The Tipping Point: Transitions to Democracy in the Middle East and Latin America
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies in association with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies released a report, “Transitions to Democracy and the Arab Spring: Does Latin America Hold Lessons for the Middle East,” that examines how insights from Latin America’s democratization experience may be relevant for the Middle East today. The symposium was divided into two panels: the first explored the domestic challenges to democratization in Latin America ...
February 8, 2012
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Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Gulf, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Political transition, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, US foreign policy, Yemen
Ashton Calls for ‘Supporting the Arab Awakening’
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton published in the New York Times a piece calling for the support of the "emerging democracies" in the Arab world. Ashton reckoned that democracy can be "'turbulent ...
February 3, 2012
Category: Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Jordan, Libya, Political transition, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen
Jordan: Prime Minister Wins Vote of Confidence
Jordan's new Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh won a vote of confidence from parliament Thursday following days of discussion regarding his government and policies. The vote tallied "89-25, with three abstentions and two MPs absent from the 120-seat lower ...
Jordan, U.N. to Assist Syrian Refugees
Jordan relayed its intention to create a refugee camp on the border near Syria to account for the Syrian refugees that "would flood the country as the Syrian army continued to attack civilians protesting the continued rule of Bashar ...
Syria: Jordanian King Says Assad Should Resign
In reference to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Jordan's King Abdullah told the BBC, "I believe, if I were in his shoes, I would step down. If Bashar has the interest of his country, he would step down, but ...
Analysis: “Jordan’s Fictional Reforms”
An analysis in Foreign Policy Magazine, Sean L. Yom argues that despite the recent cabinet shake up, the new government led by Premier Awn Khasawneh is designed to fail. The reshuffling of the cabinet represents a cosmetic change rather than a real ...
Analysis: Jordan: “Does Top-Down Democratic Reform Work?”
In an article in The Atlantic, Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Center argues that "for those who wish to see Jordan develop into something resembling a democracy, King Abdullah's recent moves -- apparently intended to reassure skeptics that ...
Analysis: “How Stable Is Jordan?”
In a Policy Briefing from Brookings Doha Center entitled "How Stable Is Jordan? King Abdullah's Half-Hearted Reforms & the Challenge of the Arab Spring," Shadi Hamid and Courtney Freer argue that like Bahrain, Egypt, and Tunisia, Jordan represents yet another case in which a "seemingly stable pro-Western regime—has received curiously little attention." While King Abdullah has publicly vowed to institute reforms, Hamid and Freer contend that "recent steps have fallen short of ...
Jordan: King Abdullah Appoints New Cabinet
Jordan's King Abdullah II appointed a new 30-member cabinet, which includes former leader of the central bank Umayya Toukan as the incoming finance minister. Abdullah said he hoped this appointment, in addition to increased social spending, would help ease ...
Jordanian King: “Great Concern” About Syria’s Future
Jordan's King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein told CNN, "I don't think there's anybody in the region or outside who knows how to tackle the Syria issue." The king said he has reached out personally to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad with little ...
Summary and Highlights of the FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills
On Wednesday 7/27, the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee held a markup session and voted to pass the 2012 State and Foreign Operations Appropirations Bill, as is, to the full committee. The bill would provide $39.6 billion ...
October 21, 2011
Category: Bahrain, Civil Society, Congress, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Featured, Foreign Aid, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Islamist movements, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Libya, Media, Middle Eastern Media, Morocco, Multilateralism, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, POMED, Publications, Reports, Rule of Law, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UN Human Rights Council, United Nations, US foreign policy, US politics, Western Sahara, Yemen
Putting Jordan “on the Right Track”
Naseem Tarawnah, writing for his blog The Black Iris, argues that Prime Minister-designate Awn Khasawneh "has the tough task of seizing this opportunity and putting the country on the right track." The author suggests that former PM Ma'arouf ...
Analysis: “Jordan: All Quiet on the Eastern Front?”
In a Policy Watch piece for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Schenker writes that Jordan's monarchy seems to have found a formula to quell internal unrest. A mixture of political and economic promises "is helping to ...
October 4, 2011
Category: Featured, Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, Political transition, Protests, Public Opinion
Senate Releases State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced S.1601, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 and its accompanying report. The press release noted the committee’s difficult task of funding more with less, including “responding to the turbulent events in the Middle East and North Africa,” with a total budget of $44.64 billion, which is $6.15 billion below the President’s request. On the Middle East and North Africa: ...
September 23, 2011
Category: Congress, Egypt, Foreign Aid, Hamas, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Palestine, Political transition, Tunisia, United Nations, US foreign policy
Jordan: Protests Reveal Rift over Palestinian Issue
The protests planned via Facebook for Thursday evening outside the Israeli embassy, which prompted the early departure of the Israeli diplomatic mission in Amman, drew a turnout of 200 mostly young protesters. The discussion of the Palestinian bid for ...
WSJ: “Arab Spring Turns Up Heat on Iran”
Farnaz Fassihi writes in the Wall Street Journal that Iran's support for Syria "has rapidly eroded Tehran's credibility among Arab's" resulting in a "foreign policy dilemma" for Iran. Fassihi argues that Iran's support for President Bashar al-Assad will further isolate Iran within the region, however, abandoning Assad "will crumble Iran's platform in Syria." Fassihi writes that Iranian officials have taken a "selective approach" to the Arab Spring hailing Egypt's movements as ...
August 30, 2011
Category: Egypt, Freedom, Government, Iran, Jordan, Libya, NATO, Political Islam, Political transition, Protests, Reform, Saudi Arabia, Syria
Jordan: Constitutional Reform as a “Starting Point”
Discussing the constitutional reforms recently introduced in Jordan, Sean Yom argues that the amendments "fell far short," and constitutional changes alone will not adequately address the impediments to democratization. He notes that "the amendments have all the hallmarks of controlled ...
August 22, 2011
Category: Constitutional Issues, Corruption, Jordan, Political Parties, Protests, Reform
Morocco’s National Day, Call for Parliamentary Elections
Morocco celebrated it's National Day-Day of the Throne on Saturday and received congratulatory remarks from government officials around the world. King Mohammed VI pardoned 14 prisoners and commuted the sentences of 954 others on the night of his ...
July 31, 2011
Category: Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Government, Human Rights, Jordan, Morocco, Rule of Law, Syria