Countering Sectarianism in the Middle East
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The Potential for an Assad Statelet in Syria
THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ASSAD STATELET IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras THE POTENTIAL FOR AN ASSAD STATELET IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras policy focus 132 | december 2013 the washington institute for near east policy www.washingtoninstitute.org The opinions expressed in this Policy Focus are those of the author and not necessar- ily those of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, its Board of Trustees, or its Board of Advisors. MAPS Fig. 1 based on map designed by W.D. Langeraar of Michael Moran & Associates that incorporates data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP- WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC. Figs. 2, 3, and 4: detail from The Tourist Atlas of Syria, Syria Ministry of Tourism, Directorate of Tourist Relations, Damascus. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publica- tion may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. © 2013 by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy 1828 L Street NW, Suite 1050 Washington, DC 20036 Cover: Digitally rendered montage incorporating an interior photo of the tomb of Hafez al-Assad and a partial view of the wheel tapestry found in the Sheikh Daher Shrine—a 500-year-old Alawite place of worship situated in an ancient grove of wild oak; both are situated in al-Qurdaha, Syria. Photographs by Andrew Tabler/TWI; design and montage by 1000colors. -
Group Support and Cognitive Dissonance 1 I'ma
Group support and cognitive dissonance 1 I‘m a Hypocrite, but so is Everyone Else: Group Support and the Reduction of Cognitive Dissonance Blake M. McKimmie, Deborah J. Terry, Michael A. Hogg School of Psychology, University of Queensland Antony S.R. Manstead, Russell Spears, and Bertjan Doosje Department of Social Psychology, University of Amsterdam Running head: Group support and cognitive dissonance. Key words: cognitive dissonance, social identity, social support Contact: Blake McKimmie School of Psychology The University of Queensland Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia Phone: +61 7 3365-6406 Fax: +61 7 3365-4466 Group support and cognitive dissonance 2 [email protected] Abstract The impact of social support on dissonance arousal was investigated to determine whether subsequent attitude change is motivated by dissonance reduction needs. In addition, a social identity view of dissonance theory is proposed, augmenting current conceptualizations of dissonance theory by predicting when normative information will impact on dissonance arousal, and by indicating the availability of identity-related strategies of dissonance reduction. An experiment was conducted to induce feelings of hypocrisy under conditions of behavioral support or nonsupport. Group salience was either high or low, or individual identity was emphasized. As predicted, participants with no support from the salient ingroup exhibited the greatest need to reduce dissonance through attitude change and reduced levels of group identification. Results were interpreted in terms of self -
Protest and State–Society Relations in the Middle East and North Africa
SIPRI Policy Paper PROTEST AND STATE– 56 SOCIETY RELATIONS IN October 2020 THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA dylan o’driscoll, amal bourhrous, meray maddah and shivan fazil STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. The Governing Board is not responsible for the views expressed in the publications of the Institute. GOVERNING BOARD Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair (Sweden) Dr Vladimir Baranovsky (Russia) Espen Barth Eide (Norway) Jean-Marie Guéhenno (France) Dr Radha Kumar (India) Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra (Algeria) Dr Patricia Lewis (Ireland/United Kingdom) Dr Jessica Tuchman Mathews (United States) DIRECTOR Dan Smith (United Kingdom) Signalistgatan 9 SE-169 72 Solna, Sweden Telephone: + 46 8 655 9700 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.sipri.org Protest and State– Society Relations in the Middle East and North Africa SIPRI Policy Paper No. 56 dylan o’driscoll, amal bourhrous, meray maddah and shivan fazil October 2020 © SIPRI 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of SIPRI or as expressly permitted by law. Contents Preface v Acknowledgements vi Summary vii Abbreviations ix 1. Introduction 1 Figure 1.1. Classification of countries in the Middle East and North Africa by 2 protest intensity 2. State–society relations in the Middle East and North Africa 5 Mass protests 5 Sporadic protests 16 Scarce protests 31 Highly suppressed protests 37 Figure 2.1. -
"Where There Is a Promise, There Is a Tragedy"
"Where there is a promise, there is a tragedy" Cross-border bombings and shellings of villages in the Kurdish region of Iraq by the nations of Turkey and Iran TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) – Iraq . 4 Introduction . 5 Part I Recent Turkish and Iranian Military Attacks into Iraq: December, 2007 – December 2009. ………………….. 7 Part II Violation of International Laws. 24 Part III A Brief History of Iraqi Kurdish/Turkish Relations. .. 31 Photographs of villagers of Zharawa . 41 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Glossary of abbreviations. 44 Appendix 2 Military Action Calendar (August, 2008 – June, 2009). 46 Appendix 3 Turkish bases in Iraq . 52 Appendix 4 Maps . 54 __________________ Cover Art from the Kurdish Textile Museum: a sample of Iraqi Kurdish textile weaving of the Keji design. The weaving, made of wool, contains a pre-historic symbol for peace and happiness. This piece is from a belt. The belt, traditionally made by young girls or their mothers, is used to tie the girl's dowry together. The title quotation for the report is from the grandfather of a Kurdish friend of CPT; it means that every time governments have promised something to the Kurds, a tragedy inevitably followed. - 2 - Dedication The authors wish to dedicate this report to the over 1 million displaced villagers that have entrusted us with their tears and sorrow, hopes and dreams and their desire to return to a life of dignity. During the 2 year period in which CPT collected the research for this report, we have come to love and respect these villagers. We recognize their tremendous determination and tenacity to preserve village life and their desire to be contributing members of Kurdish society within the KRG. -
Torture Methods the Syrian Regime Continues to Practice in Its Detention Centers and Military Hospitals
Documentation of 72 Torture Methods the Syrian Regime Continues to Practice in Its Detention Centers and Military Hospitals Identifying 801 Individuals Who Appeared in Caesar Photographs, the US Congress Must Pass the Caesar Act to Provide Accountability Monday, October 21, 2019 1 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org R190912 The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), founded in June 2011, is a non-governmental, independent group that is considered a primary source for the OHCHR on all death toll-related analyses in Syria. Contents I. Introduction and methodology of the report II. The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ cooperation with the UN Rapporteur on deaths due to Torture III. The toll of victims who died due to torture according to the SNHR’s database IV. The most notable methods of torture in the Syrian regime’s detention centers Physical torture Health neglect, conditions of detention and deprivation Sexual violence Psychological torture and humiliation of human dignity Forced labor Torture in military hospitals Separation V. New identification of 29 individuals who appeared in Caesar photographs leaked from military hospitals VI. Examples of individuals shown in Caesar photographs who we were able to identify VII. Various testimonies of torture incidents by survivors of the Syrian regime’s detention centers VIII. The most notable individuals responsible for torture in the Syrian regime’s detention centers according to the SNHR’s database IX. Conclusions and recommendations 1 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org I. Introduction and methodology of the report: Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been subjected to abduction (detention) by Syrian Regime forces; according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights’ (SNHR) database, at least 130,000 individuals are still detained or forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime since the start of the popular uprising for democracy in Syria in March 2011. -
Barriers to Integration: Institutionalized Boundaries and the Spatial Structure of Residential Segregation*
Barriers to Integration: Institutionalized Boundaries and the Spatial Structure of Residential Segregation* Elizabeth Roberto Princeton University Jackelyn Hwang Princeton University Abstract Despite modest declines in residential segregation levels since the Civil Rights Era, segregation remains a defining feature of the U.S. landscape. We use population data and corresponding shapefiles from the 2010 decennial census and a novel approach to measuring and analyzing segregation that allows us to incorporate physical barriers and municipal boundaries. We show how physical barriers in urban space and municipal boundaries that separate central cities from surrounding suburbs contribute to higher levels of residential segregation across 14 U.S. cities. The findings demonstrate an important mechanism that exacerbates residential segregation for city residents and contributes to its persistence. Keywords: segregation, boundaries, race and ethnicity, cities, methods * Direct correspondence to Elizabeth Roberto, Department of Sociology, Princeton University, 108 Wallace Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544; email: [email protected]. The authors thank Julia Adams, Richard Breen, Jacob Faber, Scott Page, Andrew Papachristos, and Jacob Rugh for helpful feedback. This research was supported in part by the James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in Studying Complex Systems, the facilities and staff of the Yale University Faculty of Arts and Sciences High Performance Computing Center, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH; Grant No. T32HD007163). Barriers to Integration: Institutionalized Boundaries and the Spatial Structure of Residential Segregation A long line of research shows that residential segregation by race—the extent to which racial groups reside in distinct places—plays an important role in perpetuating racial stratification in the U.S. -
Polarized Ukraine 2014: Opinion and Territorial Split Demonstrated With
Polarized Ukraine 2014: Opinion and Territorial Split Demonstrated with the Bounded Confidence XY Model, Parameterized by Twitter Data Maksym Romenskyy Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK and Department of Mathematics, Uppsala University, Box 480, Uppsala 75106, Sweden Viktoria Spaiser School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Thomas Ihle Institute of Physics, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 6, Greifswald 17489, Germany Vladimir Lobaskin School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland (Dated: July 26, 2018) Multiple countries have recently experienced extreme political polarization, which in some cases led to escalation of hate crime, violence and political instability. Beside the much discussed presi- dential elections in the United States and France, Britain’s Brexit vote and Turkish constitutional referendum, showed signs of extreme polarization. Among the countries affected, Ukraine faced some of the gravest consequences. In an attempt to understand the mechanisms of these phe- nomena, we here combine social media analysis with agent-based modeling of opinion dynamics, targeting Ukraine’s crisis of 2014. We use Twitter data to quantify changes in the opinion divide and parameterize an extended Bounded-Confidence XY Model, which provides a spatiotemporal description of the polarization dynamics. We demonstrate that the level of emotional intensity is a major driving force for polarization that can lead to a spontaneous onset of collective behavior at a certain degree of homophily and conformity. We find that the critical level of emotional intensity corresponds to a polarization transition, marked by a sudden increase in the degree of involvement and in the opinion bimodality. -
Turmoil in the Middle East
Turmoil in the Middle East Standard Note: SN/IA/5902 Last updated: 28 March 2011 Author: Ben Smith Section International Affairs and Defence Section This note looks at the instability in the Middle East and North Africa since the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. Source: worldmap.org This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required. This information is provided subject to our general terms and conditions which are available online or may be provided on request in hard copy. Authors are available to discuss the content of this briefing with Members and their staff, but not with the general public. Contents 1 Tunisia and Egypt 3 2 Algeria 4 2.1 Background 4 2.2 Unrest in 2011 5 2.3 Algeria basic information 5 3 Bahrain 6 3.1 Increasing repression 7 3.2 Unrest in 2011 8 3.3 Saudi forces move in 9 3.4 Bahrain- Basic information 9 4 Iran 10 4.1 Unrest in 2011 10 4.2 Iran- basic information 11 5 Jordan 11 5.1 Unrest in 2011 11 5.2 Jordan- basic information 12 6 Libya 13 6.1 Unrest in 2011 14 6.2 International reaction 15 6.3 Refugees 17 6.4 Libya- basic information 17 7 Morocco 18 7.1 Morocco- basic information -
Arab Uprisings: an Update
Arab uprisings: an update Standard Note: SNIA/6400 Last updated: 2 August 2012 Author: Ben Smith Section International Affairs and Defence Section A brief survey of developments in the Arab world since the uprisings that began in 2011 (background and earlier developments can be found in a collection of briefings – see the last section: further reading). Two of the three countries that have had elections since the uprisings – Tunisia and Egypt – have seen mainstream and more radical Islamists dominating. In Libya, the third of the three, a pragmatic and relatively secular politician who had been former Prime Minister during the rebellion did well. It is still early to know what these new governments will do but, as with many of the countries in the region, pressing economic problems may be the most important thing. Meanwhile, after a dramatic few weeks, many are now convinced that the Assad regime in Syria cannot survive. Contents 1 Egypt 3 1.1 Elections 3 1.2 Formation of a government 4 1.3 Outlook 4 2 Tunisia 5 2.1 Election to the constituent assembly 6 Women 6 2.2 Interim government 7 2.3 Outlook 7 3 Libya 7 3.1 Electoral system 8 Women 8 This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. -
Country Advice
Country Advice Bahrain Bahrain – BHR39737 – 14 February 2011 Protests – Treatment of Protesters – Treatment of Shias – Protests in Australia Returnees – 30 January 2012 1. Please provide details of the protest(s) which took place in Bahrain on 14 February 2011, including the exact location of protest activities, the time the protest activities started, the sequence of events, the time the protest activities had ended on the day, the nature of the protest activities, the number of the participants, the profile of the participants and the reaction of the authorities. The vast majority of protesters involved in the 2011 uprising in Bahrain were Shia Muslims calling for political reforms.1 According to several sources, the protest movement was led by educated and politically unaffiliated youth.2 Like their counterparts in other Arab countries, they used modern technology, including social media networks to call for demonstrations and publicise their demands.3 The demands raised during the protests enjoyed, at least initially, a large degree of popular support that crossed religious, sectarian and ethnic lines.4 On 29 June 2011 Bahrain‟s King Hamad issued a decree establishing the Bahrain Independent Commission of Investigation (BICI) which was mandated to investigate the events occurring in Bahrain in February and March 2011.5 The BICI was headed by M. Cherif Bassiouni and four other internationally recognised human rights experts.6 1 Amnesty International 2011, Briefing paper – Bahrain: A human rights crisis, 21 April, p.2 http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE11/019/2011/en/40555429-a803-42da-a68d- -
What Is Behind the Scud Scare? Posted by Joshua Landis Thursday, April 15, 2010 - 2:18 PM
What is behind the Scud scare? Posted By Joshua Landis Thursday, April 15, 2010 - 2:18 PM Joshua Landis is the director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma. He is the author of the blog Syria Comment. Reports in U.S. and Israeli papers on Wednesday, alleging that Syria delivered Scud missiles to Hezbollah, has set off a firestorm about the limits of engagement and the danger posed by Syria and nonstate actors in the region. Yet the ensuing debate has ignored the broader context of which this episode is but a symptom: namely, that the continued lack of resolution to the decades-long conflict between Syria and Israel has been allowed to fester. This new development could not have been better timed to throw a monkey wrench into Washington's engagement process with Syria and President Barack Obama's efforts to reanimate the stalled peace process in the region. Robert S. Ford, the first ambassador named to Damascus in five years, is in the midst of his confirmation process. A key committee in the Senate has recommended his confirmation, but the ultimate vote among the full Senate has yet to take place. There are many who would like to stop it, not the least because Obama seems ready to push forward efforts to resolve the long-festering Arab -Israeli conflict. On Tuesday, he declared that solving the dispute was a "vital national security interest of the United States" because it is "costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure." In the short term, the White House's desire to help broker a Middle East peace means getting an ambassador back to Damascus and engaging with Syria. -
Journal of Diplomacy
Seton Hall Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations 400 South Orange Avenue, McQuaid Hall, South Orange, NJ 07079 Tel: 973-275-2515 Fax: 973-275-2519 Email: [email protected] http://www.journalofdiplomacy.org Seton Hall Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations is the official semi- Editor-in-Chief annual publication of the Seton Hall School Dennis Meaney of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University. The Journal provides Deputy Editor-in-Chief a unique forum for international leaders in Michael Curtin government, the private sector, academia, and nongovernmental organizations to Executive Editor analyze and comment on international Ruthly Cadestin affairs. Editorial Media Manager Indexing: The Journal is indexed by Sajedeh Goudarzi Columbia International Affairs Online, Public Affairs Information Service, Social Media Associates International Political Science Abstracts, Patricia Zanini Graca, Juan C Garcia, America: History and Life and Historical Abstracts: International Relations and Security Network, and Ulrich’s Periodical Senior Editors Directory. Zehra Khan, Kevin Hill, Chiazam T Onyenso Manuscripts: Address all submissions to the Editor-in-Chief. We accept both hard Associate Editors copies and electronic versions. Submissions Maliheh Bitaraf, Meagan Torello, Erick may not exceed 6,000 words in length and Agbleke, Oluwagbemiga D Oyeneye, Edder must follow the Chicago manual of style. A Zarate, Emanuel Hernandez, Katherine M Submission deadlines are posted on our Landes, Troy L Dorch, Kendra Brock, Alex website. Miller, Devynn N Nolan, Lynn Wassenaar, Morgan McMichen, Eleanor Baldenweck Back Issues: Available upon request. Faculty Adviser Dr. Ann Marie Murphy The opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the contributors and should not be construed as representing those of Seton Hall University, the Seton Hall School of Diplomacy and International Relations, or the editors of the Journal.