Originally posted December 2009
This infographic explains one facet of the argument posed in MEI Scholar Zubair Iqbal‘s recent article The Economic Determinants of Arab Democratization, posted March 13.
Click the image to enlarge
Originally posted December 2009
Nation-states, like their citizens, have life spans. Some are short. The bumptious Republic of Texas, for instance, lasted only nine years before being absorbed by a larger and even more energetic United States of America. Yugoslavia survived intact for two generations and then fragmented into six parts, seven including Kosovo.
Recent media reports indicate that fewer Afghan women turned out to vote for a President on August 20, 2009 than went to the polls five years ago, when in some districts female turnout had been even higher than that of males. Apprehension, convention, ennui, and disorganization led to families keeping their women home on election day, even as men dared to vote. The reversal of women’s rights, which they had only recently begun to exercise, is an ominous sign.
This article first appeared in Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel on April 10, 2012
The Russian government, like its counterparts in the West, the Middle East, and elsewhere, was caught off guard by the outburst of Arab uprisings beginning in January 2011 that swept away long-ruling authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and (it appears) Yemen, and have threatened to topple those in Bahrain and Syria. The response of the Russian government to these events has, like that of Western governments, often been confused and inconsistent. Just as Western governments have done, Moscow has sought to protect its interests in the region.
Originally posted August 2011
Russia's relations with Syria – even under the Assad regime – have been more troubled than current press accounts of Moscow-Damascus ties indicate. But despite the internal and external opposition to the Assad regime that has risen up over the past year, the Russian government has defended it staunchly via its Security Council veto and other means. In his talk, Mark Katz will discuss why Moscow supports the Assad regime so strongly as well as why it is willing to incur the costs of doing so.
Why Does Russia Support the Assad Regime? podcast, 15 March, 2012
Why Does Russia Support the Assad Regime? podcast, 15 March, 2012
Why Does Russia Support the Assad Regime? podcast, 15 March, 2012
Why Does Russia Support the Assad Regime? podcast, 15 March, 2012
Why Does Russia Support the Assad Regime? podcast, 15 March, 2012
Originally posted September 2011
On August 21, 2011, rebel forces in Libya rolled into the capital Tripoli, seemingly finishing off months of armed combat and foreign intervention and bringing down yet another Arab head of state. At the same time, sporadic but violent repression of protests in Syria continues, while other states remain calm or have seen their protest movements fizzle. We open this second volume of our series, Revolution and Political Transformation¸ at a time of uncertainty and transition for the region.
In his article for NPR.com, Middle East Institute scholar Greg Myre examines the new dynamics of war reporting. As the nature of warfare shifts from traditional army-to-army combat to more assymetrical government vs. non-state opposition warfare, journalists are having to embed – alone – with rebels groups in order to get the story. In the wake of multiple journalist deaths in Syria, Myre looks at the increasing risk faced by war correspondents in covering the front lines of conflict.