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Shahmahmood Miakhel is the Country Director in Afghanistan for the US Institute of Peace (USIP). Prior to that he was a Governance Advisor for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and, from 2003–2005, a Deputy Minister of the Interior in the Government of Afghanistan. In 1994–1995 he worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in South and Southeast Afghanistan helping to establish District Rehabilitation Shuras (DRS). He also worked as a reporter for the Pashto service of the Voice of America from 1985–1990.
The Future of Democracy in Egypt: Notes from the Ground
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Sahar F. Aziz, associate professor of Law at Texas Wesleyan University, and Mirette F. Mabrouk, deputy director for Regional Programs at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, for a discussion about the impact and implications of the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. Mirette Mabrouk will provide a macro-perspective of the current situation and discuss some of the key turning points that precipitated the recent crisis.
Yesterday, General Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s Minister of Defense and head of the military, called for Egyptians to take to the streets in protest on Friday to “confront terrorism.” Such a call amounts to a public relations one-upmanship vis-à-vis continued Islamist protests since Morsi’s ouster. Clearly, the Egyptian military is in no need of popular protests to confront credible national security threats or armed militias that threaten the security of citizens.
Yesterday, the United States announced that it would delay the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt.[1] While such a move might appear to signal a block in U.S. military aid to the country, most Egyptians believe that the United States will, as it always does, provide Egypt with military funding.
Iranians in Malaysia: Batik Artist Pegah Jahangiri
Artist Pegah Jahangiri hails from Tehran, but is currently a doctoral student in visual arts at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. She recently spoke to MEI about her work with batik, strikingly dyed cloth found all over the world, but particularly popular and refined in Southeast Asia.
Mada Masr’s journalist Lina Attalah spoke to Gehad el-Haddad, spokesperson of the Muslim Brotherhood and senior advisor to its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, at the Rabaa el-Adaweya sit-in, where pro-deposed President Mohamed Morsi protesters have been camping to express their rejection of the military coup that ousted him.
What is the current plan? Keep mobilizing to exert pressure? Negotiate at some point?
The Iraqi Factor in the Syrian Crisis: Catalyst or Inhibitor?
Iraqis who cast their votes in postponed local elections in Anbar and Nineveh on 20 June had a lot on their plates. Beyond issues relating to the provision of services locally, the last weeks before the elections saw massive protests against the central government in Baghdad. The many angry slogans on display included calls for greater autonomy for the Sunni-majority areas of Iraq as well as expressions of solidarity with the mainly Sunni Syrian opposition movement.
When the young Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani became ruler of Qatar last month after his father stepped aside in a seamless transition, one of his first official acts was to seal the generational shift by appointing a new prime minister.
Before 3 July 2013 enters the annals of U.S.-backed anti-Islamist coups[1] it is worth noting that Mohamed Morsi’s ill-fated presidency differs from prior cases. Whereas the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) and Hamas posed a threat (however chimeric) to Washington, Morsi quickly won plaudits from U.S. officials. Meanwhile, he menaced the domestic opposition with an autocratic panache. When Morsi exceeded his elected mandate and refused to share power, secularists and Salafists rose against him—while the U.S.
Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addressing violence in Egypt's streets, followed by reaction from political satirist Bassem Youssef. January, 2013.
The Middle East Institute is proud to host Dr. Mona Makram-Ebeid for a discussion about the state of affairs in Egypt in the wake of the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi. Dr. Makram-Ebeid is a prominent Egyptian academic and former member of the Shura Council, who recently resigned in support of the Tamarod movement. She will provide a first-hand perspective on the challenges ahead for Egypt following the recent military takeover of the government and the ensuing violence and unrest.
Announcement: Paul Salem Joining as Vice President of Middle East Institute to Lead Initiative on Arab Transitions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to announce that Paul Salem will join the Institute as a vice president in October to direct the Arab Transitions initiative. Dr. Salem comes to MEI after having served as the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon since 2006.
The sun is beating down and it isn’t even midday. Clutching the all-important paperwork that will get them coveted UN food vouchers, Syrian refugees look harried. The women pull at their children to hurry through the litter-filled yard of the sports club in the town of Bar Elias that serves as a distribution center for the UN’s hard-pressed World Food Program (WFP). Unlike their men, who head for the shade to smoke and exchange news, the women don’t dally, making for the snaking lines into a crowded hall where they will be called in groups by registration numbers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to announce that Paul Salem will join the Institute as a vice president in October to direct the Arab Transitions initiative. Dr. Salem comes to MEI after having served as the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon since 2006. 
