Legislation

There was no legislation last week, due to the Congressional recess.

Committee Hearings
 

There were also no committee hearings, due to the Congressional recess.

From Washington

Support for Democracy in the Middle East: Several articles came out last week calling for increased American and European support for democracy in the Middle East. One analyst argued that the U.S. and Europe must continue to promote democracy as "the only sustained path for development, moderation, and peace," across the region. Others focused specifically on Iran, exposing Iran's persecution of Iran's Baha'i religious minority, commending U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for condemning that persecution, imploring President Obama to speak out in support of imprisoned Iranian activist Shiva Nazar Ahari, and calling on the U.S. to implement a new policy toward Iran that "finds a central place for democracy support."  Meanwhile, Amnesty International criticized Saudi Arabia and the U.S. for "directly or indirectly aiding the Yemeni government in a downward spiral away from previously improving human rights record."

Iraq's Political Stalemate and the U.S. Role: A host of commentary emerged on Iraq's political impasse. Analysts accused the U.S. of showing favoritism toward Iyad Allawi, forcing an ill-advised proportional representation system on the country, and failing to build a firm foundation for democracy both in Iraq and across the region. A commentator argued that breaking the political stalemate in Iraq is essential to improving security and another analyzed two ways the U.S. can do so. 

From the Middle East

Debating Islamism and Democracy: Several pieces last week discussed democracy in the Middle East in theoretical terms. A Strategic Briefing Paper published by the Quilliam Foundation argued that Islamism constitutes a threat to secular democracy. An analyst responded that Western support for undemocratic regimes in the Middle East has actually helped Islamism spread. Another countered the Quilliam report by pointing to Turkey as a model for reconciliation between Islamic values and democracy. Yet another commentator asserted that while both Turkey and Iran have strong democratic foundations, Turkey is a more likely partner in U.S. efforts to support democracy in the region. Elsewhere, an analyst proposed that ineffective taxation across the Middle East helps keep undemocratic regimes in power by limiting accountability.

Political Tensions Threaten Stability in Bahrain, Pakistan, and Egypt:Last week, the Bahraini government continued to crack down on Shiite political leaders, while one analyst cautioned that escalating tensions could invite Iranian intervention. Meanwhile, two analysts discussed the possible political fallout from flooding in Pakistan - one noted that the ineffectiveness of Pakistani governments may empower Islamists, while the other suggested that the flood would strengthen the military while weakening democratic institutions. In Egypt, widespread power outages sparked a wave of protests.

Internal Political Dynamics in Iraq, Egypt, Iran and Palestine: Analysts argued that Moqtada al-Sadr will play a decisive role in determining the new Iraqi prime minister. Another commentator highlighted the absence of centralized governance in some Kurdish regions of Iraq dominated by the PKK. And interviews with Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi and former Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi addressed the prospects for political compromise. In Egypt, debate emerged regarding whether the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is behind the Popular Coalition for Supporting Gamal Mubarak and NDP Secretary-General and Speaker of the Shura Council Safwat al-Sherif announced that the party has unanimously agreed to nominate President Mubarak as its presidential candidate. In Iran, an observer argued that Iranian youth and students have lost their fervor for political debate and activism. Meanwhile in Palestine, the Palestinian Authority cracked down on dissent in advance of peace talks with Israel (which one observer asserted will fail without including Hamas at the table), while a commentator argued that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad government's authoritarian tendencies may actually help economic development in the territories. Another lamented that the Palestinian Authority is starting to resemble the repressive governments in neighboring states, while one highlighted Arab governments' denial of civil rights to Palestinians living in their territories.

Rights Put to the Test in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Algeria: The Bahraini government took out a full-page advertisement in The Economist last week indicating that - unlike Saudi Arabia and the UAE - they do not intend to ban the Blackberry mobile phones. In Egypt, the government renewed efforts to silence criticism coming from blogs and other new media sources. Human rights suffered setbacks elsewhere in the region.Reports indicated that a Saudi Arabian court is considering punishing a convicted man by having him surgically paralyzed, and one commentator criticized the Saudi government's decision to prohibit Moroccan women from undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca. Meanwhile, Iran is reintroducing the Family Protection Bill to the Iranian parliament, which would allow "men to marry additional wives without the consent of their first wife, and would tax dowries." One author contended that Iraq has a more developed democracy than Iran, and finally, Algeria invited rapporteurs from the United Nations audit its record on Human Rights.