democracy assistance to the region, which will drop from $459.2 million to $298.3 million
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The U.S. Is Giving Up on Middle East Democracy-and That's a Mistake - The Atlantic - 0 views
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Today’s Middle East is a product, at least in part, of failed democratization, and one of the reasons it failed was the timid, half-hearted support of the Obama administration.
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“it was an externally driven shift in the cost of suppression, not changes in domestic conditions, that contributed most centrally to the demise of authoritarianism in the 1980s and 1990s.” They find that “states’ vulnerability to Western democratization pressure… was often decisive.”
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it is also worth noting that President Bush acknowledged the existence of a “tyranny-terror” link—the notion that the root causes of extremism and terrorism can be found in the region’s enduring lack of democracy.
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the administration’s approach to the region is characterized almost entirely by ad-hoc crisis management and traditional counterterrorism approaches. Its one larger-scale reform initiative—a half-hearted proposal for a
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We argue that the U.S. and its partners now need to consider a very different approach to Middle East democracy assistance.
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Conventional democracy promotion activities tend to focus on the process and “retail” aspects of democratic politics—things like elections, political party training, get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns, and civil society enhancement. While these are undoubtedly important, they are insufficient to deliver lasting reforms. Authoritarianism in the Arab world has proven time and time again—even in supposedly post-revolutionary settings such as Egypt today—that it can weather the annoyances of elections and civil society.
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What is needed are more systematic reforms focused on fundamental institutions. These include things like constraining the military’s role in civilian domains of governance, deep reform in the security and justice sectors including law enforcement and policing, and comprehensive “renovation” of the civil service sector. These are large-scale, long-term, and expensive undertakings that far transcend the modest parameters of most U.S. democracy promotion programs.
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we make the case for a new Multilateral Endowment for Reform (MER) that would tie significant levels of financial assistance—in the billions of dollars—to reform commitments and benchmarked implementation performance by partner nations.
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provide a real incentive for countries to embark down a path to deeper and more enduring political reforms while retaining the ability to pull back funding if they do not deliver.
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This article begins by illuminating the regional democracy assistance cuts that are dropping from $459.2 million to $298.3 million It explains that the Bush Administration began the quest for democracy in the Middle East, and the Obama administration has only continued in his footsteps. The author presents the viewpoint that the U.S. approach to Arab democratization has been in the form of "ad-hoc crisis management" rather than "large scale reform initiatives." Promoting democracy in the form of democratic politics are insufficient, elections and political parties have consistently proved to weather away and fester further civil strife. Consequently, the article proposes a new approach to the region conflict. This approach calls for "systematic reforms" focusing on basic institutions such as the civil service sector, justice and law enforcement, and the military's role in governance. The idea is that addressing these lacking departments in the arab world will eventually pave the way to a smoother democratic transition.
Hamas drops call for destruction of Israel from manifesto | World news | The Guardian - 0 views
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BBC News - Syria barrel bombs 'kill dozens in Islamic State areas' - 0 views
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Terror in Tunisia deals fresh blow to tourism | The National - 0 views
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Since the attack on the Bardo museum 3,000 holidays cancellations have been reported, reservations have decreased 60 percent. Seven cruise lines have dropped Tunis from their itineraries and some charter airlines flying in Russian, Czech and Polish tourists have already cancelled flights. Tourism is a huge part of Tunisia's economy. Last year tourists topped 6 million, 2010 tourism industry represented 17 percent of GDP.
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Tunisia Museum Attack: Tourism, Economy will take a hit nationally regionally, Experts say - 0 views
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In 2011 the number of tourists dropped by a third, by 2013 Tunisia was showing signs of a comeback, with income from tourism. The total contribution of the industry to Tunisia's economy was 15.2 percent of its gross domestic product. With the attack on the museum it was a major setback to the growth and promise of tourism and not just in Tunisia.
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Arab governments are failing on human trafficking | Brian Whitaker | Opinion | The Guar... - 0 views
www.theguardian.com/...-governments-human-trafficking
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shared by ccfuentez on 22 Feb 16
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"Trafficking in persons" covers various forms of exploitation including, in the words of the international Palermo protocol, "sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs".
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In Saudi Arabia if workers file a complaint against their employers about abuse they are usually returned to their employers or pressured to drop the charges. Typically, the employers will file a false counter-argument against the workers for theft, witchcraft, and adultery in retaliation. This country is also accused of failing to take action to reduce the demand of prostitution or child sex tourism.
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Saudi Arabia's Muhanna Sees Oil Recovering From 'Temporary' Drop - 0 views
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ANNE R. PIERCE: Beware ISIS strategy that fortifies Russia, Iran, and Syria - Washingto... - 0 views
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Demonstration of united resolve against blood-thirsty terrorists whose ranks, ambitions and territory have grown exponentially is important
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forging strategy to battle ISIS without also forging strategy to thwart Syria, Russia and Iran is a terrible mistake
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brutality and aggression of the Islamic State, he still whitewashes the brutality and aggression of established states Syria, Russia and Iran, and still ignores the need for grand strategy to deal with them
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potentially, an even greater threat to the “free world” than ISIS. Because they are terror sponsors and supporters, WMD in their control means WMD out of control, susceptible to being sold or given to fanatics who are willing to work for their cause
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working with the Iranian, Russian and Syrian regimes to address Middle Eastern problems and fight ISIS is a sure way to alienate Middle Eastern moderates and traditional partner
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Russia’s staunch support of Syria and Iran; its ruthless aggression in Ukraine; and its expansionist designs in Eastern Europe, should make containing Russia an American foreign policy priority
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Instead, much of the White House plan for combating ISIS plays right into Syrian, Iranian and Russian hands, for it revolves around their plans –which include allowing Assad to stay in power, legitimizing Russian-sponsored “peace conferences” that buy Assad time and raise Putin’s stature, accommodating the Iranian nuclear program, and giving Iran the lead in the battle against ISIS and in the Levant.
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the United States has been mostly passive, while Russia, Iran and its proxies, and al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists, have seized the day.
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opened the door to extremist groups eager to hijack the Syrian revolt and/or defend the Syrian regime
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While the Obama administration justified its unwillingness to give meaningful aid to Syrian rebels with fear of helping extremists within rebel ranks, that stance allowed extremism within Syria to metastasize
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Russia provided cover for Syria in the UN, and supplied many of the very weapons Assad uses to massacre civilian
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President Obama and Secretary Kerry have backed even further away from demands that Assad leave, while even the goal of a transitional government which characterized the previous talks has been dropped
Egypt's Ezz Steel sees 110% y-o-y net profit drop in Q1 - Economy - Business - Ahram On... - 0 views
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Use Of Social Media Leads To News Outlets Providing False Information - WIBW News Now! - 0 views
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This article goes into talking about how the speed of news trumps the accuracy of information. In todays fast paced society, social media is a great way to find out whats going on at the drop of a hat. However, the information we are exposed to on a daily basis can be filled with fabrication for many different reasons. This article speaks highly of methods like "crowdsourcing", but goes on to say that a "gatekeeper" for this information is needed, making sure no fabrication occurs. This leads me to think about how in developed countries we even have a hard time spotting false information, and how places like the Middle East must have a even more difficult time finding out whats real, leading to uproar and uncertainty on a large scale.
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Oil Extends Drop on Libyan Field Restart, OPEC Outlook - Bloomberg - 1 views
www.bloomberg.com/...-rise-less-than-predicted.html
militias oil bloomberg field armed groups war middle east OPEC
shared by allieggg on 14 Nov 14
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Libya should resume pumping “soon” at Sharara, its biggest-producing oil field prior to the disruption, following an attack yesterday, an official said.
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“The Sharara disruption highlights the current chaos in Libya, and also how fragile the production is.”
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This article basically highlights the significance of Libyan oil fields in terms of the international community. Chaos in Libya not only affects the eastern region, but all OPEC members and importers of crude oil across the globe. After the recent attacks on Sharara, the biggest field in Libya, production has significantly slowed down. Libya's elected parliament assures the global community that they will resume normal outputs soon, but as the country deepens further into civil war, international actors remain skeptical.
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3 Survivors Reveal the Brutal Reality of Female Genital Mutilation - 0 views
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According to the AHA Foundation, up to 228,000 girls and women in the U.S. are vulnerable to what's called "vacation cutting," when parents send their daughters to stay with their families abroad and to endure female genital mutilation (FGM)
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"Most women won't share their stories because they are afraid of what will happen to them, what will happen to their parents."
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The shame runs so deep that girls are taught to never look at or touch their genitals, and most of them have never been to a gynecologist
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don't even know they have been mutilated until they attempt to have sex, at which time they often need to be cut open again to consummate a marriage.
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We went into a home, and immediately women grabbed and blindfolded us and tied us to some thick bushes.
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Three other women were holding down my arms and legs, and another was sitting right on my chest, covering my mouth
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t. What the cutter does is hold on to your clitoris to make sure she gets that and scrapes everything else that comes along with it — all of the labia,
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We were also taught, every day, that if we ever talked about this, if we even mentioned it, they would kill us.
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I learned two of them later died in childbirth, which was too difficult for them because of FGM. They bled to death.
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BBC News - Assad says Syria is informed on anti-IS air campaign - 0 views
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"There are no indiscriminate weapons. When you shoot you aim, and when you shoot, when you aim, you aim at terrorists in order to protect civilians... You cannot have war without casualties."
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BBC News - Arab uprising: Country by country - Syria - 0 views
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Opposition supporters began to take up arms, first to defend themselves and then to oust loyalist forces from their areas.
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dropped an article giving the ruling Baath Party unique status as the "leader of the state and society"
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Syrian conflict: UN first air drop delivers aid to Deir al-Zour - BBC News - 0 views
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Finally, aid has made it to Deir al-Zor. This eastern city has been besieged by ISIS militants for some time now. I will be keeping an eye out to see how the aid is used. This is also interesting because the city is in a part of the country that is less accessible to government forces, with ISIS being in control of the surrounding area.
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Education Has Never Been Deadlier for Syria's Children - Save the Children - 0 views
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Education is now one of the deadliest pursuits for children and teachers inside Syria, as the country's schools are increasingly being damaged and destroyed in the conflict.
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Syria has now descended to the second worst rate of school attendance in the world with 2.8 million children out of schoo
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t is absolutely shameful that the obligation to protect schools is not being respected in this conflict
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Syrian refugee children in neighbouring countries are facing disturbing rates of abuse, bullying, corporal punishment and marginalization
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p to half of children surveyed by the agency in Syria reported they were 'rarely' or 'never' able to concentrate in class
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Syrian children are dropping out of school by the day, and the international community has to step up its response to ensure that we do not lose an entire generation of children."
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Four years into the Syria crisis, overall enrolment in Syrian schools has halved from near 100% pre-crisis levels, while enrolment in the hardest hit areas such as Aleppo has plummeted to just 6%
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And those children who have managed to escape the conflict in Syria are also missing out on education with devastating consequences. One in 10 Syrian refugee children across the region are estimated to be working, and the figure is likely to be much higher. In Jordan, 47% of refugee families reported relying partly or entirely on their children's income in a recent assessment.
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We have heard from children being cursed and ridiculed by teachers in host countries, being told that they have ruined their country or to go back to Syria," Hearn said. "Others face corporal punishment at school. In Egypt alone, 30% of children we interviewed told us they were being hit by teachers and 70% are being verbally abused
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Refugee children are also faced with learning an unfamiliar curriculum or even a teacher speaking a language they cannot understand.
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Saudi Arabia Is Winning Its War Against The U.S. Oil Industry | FiveThirtyEight - 0 views
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News & Broadcast - Education: Improving access and quality of education in Yemen - 0 views
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For almost three decades, the International Development Association (IDA) has actively helped increase access to, and the quality of, educational services in Yemen. The main achievements are the expansion of the education system at all levels, which helped halve the illiteracy rate to 45 percent from 90 percent
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Fewer girls than boys enrol in school (particularly in rural areas), many tend to be over-age and most drop out before completing basic education.
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lack of female teachers is one of the factors resulting in low enrolment and retention of girls in schools, particularly in higher grades when parents tend to object to male teachers
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The sector also suffers from a lack of efficiency and effectiveness in using limited financial resources and weak management capacity.
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The Secondary Education Development and Girls Access Project provides a platform to address broader sector governance and management issues by bringing together the Ministries of Planning, Finance, Civil Service and Insurance and Local Officials to jointly sign a Protocol of Participation in this Project.
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men is also part of the Education For All Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI). FTI focuses on increasing access of children to primary education in line with the MDG target of achieving universal primary education, and its interventions target the most remote areas in the country where no other IDA project, government intervention or donor project has gone before
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Increase in enrolment in primary education to 87 percent in 2008-09 from 68 percent in 1998-99.Gains in girls’ enrolment were even higher with an increase to 78% in 2008-09 from 49% in 1998-99, reducing by half the gap with male enrolment
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otal Bank financing for the five projects amounts to US$133 million, comprising Basic Education Development Project (US$68.66 million), Secondary Education Development and Girls Access project (US$20 million), Fast Track Initiative – Phase III (US$20 million), Second Vocational Training Project (US$ 15 million), and Second Higher Education Project (US$13 million).
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he basic education sector in Yemen is characterized by a high degree of donor harmonization. Education receives a large share of the comparatively small amount of Official Development Assistance per capita recipient (just US$13 in 2006).
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The Yemen Country Status Report set the stage for the development of a national vision for education. The national vision is to be developed in coordination with line ministries and aims to develop the foundations for a national education system that is linked to the labor market