The sudden, unprecedented resignation by Jordan’s Prime Minister Awn Khasawnah last week threw a sudden spotlight on the ongoing shortcomings of political reform in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The deficient new election law rolled out last month, like every step the king has taken over the last year and a half, did too little, too late to respond to the concerns of Jordanian citizens. Limited reforms have done little to stem a rising tide of protest across the towns of the south, a deeply struggling economy, loud complaints of corruption, and an intensifying edge of political anger. Add in the potential impact of the ongoing crisis in Syria or of a new escalation in the West Bank, and concerns for Jordan’s political future seem merited.
The decision to hold a Formula One race on Bahrain focused international attention on the embattled country. More than one year after a Saudi-backed crackdown cleared away a massive popular protest movement, Bahrain’s politics are locked in a grim stalemate. The release of a searing report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Cherif Bassiouni, established beyond reasonable doubt the wide array of violations of human rights committed by the regime. Little has been done in practice to hold those responsible accountable, or to begin serious political reforms which might bridge the widening political and social divides in the kingdom. This POMEPS Briefing surveys Bahrain’s political stalemate, how it got to this point, and what the future might hold.
The escalating bloodshed in Syria has rapidly become the center of regional and international attention. While the United States and its allies struggle to find ways to effectively help the Syrian people, the body count mounts and the prospects of a negotiated transition grow dim. Meanwhile, a growing chorus calls for a military intervention to protect Syrian civilians or to accelerate the fall of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The response to the Syrian crisis is shaped by its unique combination of humanitarian crisis and strategic significance. The horrifying death toll and the political failures of the Syrian regime are real, urgent, and undeniable. So are the strategic stakes of a potential regime change in a long-time adversary of the United States and its allies, and the key Arab ally of Iran. The Syrian crisis has revealed and exacerbated the profound tension between the narrative of “Resistance” which has long shaped regional discourse and the narrative of the Arab uprisings. This briefing collects recent analysis and commentary from the Middle East Channel on these urgent questions.
Yemen seems trapped in an endless political stalemate. More than a year after massive protests erupted challenging the 33-year-old regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen seems no closer to achieving a meaningful political transition. The deadlock has persisted despite the outrage over regime violence against civilians, splits at the top of the military, a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the violence and calling for a transfer of power, a Nobel Peace Prize for leading Yemeni protest figure Tawakkol Karman, and the near assassination of Saleh himself. In the absence of a political solution, the humanitarian situation has dramatically worsened and regional conflicts across the country have intensified. Is there any hope for Yemen? [click to continue…]
On Monday, November 28, Egyptians went to the polls for the first round of parliamentary elections. Those elections are perhaps the most momentous of a recent wave of Arab elections. Tunisia’s election on October 25 went almost unbelievably well. Oman’s went almost entirely unnoticed. Morocco’s played their assigned role. The announcement that Yemen would hold presidential elections in February has thus far been met mostly with disbelief. Elections may be on the horizon in Kuwait, after the resignation of its government, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced May 4, 2012 as the date for elections in the West Bank and Gaza. It’s election season in the Middle East. But are elections the right way forward for these countries in transition? Will they change anything? [click to continue…]
On January 25, Egyptian activists inspired by the fall of Tunisia’s President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali took to the streets chanting against President Hosni Mubarak. Eighteen turbulent, astonishing days later, the Egyptian military removed Mubarak from power. Seven months after Mubarak’s fall, however, Egyptian activists are frustrated and the success of the revolution remains unclear. [click to continue…]
Late at night on Sunday, August 7, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia delivered an unusual televised rebuke to Syria’s Bashar al-Asad calling on him to “stop the killing machine” and immediately begin reforms. The Saudi move against Damascus was only the latest twist in Riyadh’s newly energetic foreign policy. Since March, Saudi Arabia has been in the forefront of a regional counter-offensive designed to blunt the momentum of the Arab uprisings and shape the new regional order to its liking. After a decade of a regional order defined by an alliance of “moderate” autocracies aligned with the United States and Israel against a “Resistance” axis, the Saudis have responded to an age of revolution by leading what many now call a regional counter-revolution. This has placed them at odds with the Obama administration in key theaters, disrupted long-standing alliances, and brought Riyadh to the forefront of regional diplomacy. [click to continue…]
As the Bashar al Assad regime continues its crackdown on protests across the country, the international community grows increasingly concerned about the developing crisis inside Syria. Human rights groups say the regime’s crackdown has left more than 500 Syrians dead since demonstrations began in March, while U.S. and EU officials debate a new round of economic sanctions. POMEPS’ latest briefing — “The New Struggle for Syria”is a collection of top-notch analysis from a variety of angles and prospectives, originally published on Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel. The series includes analysis on Syria’s military, domestic and political dynamics — as well as prospectives as seen from key regional actors.
As the survival of Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year reign as President of Yemen is seriously challenged, the Project on Middle East Political Science has released the latest in its Briefing Series on Arab Uprisings — “Yemen: The Final Days of Ali Abdullah Saleh?”
This collection of essays, originally published on Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel, offer an analysis of a range of crucial Yemeni issues, and should prove to be a valuable resource for understanding the extraordinary challenge the country now faces.
As news of Bahrain’s turmoil continues to develop, many wonder where the country’s crisis is headed. Violence is now being used against peaceful protesters as protests enter their fifth day, and Bahrain’s ruling family orders its army to turn on demonstrators. POMEPS and Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel have produced a wide range of high quality analysis over the past year on Bahrain. As part of POMEPS’ recently launched Briefing series, a PDF is now available which highlights some of the Middle East Channel‘s best work on this small country which has recently rocked the Gulf.
The Project on Middle East Political Science is delighted to announce a call for proposals for Fall 2012 POMEPS Travel – Research – Engagement grants. The competition is open to academic political scientists at any career stage, from graduate students to senior faculty from any institution, and is not restricted to U.S. citizens or residents. [...]
Creative Learning will be accepting applications for the 2012 AUA Mosaic Fellowship program from January 9 to August 1, 2012. Click here to view a Q&A webinar presentation featuring AUA Program Officer Gideon Culman. What is the AUA Mosaic Fellowship Program? The AUA Mosaic Fellowship is a program that is increasing the number of Unofficial Ambassadors to the Muslim World who represent [...]
The deadline for the 2012 scholarship is September 15th, 2012. The award for each scholarship is $1,000. Go Overseas is proud to support international education through scholarships available to travelers participating in volunteer abroad programs. The scholarship is awarded based on the creativity and analytical thinking displayed through writing samples and/or video submissions.
