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Middle East Program
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November 30, 2021
November Newsletter
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Also in November, MEP hosted Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for a discussion on regional peace and security. Wilson Center CEO & President Ambassador Mark Green visited the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain to kick off MEP's partnership with the Supreme Council for Women. On Enheduanna, MEP released the second part of its series on women, work, and COVID-19, which aims to better understand the new labor market dynamics facing women in the region. Director Merissa Khurma spoke with Middle East experts Rami Khoury, Nadia Oweidat and MEP Chair Ambassador Jim Jeffrey on the implications of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on the MENA region. And on Viewpoints, Fellow David Ottaway writes that Saudi Arabia's MBS intends to sell the world on the idea that the Kingdom is the world’s prime producer of fossil fuels and a “green leader” simultaneously.
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16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
November 25 marked the first day of the United Nations' 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. To commemorate, the Middle East Program Director Merissa Khurma spoke with three women from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region about online harassment as a form of GBV.
- Yasmina Allouche argued while progress has been made in criminalizing certain forms of GBV, governments across the region must do more to implement those laws and seek justice for victims.
- Zaina Erhaim highlighted the impact of online harassment to women journalists in particular, forcing some to remove themselves from the public eye.
- Olivia Cuthbert brings attention to the devastating impact of online forms of violence on women’s psychological and emotional well-being, particularly for young girls and women. Click the "Learn More" button below to watch the interviews.
Click the "Learn more" button below to watch the interviews.
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Riyada Podcast
Earlier this month, MEP announced the launch of the Riyada Podcast with support from the U.S. Embassy in Jordan. The first episode is out now! As part of the Ready to Launch: Entrepreneurship in MENA series, co-hosts Merissa Khurma and Rajae Sahouri interviewed Fida Taher (in English and in Arabic), a serial entrepreneur from Jordan. After watching her mother struggle to start and sustain her own business, Fida started her own business and now runs multiple startups that support and strengthen the capacity of other women entrepreneurs. Click "learn more" below to listen.
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إضغط على هذا الرابط للحلقة بالعربي
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HINDSIGHT UP FRONT: A CONVERSATION WITH AFGHAN WOMEN
Marwa Dashti and Hilai Barakzai were forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, yet are determined to fight for women’s right to work and access to education.
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Hindsight Up Front: A Conversation with Afghan Women
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In partnership with the Wilson Center’s Asia Program and Vital Voices, Middle East Program Director Merissa Khurma had the opportunity to interview two Afghan women. Marwa Dashti and Hilai Barakzai were forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, yet are determined to fight for women’s right to work and access to education.
The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan is most probably the worst political outcome for women and girls in the country, and is already leading to a devastating humanitarian disaster. After two decades of activism and progress in rebuilding educational institutions, and strengthening civil society and women-led or owned enterprises, Afghani women stand to lose their most basic rights and freedoms under Taliban rule. But, while the Taliban see them as threats, they stand to be Afghanistan’s hope.
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Enhedaunna
Last month, the Middle East Program's Enheduanna blog launched the, "Women, Work, and COVID-19 in MENA," blog series to better understand the new dynamics facing women in the labor market. The COVID-19 pandemic is reshuffling the global economy, shutting down some sectors and spurring growth in others. In the MENA region, these changes threaten to turn back vital progress in women's employment.
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- Tara Kangarlou reflects on the devastating economic and mental health challenges women in Iran are facing, particularly in the healthcare sector.
- Dalia Hatuqa emphasizes the need for gender equality in both private and public sector responses to the pandemic in Palestine.
- Gali Levi proposes a strategy to mitigate the long-term negative impacts on women's employment in Israel.
Learn mor
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Ambassador Mark Green Visits the Region
This month, the Wilson Center's CEO & President Ambassador Mark Green visited the United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Bahrain. In the UAE, he gave a keynote address at the 1st International Arabian-Gulf Security Conference hosted by the American University in the Emirates. He also met with Minister of State for Youth Affairs Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Green Development and Climate Change Aisha Mohamed Abdullah Al Abdooli, and Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation.
In Bahrain, Ambassador Green and MEP Director Merissa Khurma kicked off a new partnership with the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain. Read Ambassador Green's piece on advancements in the economic and political empowerment of Bahrain women following the trip.
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Webcast
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This discussion with H.E. Sameh Shoukry, the Foreign Minister of Egypt, covered developments in the Middle East and North Africa region, which are of vital national security interest to both the United States and its partner Egypt. Despite a few challenges, the US and Egypt’s strategic partnership is one that has evolved over time, serving the interests of both countries in a robust and vigorous manner.
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Webcast
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Countries in the MENA region will respond differently to the new reality in Afghanistan with the Taliban at the helm, which will have major implications for the Middle East. This event brought together experts who evaluated the looming uncertainties of the impact of the Taliban-led Afghanistan on regional security and populations.
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WEBCAST
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The Wilson Center hosted U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus Julie Fisher and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Belarus Dirk Schuebel to discuss the migrant issue as a Lukashenka regime-engineered crisis, U.S. coordination with European partners on Belarus in the context of broader regional tensions, and implications of these developments for U.S. and EU policy.
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Webcast
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The third GMES seminar featured a discussion with Özlem Altan-Olcay and Evren Balta on the meanings and values of US citizenship for people outside of the United States. Altan-Olcay and Balta’s new book, The American Passport in Turkey: National Citizenship in the Age of Transnationalism, “explores the diverse meanings and values that people outside of the United States attribute to U.S. citizenship”.
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Viewpoints
Saudi Arabia has launched a full-court press to keep fossil fuels central to the global energy equation for decades to come just as a global climate summit aimed at phasing them out in favor of renewable energy sources began Monday in Scotland. Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salman's intention is clearly set upon selling the world on the novel depiction of Saudi Arabia as the world’s prime producer of fossil fuels and a “green leader” simultaneously.
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United States Institute of Peace
Read the latest from the Iran Primer, the world's most comprehensive website on Iran. This month the Primer tracks developments in Iran's nuclear policy and reactions from the international community.
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