Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: Arab Spring

Protests and the Politics of Futility

Protests and the Politics of Futility

Recently a peaceful election took place in Iran. While the moderate candidate won this past election and there was not a repeat of the protests that took place in 2009, the reality is that the moderate candidate was part of a group of chosen conservative candidates that were permitted to run by religious officials. The […]

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After the Revolts: Arab-West Relations (Part 1/2)

After the Revolts: Arab-West Relations (Part 1/2)

By Manuel Langendorf and Abul-Hasanat Siddique After decades of secular dictatorships, how will a new Middle East and North Africa alter centuries-old Arab-Western relations? This is the first of a two part series. Since December 2010, the Arab revolts have shaken an entire region. Uprisings, initiated by youth activists, have undoubtedly changed the history and […]

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FPA’s Must Reads (May 10-17)

FPA’s Must Reads (May 10-17)

Each week the editors at FPA choose five must reads from around the web and five of the best of ForeignPolicyBlogs.com. So if you’re looking for reading for the weekend, we’ve got you covered.

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U.S. Supports Syrian Online Resistance

U.S. Supports Syrian Online Resistance

The internet went dark in Syria last week. Although media reports blamed the outage on a fault in optical fiber cables many in the tech community were skeptical. After all, it’s not the first time Syria shut down the internet in an attempt to prevent protestors from using social media to coordinate and share with […]

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A Candid Discussion with Trita Parsi

A Candid Discussion with Trita Parsi

Trita Parsi on Sanctions and Iran’s Strategic Imperatives  Trita Parsi is is the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a non-partisan, non-profit organization through which Iranian-Americans could participate in American civic life. Dr. Parsi is considered a leading analyst and observer of US-Iranian relations, Iranian foreign politics, and the geopolitics of the Middle East. He is […]

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Unrest in the Middle East: A Conversation With Siddique and Wuite

Unrest in the Middle East: A Conversation With Siddique and Wuite

by Abul-Hasanat Siddique and Casper Wuite Abul-Hasanat Siddique and Casper Wuite, co-authors of The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction, talk about the political unrest in the Middle East, the Syrian Civil War, the globalization of media, and the future prospects for the region. Is the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa homegrown or a Western-sponsored revolution for change? Abul-Hasanat Siddique: Home-grown. […]

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A Meeting of Ministers: Hague to make latest U.K. Syria bid

A Meeting of Ministers:  Hague to make latest U.K. Syria bid

The vice grip of prolonged violence suffocating Syria is sending the humanitarian situation there careening towards the fading lights of a blackout. With a death toll looming somewhere between 70-90,000 and a refugee population of over a million in two years time, international intervention to this point has been largely limited to food aid and […]

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A Candid Discussion with Barbara Slavin

A Candid Discussion with Barbara Slavin

Barbara Slavin on Iran’s Regional Dynamics Barbara Slavin is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor.com, a website devoted to news from and about the Middle East. The author of a 2007 book, Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the US and the Twisted Path to Confrontation, Ms. Slavin is a regular commentator […]

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Tunisia: Historic Crossroads at a Critical Juncture

Tunisia: Historic Crossroads at a Critical Juncture

“There have been gains in Tunisia. Through disagreements, controversies and blunders, the new phase, once the government is fully endorsed and up and running, will usher a new realism – a wake-up call […]” – Dr Larbi Sadiki regional expert and author of Arab Democratization: Elections without Democracy (March 13, 2013) Tunisia, the birthplace of […]

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A Unique App for Journalists, Bloggers, Photographers and Activists

A Unique App for Journalists, Bloggers, Photographers and Activists

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest contributing piece by Adam Hedengren. Mr. Hedengren is co-founder and managing editor of YourMiddleEast.com ____________________________________________________________ Young surfers on the beaches of Gaza, war in Gaza, media censorship in Tunisia, a Libyan boxer and an Algerian painter, youth unemployment, startups in the Emirates, Lebanese pop stars, food crisis in Yemen […]

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A Candid Discussion on Iran’s Presidential Elections

A Candid Discussion on Iran’s Presidential Elections

The eleventh Iranian presidential election is scheduled to be held this June. Local council elections will also take place at the same time as presidential elections. To take an analytic look at this year’s Iranian elections from a number of relevant angles, the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) will be discussing the elections with leading observers and […]

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The FPA’s Must Reads from Around the Web (January 18-25)

The FPA’s Must Reads from Around the Web (January 18-25)

Articles From Around the Web   The Force By Jill Lepore The New Yorker Once a country that regarded a large standing army as a form of tyranny, the United State’s has now become one of the largest spenders on defense — and its military spending exceeds all of the nation’s in the world combined. […]

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Tough Talk, No Strategy? Increasing role of sanctions in EU Foreign Policy

Tough Talk, No Strategy? Increasing role of sanctions in EU Foreign Policy

As the EU is dragged into coping with the ongoing financial crisis, there has been a lively discussion what will be the consequences on the EU’s foreign policy in the long-term forecast. Most of the arguments deal with a question of how the nature of the EU Crisis Management will change in the upcoming years, as EU […]

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Venezuela Re-engaging Through Security Reform

Venezuela Re-engaging Through Security Reform

The Economist’s Venezuela correspondent put out an informative video on the succession of the next possible leader in Venezuela, that can be found here. I also encourage everyone to read the last few posts on FPA’s Latin America blog for information on Venezuela as well. The consensus among many experts in the region is that […]

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EU Kicks Off a New Fund to Help Oppressed

EU Kicks Off a New Fund to Help Oppressed

Pro-democracy and human rights movements beyond the EU borders will have a new access to grants from a budget of the newly established European Endowment for Democracy (EED). However, even though The Board of Governors of the EED held its meeting in Brussels on 9 January 2013, which also marks its official launch, the future […]

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