Gaza: Hamas’s social warfare strategy in action
Palestinian protests on the Gaza-Israel border have dropped off over the past two days, with Israel on Wednesday pointing to what it said were Egyptian efforts to restore calm… Read more »
Category: Middle East/North Africa
Populism replacing sectarianism as defining force in Iraqi politics?
In all the turmoil of the Middle East, the most significant development of the year thus far may be the democratic election Iraq held on Saturday. It was competitive,… Read more »
Democracy activist detained over video post: ‘a new low’ in Egypt’s crackdown
Human rights groups are calling for an urgent intervention in the case of an Egyptian activist arrested after she posted a video criticizing the government for failing to protect women… Read more »
Sadr poll win highlights potential for non-sectarian politics in Iraq?
An Iraqi nationalist cleric who led two uprisings against US troops has taken a surprise lead in parliamentary elections, fending off Iran-backed rivals and the country’s incumbent prime minister, the… Read more »
Potemkin elections an ill omen for global democracy
This week’s tsumani-sized election shock in Malaysia does not necessarily augur well for forthcoming electoral contests elsewhere, observers suggest. In less than two weeks, Venezuela will conduct the latest in… Read more »
Iran decision: ’empowers undemocratic forces’ or gives scope for aiding civil society?
The sense of crisis in Iran runs deep and wide. The economy is in free fall. The currency is plummeting. Rising prices are squeezing city dwellers. A five-year drought is… Read more »
Lebanon ≠ Hezbollah: only limited election success for pro-Iran party
Hezbollah and its allies have won a small majority of seats in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in nearly a decade, boosting its influence and giving its patron Iran greater sway… Read more »
Can Indonesia help advance Middle East democracy?
A new factor has been inserted into the equation of political reform in Egypt: a dialogue between Egypt and Indonesia on promoting democracy, notes Giora Eliraz, the author of Islam in Indonesia:… Read more »
Escaping the fragility trap: don’t rush democracy, coax it
Democracy should be coaxed, not rushed, Bloomberg suggests, citing a new report which argues that developed nations trying to help fragile states have been doing it wrong: They have pushed… Read more »
Iraqi elections: crafting a democracy?
When Iraq’s national elections open on May 12, they will mark a shift away from the large ethnic and sectarian blocs seen on previous ballots, with candidates more attuned to… Read more »