I. Lieberman (I-CT), and Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC), they argued that "such an approach would disregard the recommendations of our ...
State Dept. Releases International Religious Freedom Reports
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton introduced the State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Report, stating that "it is our core conviction that religious tolerance is one of the essential elements not only of a sustainable democracy but of ...
September 16, 2011
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Category: Algeria, Bahrain, Civil Society, Egypt, Freedom, Iran, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, US politics
Oman to Be “Honest Broker” in Hiker Negotiations
As the U.S. seeks to free the last two hikers held in Iran, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, Oman has assumed the role as the "honest broker" between the two countries. After playing a role in releasing American hiker Sarah Shourd in ...
September 16, 2011
Category: Featured, Human Rights, International Law, Iran, Iraq, Multilateralism, Oman
Dep. Secretary Burns Visits Saudi Arabia and UAE
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE this week to meet with top officials. After his Tuesday meeting with Assistant Minister of the Interior Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Burns met with King Abdullah ...
September 15, 2011
Category: Diplomacy, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UN Security Council, US foreign policy
Kirk: “Standing for Human Rights” in the Senate
Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) published the first edition of his newsletter entitled "Standing for Human Rights," in which he outlines his efforts, through various programs and legislation, to champion human rights through the United States Senate. Among his initiatives ...
September 15, 2011
Category: Congress, Democracy Promotion, Featured, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Legislation, sanctions, Syria, US foreign policy, US politics
Analysis: Iran Playing Role in Iraq-Syria Relationship
Writing for the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, David Pollack and Ahmad Ali illuminate the growing ties between Baghdad and Damascus, and suggest that Washington policymakers must address this issue. Pollack and Ali assert that "Iraq has stood ...
