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Showing posts with the label democratization

Israel Spring and Middle East's Order: The geopolitics of Democracy and Peace

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Islamic Jihad's only success was cancelling the week 19 Tel Aviv pro-democracy demonstrations. Just add democracy before the resistance axis and you will discover the real war in the Middle East. Seemingly, democracy has to win here to prevail in the Middle East. Only democracy and dignity will achieve peace in the region, which is one region and will always be. So, it is one war with multiple battles. The war for democracy and freedom is pertaining to human dignity, so it can never be sectarian, ethnic or divisive. Rather, it is unifying, pluralistic, philanthropic and pacifying struggle. So, let us unify and pacify our Middle East with democracy, freedom and human rights, and let us start from a real democratic Israel.  Here are my explanatory comments: - Abolishing the judiciary's independence in Israel will put it under government's authority and eventually will turn it into a part of the executive authority, and this will definitely destroy Isra

From Moscow: The Chinese Proclamation of the New World Order

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  The Chinese president's message to his Russian counterpart has been made abundantly clear and self-evident to the extent that it needs no explanatory comments. Simply put, it is a proclamation of China's new international role and objective, which marks a new era in terms of the international order and politics.  - I have no doubt about the disfunctioning of the current US-led western international order due to its intrinsic flaws, unleashed capitalism's problems, and the world's changing balance of power. - Thus, a change in the post-cold war international order and politics is very prospective in the direction of more role and influence for the rising China and its forming international camp, as the victorious western powers couldn't maintain their political and economic paramount strengths, which limit their rivals respective strengths.  - In my opinion, the main problem of the current western-led international order is that it is actually based on and structu

Syria in Reality: Iran's Power and Israel's Policy

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  Israel army chief has made a statement about his country's achievements in preventing "Hizbollah 2" project in Syria. Apart from the motives behind this misleading or self-deluded statement, there are key facts should be stated and clarified concerning Iran, Israel and Syria's war and crisis.  - Iran is the most powerful actor in the regime-held part of Syria in terms of military and economic resources and associated parties. Territories deemed vital for Iran in there are under direct and explicit control of Iran, especially the region that extends from Qalamoon to Deir ezzor.   - Iran invested in a complex infrastructure in Syria consisting of military forces, paramilitary militias, economic networks, military and security personnel, and religious and social institutions. - Iran is working to strengthen its on-ground presence in SDF-held region and even in factions and Turkish-controlled areas. - Iran has a real presence and influence in the southern Syria neighbo

Press Release: New Book by Nassim Yaziji

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Change and Democracy in the Middle East: Middle Eastern Researcher Defends the New Middle East Aleppo ― March 25, 2009 ― In one basic center of the old Middle East, Nassim Yaziji the Syrian researcher specialized in international relations and the Middle East defends and advocates, through a new book, the new Middle East with an empirical, realistic and modern perspective, originated in and from the Middle East itself. His research on the Middle East and international Middle East policies has contributed to producing a significant and unique book. Mr. Yaziji's second book " In Defense of the New Middle East: A Neo-Internationalist Perspective " has been published, advocating the new Middle East as a domestic and international necessity through the due change and democracy, and explaining this change through the Middle East's key realities and political developments the book analyzes. This 264-page book includes more than 100 articles classified into several themes

U.S. Human Rights and Democracy Strategy

I am posting the U.S. Human Rights and Democracy Strategy included in the " Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006 " report released by the Department of State on April 5, 2007. U.S. Human Rights and Democracy Strategy Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006 describes the wide range of diplomatic tools we applied last year to support indigenous reform efforts across the globe. There is no single formula for advancing personal and democratic freedoms. Our efforts focused on the three core components of a working democracy that must be present if human rights are to be effectively exercised and protected: One -- a free and fair elections process, with a level playing field to ensure genuine competition; Two -- good governance, with representative, transparent and accountable institutions operating under the rule of law, including independent legislatures and judiciaries, and; Three -- a robust civil society and independent media that c

The U.S. Record on Supporting Human Rights and Democracy 2006

The U.S. Department of State released the " Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006 " report on April 5, 2007, in which the Department report on actions taken by the U.S. Government to encourage respect for human rights. This fifth annual submission complements the longstanding Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, and takes the next step, moving from highlighting abuses to publicizing the actions and programs the United States has employed to end those abuses. Here are some excerpts on Egypt, Iran, and Lebanon from the Middle East report : "The Lebanese people are determined to build a strong state: a state which can reclaim the position of Lebanon as a haven of moderation, where tolerance and enlightenment triumph over fanaticism, ignorance and oppression; where individual initiative and potential can be fulfilled; a state that rekindles the beacon of freedom and democracy in Lebanon where justice and the rule of law prevail." --

Egypt's Constitutional Amendments

They are meant to pave the way to a dynastic transfer of power to Mr Mubarak's son, Gamal. This is the best insightful comment on Egypt's constitutional amendments. Obviously, Mr. Mubarak would not believe that Egypt is not Syria, and he persistently refuses to show respect for his country and people. Moreover, he thinks that by imprisoning bloggers and tailoring laws and constitutional amendments legalizing the police state, his regime has made of Egypt, he can ensure the 'dynastic republic' and then, his boy's forged succession. However, the Egyptians have proved in the referendum day to the entire world that they deserve freedom and democracy when they left voting offices empty. It was really a slap to Arab authoritarianism through the Egyptian regime. I eventually hope that Egypt authoritarians stop after this showdown and public humiliation in front of the watching world made to them by the Egyptian people, and let bloggers and democratic and liberal activist

Arabs Speak Out about Democracy

The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity and IFES published two surveys (January 12, 2007) showed that corruption and a lack of independence for journalists, parliamentarians, judges, lawyers, are key concerns identified by survey participants in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Lebanon. This is a summary of the findings: Arabs Speak Out about Democracy in New Reports ifes.org January 30, 2007 Two new reports reveal that an overwhelming majority of Arab citizens in four diverse countries support democratic reform and want to make their courts, media and parliaments more independent. In January, more than 200 Arab officials, judges, lawyers, parliamentarians, journalists, academics and community leaders discussed and debated the reports’ findings during back-to-back conferences in Cairo and Amman. The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity, or ACRLI, and IFES sponsored the conferences and compiled the reports under the auspices of the Uni

News Concerning Middle East Reform

This is the news section of the latest issue of Arab Reform Bulletin (February 2007) Published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Headlines: Egypt: Authorities Intensify Crackdown on Muslim Brothers; Journalists Arrested Palestine: Hamas and Fatah Sign Accord Syria: Upcoming Elections Jordan: Parliament Approves New Municipalities Law; Debate Over Press Law Bahrain: Political Activists Arrested Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Watch Denied Access to Prisons UAE: Government Appoints Members of Advisory Council Qatar: Run-Up to Elections Morocco: Crackdown on Press Upcoming Political Events Contents: Egypt: Authorities Intensify Crackdown on Muslim Brothers; Journalists Arrested In a continuation of the Egyptian government's crackdown on the Muslim Brothers, authorities referred the cases of 40 members arrested over the past two months to a military tribunal on February 6. Decisions by the military courts cannot be appealed; the authorities had not referred any Brotherho