Legislation

On Tuesday (12/21) the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3082/S.Amdt.4885, the 2011 Continuing Appropriations Act, by a vote of 193-165. The bill, which President Obama signed into law on Wednesday, will maintain funding at FY2010 levels through March 4, 2011.

Committee Hearings

There were no relevant committee hearings last week.

From Washington

State Department Welcomes UN Resolution on Iran: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement praising the UN General Assembly's latest resolution on human rights violations by the Iranian government. "The international community is deeply concerned about ongoing human rights abuses in Iran and the plight of Iranian citizens facing persecution at the hands of their government. [...] To all those Iranians struggling to lift your voices and speak up for fundamental freedoms and human rights, you are not alone. The United States and the international community stand with you."

Chabot to Chair Middle East Subcommittee: Incoming Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) tapped Steve Chabot (R-OH), a veteran House Foreign Affairs Committee member who won back his seat in November after a two-year absence,  to chair the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. A member of the Human Rights Caucus, Chabot has co-sponsored legislation sanctioning Iran for failing to pursue political reform and Syria for occupying Lebanon, in addition to his support for legislation praising successful elections and condemning human rights violations around the world. During a March 2003 hearing on the Middle East Partnership Initiative, Chabot spoke about challenges and opportunities facing the region. In an op-ed, Conor Williams urged Congress not to cut funding for diplomacy and development programs overseas.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) released a report last week on democracy assistance strategies in the Middle East authored by Les Campbell and originally published in the Canadian International Journal. Using case studies from Yemen, Morocco, the West Bank and Gaza, and Egypt, Campbell lays out "key achievements of democracy assistance in the Arab world over the past decade."

Neil Hicks, Human Rights First's International Policy Advisor, criticized the Obama administration's inconsistent approach to democracy promotion in Egypt and urged it to back up its rhetoric with action. "In specific countries where the U.S. government carries influence because of a close bi-lateral relationship the administration has failed to pursue policies that match the urgency of its rhetoric." In Egypt specifically, Hicks concluded that continued U.S. support for the political status quo will only hurt American interests in the long run.
 

From the Middle East

Iraq Forms Government: After initial reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's cabinet would be set Monday, the parliament approved the new government on Tuesday. Juan Cole explained why the delay occurred; The Wall Street Journal and The Daily Star both published editorials expressing skepticism about the new cabinet, while the Washington Post contended that Iraqis have "repeatedly chosen democracy over dictatorship and accommodation over violence." Reidar Visser criticized the new government for being "XXL-sized and unwieldy," while also acknowledging Maliki's political acumen, and Mubarak Responds to Growing Criticism: During a speech to parliament, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rejected international and domestic criticism and mocked the opposition's "shadow parliament." While the president focused on refuting his critics, Alistair Lyon documented Egypt's declining influence in the Middle East, and Lahcen Achy outlined "immediate" economic threats to stability in Egypt (during its annual conference over the weekend, the NDP also apparently focused on economic issues, not political ones - though Ahmed Ezz did attack the Muslim Brotherhood and Wafd in a speech). Saad el-Din Ibrahim argued that the recent parliamentary elections expanded the security forces' role in politics, noting that nearly 10% of the seats in the new parliament are held by former police generals. Al Ahram, meanwhile, reported that businessmen will head most of the new parliament's committees. Nathan Brown evaluated how the recent election will affect the upcoming presidential succession, and Lahcen Achy looked at Egyptian policymakers' disconnectedness from the country's youth. 

Suicides Spark Unemployment Riots in Tunisia: The recent high-profile suicides of two unemployed men sparked a series of violent protests in the central Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid last week. Most recently Hussein Nagi Felhi, an unemployed 24-year-old, committed suicide after shouting "no for misery, no for unemployment" during a rally. The Tunisia-based blog Groupe Nawaat posted video of and details about the protests in Arabic here. Over the weekend, one protester died in clashes with police.

Iran Begins Subsidy Cuts: Iranian riot police took to the streets to prevent protests after the government slashed gasoline subsidies last week. The Tehran Bureau provided an overview of reactions from Tehran; Muhammad Sahimi explained that the price increase will affect many sectors of the Iranian economy; and opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi released a statement saying that while they agreed with the government decision to reduce subsidies, the decision was implemented poorly and would likely hurt medium- and low-income families the most. One author highlighted the growing number of political refugees leaving Iran amidst growing unrest.

Civil Society Responds to Fatwa against ElBaradei: Egyptian civil society organizations responded to a recent fatwa providing religious justification for the killing of activist Mohamed ElBaradei as he continues his reform campaign. Gamal Eid, the executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), said it was "reminiscent of the Fatwas that spread in the nineties of the past century" and urged the government to "take a clear stance" against the religious edict. The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHC) also released a statement condemning the fatwa. Also related to Egyptian civil society, the country's minister of social solidarity, Ali al-Meselhi, stated that 20 million Egyptian pounds have been given to Egyptian organizations over the past three months.

Gonul Tol authored a piece at Foreign Policy countering assertions that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has imposed an "Islamist" agenda in Turkey. On the contrary, "pressures from the opposition and from within its own diverse constituency have led the AKP to pursue centrist policies at the expense of alienating more conservative segments of its base," Tol writes. The central question is will AKP continue to pursue economic and political reforms before and after the 2011 parliamentary election or "suffer from incumbent fatigue."

Al-Masry Al-Youm published a new interview with Mohamed ElBaradei. Egyptians have increasingly turned to "radical" Islam as the state has failed them, ElBaradei said: "They've lost their identity as citizens because they have been treated as slaves. [...] They feel a sense of marginalization. They feel a sense of hopelessness. They feel that there is no future. So you have a growing sense of frustration, and that leads to radicalism." In response to criticism of his leadership, ElBaradei said "If I hit my head against the wall, my head will break. If all the Egyptians hit their heads against the wall, then the wall will break. [...] So if I see 100,000 people in the streets, yes I will be with you. But I'm not going to go into a demonstration of 50 people. It's a question of strategy, and it's a question of tactics."

In a series of articles published in Al Ahram, Ahmed Ezz - the Organizational Secretary of the National Democratic Party - outlines "why the ruling party won so dramatically, and the others lost so miserably." On the NDP's success, he cites the introduction of various initiatives that "raised the quality of our members" (including managerial and policy training for NDP members); thorough public opinion polling and direct communication with the electorate; and the development of practical, realistic policies. On the opposition parties' failure, he cites poor campaigning, as well as Egyptians' overall disappointment with the Muslim Brotherhood's use of religious slogans and opposition parties' rejection of government policies "for no logical reason."