Annual Report 2017
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Latin America's Authoritarian Drift
July 2013, Volume 24, Number 3 $12.00 Latin America’s Authoritarian Drift Kurt Weyland Carlos de la Torre Miriam Kornblith Putin versus Civil Society Leon Aron Miriam Lanskoy & Elspeth Suthers Kenya’s 2013 Elections Joel D. Barkan James D. Long, Karuti Kanyinga, Karen E. Ferree, and Clark Gibson The Durability of Revolutionary Regimes Steven Levitsky & Lucan Way Kishore Mahbubani’s World Donald K. Emmerson The Legacy of Arab Autocracy Daniel Brumberg Frédéric Volpi Frederic Wehrey Sean L. Yom Transforming The arab World’s ProTecTion-rackeT PoliTics Daniel Brumberg Daniel Brumberg is codirector of the Democracy and Governance Stud- ies program at Georgetown University and senior program officer at the Center for Conflict Management of the U.S. Institute of Peace. Despite the setbacks, conflicts, and violence that the Arab world has endured since the mass rebellions of early 2011, we can at least thank Egyptian heart surgeon turned television satirist Bassem Youssef for giving beleaguered democrats everywhere reason to smile. Even as prosecutors accused him of a host of “crimes”—including insulting the president and Islam itself—Youssef continued to lampoon the govern- ment. Taking a page from the previous regime’s playbook, prosecutors insisted that the courts were acting independently and that citizens rath- er than state officials had brought the charges. Invoking this ridiculous rationale, the police compelled Youssef to review tapes of his show in order to explain his jokes to his unamused interrogators. 1 Does this Kafkaesque tale leave any room for optimism? Watching an unchecked security apparatus regularly operate beyond the reach of a problematic legal system to harass journalists, some Egyptian writers argue that the very idea of transition is a hoax. -
Egypt: Freedom on the Net 2017
FREEDOM ON THE NET 2017 Egypt 2016 2017 Population: 95.7 million Not Not Internet Freedom Status Internet Penetration 2016 (ITU): 39.2 percent Free Free Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: Yes Obstacles to Access (0-25) 15 16 Political/Social Content Blocked: Yes Limits on Content (0-35) 15 18 Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Violations of User Rights (0-40) 33 34 TOTAL* (0-100) 63 68 Press Freedom 2017 Status: Not Free * 0=most free, 100=least free Key Developments: June 2016 – May 2017 • More than 100 websites—including those of prominent news outlets and human rights organizations—were blocked by June 2017, with the figure rising to 434 by October (se Blocking and Filtering). • Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are restricted on most mobile connections, while repeated shutdowns of cell phone service affected residents of northern Sinai (Se Restrictions on Connectivity). • Parliament is reviewing a problematic cybercrime bill that could undermine internet freedom, and lawmakers separately proposed forcing social media users to register with the government and pay a monthly fee (see Legal Environment and Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity). • Mohamed Ramadan, a human rights lawyer, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a 5-year ban on using the internet, in retaliation for his political speech online (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities). • Activists at seven human rights organizations on trial for receiving foreign funds were targeted in a massive spearphishing campaign by hackers seeking incriminating information about them (see Technical Attacks). 1 www.freedomonthenet.org Introduction FREEDOM EGYPT ON THE NET Obstacles to Access 2017 Introduction Availability and Ease of Access Internet freedom declined dramatically in 2017 after the government blocked dozens of critical news Restrictions on Connectivity sites and cracked down on encryption and circumvention tools. -
New Voices, New Directions
at Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings May 29-31, 2012 • Doha, Qatar 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 www.brookings.edu/about/projects/islamic-world NEW VOICES, NEW DIRECTIONS at Brookings WELCOME Ahlan Wa Sahlan! On behalf of the Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, housed within the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, we welcome you to the ninth annual U.S.- Islamic World Forum. In partnership with the State of Qatar, Brookings convenes this Fo- rum annually under the gracious auspices of H.R.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar. After a successful Forum convened for the first time in Washington, D.C. last year, we are pleased to be back in Doha. Last year, we met in the midst of the “Arab Awakening”—the dramatic changes that con- STEERING COMMITTEE tinue to transform the Middle East and North Africa. From Tunisia to Egypt to Yemen, ordinary citizens have made possible extraordinary political and social changes. This year, we examine the impact of, and continuing challenges posed by, these changes, not just for STEPHEN R. GRAND Fellow and Director the Arab world, but also for Muslim communities around the globe, including in South Project on U.S. Relations and Southeast Asia—as well as their strategic implications for the United States. with the Islamic World During our three days together, we have arranged a variety of formats for candid dialogue MARTIN INDYK and engagement: Vice President and Director -
Analysis of the Arab Spring
www.gsdrc.org [email protected] Helpdesk Research Report Analysis of the Arab Spring Iffat Idris 08.04.2016 Question What are the main points of consensus in the analysis of the Arab Spring about the factors that led to it and what tipped the balance into widespread protest/unrest? Contents 1. Overview 2. Structural factors 3. Proximate factors 4. References 1. Overview There has been much analysis of the causes and rapid spread of the 2011 Arab Spring (or Arab uprisings). General consensus emerges on a combination of political, economic and social factors as being critical. These can be divided into: a) structural, long-standing, underlying factors that led to a build-up of popular anger and frustration in Arab countries; and b) proximate, more immediate factors that transformed localised protests into nationwide movements, and fanned uprisings across the region. While there are common factors, the literature also stresses the importance of looking at each country and each uprising in its own context. The uprisings were profoundly different, focused on domestic, national issues, and the precise mix of structural and proximate factors was specific to each country (Delacoura, 2012). There were also some factors unique to the individual countries involved. In Bahrain, for example, grievances on the part of the Shia majority against a Sunni monarchy seen as engaged in demographic manipulation (e.g. importing Sunnis and offering them Bahraini citizenship) aimed at perpetuating an unequal state of affairs, played a significant role (ICG, 2011c). The literature acknowledges that identification of structural and proximate factors can go only so far in explaining the causes and timing of the Arab uprisings: ‘Ultimately, we may have to accept that the rebellions were spontaneous popular events’ (Delacoura, 2012: p. -
Arab Spring - Islamic Winter - North-African Exodus
Munich Personal RePEc Archive Arab Spring - Islamic Winter - North-African Exodus. An explanation of the political economy of Mediterranean long-run dynamics Hanappi, Hardy University of Technology of Vienna, Economics (Institute 105-3) 5 April 2016 Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/70515/ MPRA Paper No. 70515, posted 06 Apr 2016 15:21 UTC Arab Spring - Islamic Winter - North-African Exodus An explanation of the political economy of Mediterranean long-run dynamics 05-04-2016 Hardy Hanappi Economics (Institute 105-3) University of Technology of Vienna www.econ.tuwien.ac.at/hanappi/ [email protected] Abstract This paper sets out to explain the links between the upheavals in Arab states in spring 2011 and the current wave of immigration in Europe. As it turns out, an understanding of these dynamics involves not only the tightly interwoven net of economic and political motives and actions, it also is necessary to understand the working of ideological warfare (including religions) in a new age of information and communication technology. Thus there is the intermediate step of an ‘Islamic Winter’ between the ‘Arab Spring’ and the ‘North-African Exodus’. Introduction This chapter sets out to explain the recent dramatic events in the Mediterranean and European area in a broader context. To understand what currently manifests itself as the emergence of a political and military entity called Islamic State, why masses of refugees from the Middle-East and North Africa are heading to EU member states, how the future states on the Southern coast of the Mediterranean can be built to enable a peaceful cooperation with Europa, for all these burning questions a closer look at the long-run economic and political development since the end of World War 2 is necessary. -
Egypt's Presidential Election
From Plebiscite to Contest? Egypt’s Presidential Election A Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper Introduction................................................................................................................................... 1 Political Rights and Demands for Reform................................................................................ 2 Free and Fair? ................................................................................................................................ 4 From Plebiscite to Election: Article 76 Amended............................................................... 4 Government Restrictions and Harassment........................................................................... 5 Campaign Issues........................................................................................................................ 6 Judicial Supervision of Elections............................................................................................ 8 Election Monitoring ...............................................................................................................10 Appendix ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Political Parties and Candidates............................................................................................11 Introduction On September 7, Egypt will hold its first-ever presidential election, as distinct from the single-candidate plebiscites that have so far -
Effects of American Pop Culture on the Political Stability of the Arab Spring! Mina Alsadoon
Santa Clara University Scholar Commons Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections Student Scholarship 9-2-2019 Effects of American Pop Culture on the political stability of the Arab Spring! Mina Alsadoon Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/engl_176 Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Nonfiction Commons Recommended Citation Alsadoon, Mina, "Effects of American Pop Culture on the political stability of the Arab Spring!" (2019). Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections. 35. https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/engl_176/35 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Santa Clara University Scholar Commons Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections Student Scholarship 02-9-2019 Effects of American Pop Culture on the political stability of the Arab Spring! Mina Alsadoon Santa Clara University, [email protected] 2 Mina Alsadoon ENGL 106 Dr. Hendricks 28 August 2019 Effects of American Pop Culture on the political stability of the Arab Spring! "Mr. President... people have become like animals... We are living like dogs." (El General,2010) Powerful and strong words from a young Tunisian rapper his real unknown name is Hamada Ben Amor, his most famous song Rais Le Bled It was released at the end of 2010 when El General was attacking in it the former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali directly and his regime. -
Egypt Presidential Election Observation Report
EGYPT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OBSERVATION REPORT JULY 2014 This publication was produced by Democracy International, Inc., for the United States Agency for International Development through Cooperative Agreement No. 3263-A- 13-00002. Photographs in this report were taken by DI while conducting the mission. Democracy International, Inc. 7600 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1010 Bethesda, MD 20814 Tel: +1.301.961.1660 www.democracyinternational.com EGYPT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OBSERVATION REPORT July 2014 Disclaimer This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Democracy International, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. CONTENTS CONTENTS ................................................................ 4 MAP OF EGYPT .......................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................. II DELEGATION MEMBERS ......................................... V ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................... X EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 6 ABOUT DI .......................................................... 6 ABOUT THE MISSION ....................................... 7 METHODOLOGY .............................................. 8 BACKGROUND ........................................................ 10 TUMULT -
UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Egyptian
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Egyptian Urban Exigencies: Space, Governance and Structures of Meaning in a Globalising Cairo A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Global Studies by Roberta Duffield Committee in charge: Professor Paul Amar, Chair Professor Jan Nederveen Pieterse Assistant Professor Javiera Barandiarán Associate Professor Juan Campo June 2019 The thesis of Roberta Duffield is approved. ____________________________________________ Paul Amar, Committee Chair ____________________________________________ Jan Nederveen Pieterse ____________________________________________ Javiera Barandiarán ____________________________________________ Juan Campo June 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee at the University of California, Santa Barbara whose valuable direction, comments and advice informed this work: Professor Paul Amar, Professor Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Professor Javiera Barandiarán and Professor Juan Campo, alongside the rest of the faculty and staff of UCSB’s Global Studies Department. Without their tireless work to promote the field of Global Studies and committed support for their students I would not have been able to complete this degree. I am also eternally grateful for the intellectual camaraderie and unending solidarity of my UCSB colleagues who helped me navigate Californian graduate school and come out the other side: Brett Aho, Amy Fallas, Tina Guirguis, Taylor Horton, Miguel Fuentes Carreño, Lena Köpell, Ashkon Molaei, Asutay Ozmen, Jonas Richter, Eugene Riordan, Luka Šterić, Heather Snay and Leila Zonouzi. I would especially also like to thank my friends in Cairo whose infinite humour, loyalty and love created the best dysfunctional family away from home I could ever ask for and encouraged me to enroll in graduate studies and complete this thesis: Miriam Afifiy, Eman El-Sherbiny, Felix Fallon, Peter Holslin, Emily Hudson, Raïs Jamodien and Thomas Pinney. -
The Political Role of Libyan Youth During and After the Revolution
Youth, Revolt, Recognition The Young Generation during and after the “Arab Spring” Edited by Isabel Schäfer From The Core To The Fringe? The Political Role of Libyan Youth During And After The Revolution by Anna Lührmann MIB-Edited Volume Berlin 2015 Projekt „Mittelmeer Institut Berlin (MIB)“ Project „Mediterranean Institute Berlin (MIB)“ Institut für Sozialwissenschaften Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin Dr. Isabel Schäfer Mail: [email protected] The MIB publication series is available online at https://www.mib.hu-berlin.de/ © 2015, MIB/HU, the author(s): Inken Bartels Charlotte Biegler-König Gözde Böcu Daniel Farrell Bachir Hamdouch Valeska Henze Wai Mun Hong Anna Lührmann Isabel Schäfer Carolina Silveira Layout: Jannis Grimm Maher El-Zayat Schäfer, Isabel, ed. (2015): Youth, Revolt, Recognition – The Young Generation during and after the "Arab Spring". Berlin: Mediterranean Institute Berlin (MIB)/HU Berlin. MIB Edited Volume | March 2015 Project “Mediterranean Institute Berlin”, Humboldt University Berlin; www.mib.hu-berlin.de HU Online Publikation, Open Access Programm der HU. To link to this article: urn:nbn:de:kobv:11-100228053 www.mib.hu-berlin.de/publikationen Table of Contents Introduction - Isabel Schäfer 1 Part I – Theoretical Perspectives 5 On the Concept of Youth – Some Reflections on Theory - Valeska Henze 5 Part II – Youth and Politics in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean 17 Youth as Political Actors after the “Arab Spring”: The Case of Tunisia - Carolina Silveira 17 From The Core -
Libya Conflict Insight | Feb 2018 | Vol
ABOUT THE REPORT The purpose of this report is to provide analysis and Libya Conflict recommendations to assist the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Member States and Development Partners in decision making and in the implementation of peace and security- related instruments. Insight CONTRIBUTORS Dr. Mesfin Gebremichael (Editor in Chief) Mr. Alagaw Ababu Kifle Ms. Alem Kidane Mr. Hervé Wendyam Ms. Mahlet Fitiwi Ms. Zaharau S. Shariff Situation analysis EDITING, DESIGN & LAYOUT Libya achieved independence from United Nations (UN) trusteeship in 1951 Michelle Mendi Muita (Editor) as an amalgamation of three former Ottoman provinces, Tripolitania, Mikias Yitbarek (Design & Layout) Cyrenaica and Fezzan under the rule of King Mohammed Idris. In 1969, King Idris was deposed in a coup staged by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. He promptly abolished the monarchy, revoked the constitution, and © 2018 Institute for Peace and Security Studies, established the Libya Arab Republic. By 1977, the Republic was transformed Addis Ababa University. All rights reserved. into the leftist-leaning Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. In the 1970s and 1980s, Libya pursued a “deviant foreign policy”, epitomized February 2018 | Vol. 1 by its radical belligerence towards the West and its endorsement of anti- imperialism. In the late 1990s, Libya began to re-normalize its relations with the West, a development that gradually led to its rehabilitation from the CONTENTS status of a pariah, or a “rogue state.” As part of its rapprochement with the Situation analysis 1 West, Libya abandoned its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, resulting Causes of the conflict 2 in the lifting of UN sanctions. -
De-Securitizing Counterterrorism in the Sinai Peninsula
Policy Briefing April 2017 De-Securitizing Counterterrorism in the Sinai Peninsula Sahar F. Aziz De-Securitizing Counterrorism in the Sinai Peninsula Sahar F. Aziz The Brookings Institution is a private non-profit organization. Its mission is to conduct high-quality, independent research and, based on that research, to provide innovative, practical recommendations for policymakers and the public. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. Brookings recognizes that the value it provides to any supporter is in its absolute commitment to quality, independence and impact. Activities supported by its donors reflect this commitment and the analysis and recommendations are not determined by any donation. Copyright © 2017 Brookings Institution BROOKINGS INSTITUTION 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036 U.S.A. www.brookings.edu BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER Saha 43, Building 63, West Bay, Doha, Qatar www.brookings.edu/doha III De-Securitizing Counterterrorism in the Sinai Peninsula Sahar F. Aziz1 On October 22, 2016, a senior Egyptian army ideal location for lucrative human, drug, and officer was killed in broad daylight outside his weapons smuggling (much of which now home in a Cairo suburb.2 The former head of comes from Libya), and for militant groups to security forces in North Sinai was allegedly train and launch terrorist attacks against both murdered for demolishing homes and