In this paper, Hala Aldosari examines personal status law in the six Gulf Arab states, and the limitations PSLs impose on women’s autonomy and the role of women within the family. PSLs have restrictions on women’s autonomy in three areas in particular: marriage, divorce, and child custody. The gendered nature of PSL is an extension of the political values inscribed in constitutional laws and the customary patriarchal norms. Read more
The Turkish government’s defeat of an attempted military coup last month has captivated Islamists across the Middle East, who found relief, and a bit of redemption, in the popular mobilization against the rebellious officers. The government, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had already earned Islamist praise for the support it has offered to popular uprisings in Egypt and Syria and the refuge it has extended to exiled Muslim Brotherhood activists and Syrian refugees. Now many Islamists, both Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi, are elevating Erdogan beyond mere national leadership, portraying him at the vanguard of the defense of a newly revived Islamic community, or Ummah. Read more
If experience is any guide, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s management of the Egyptian economy is in for a rough ride. Sisi now contends that it is up to the Egyptian people to make meaningful economic reforms. In an apparent admission that things have not gone according to plan, he said, "The fighter does not fight alone; his support system – the people – should fight with him.” Read more
In June, the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington hosted an evening of new generation spoken word poetry from the Gulf. Far from being a relic of the past, poetry has witnessed a modern revival through television and the Internet to reach an audience of millions in the Gulf Cooperation Council states. The AGSIW program included a discussion with three pathbreaking poets.
تتمتع هيلاري كلينتون مرشحة الحزب الديمقراطي للرئاسة الأمريكية بخبرة سياسية خارجية واسعة، ولديها إلمام كبير بالقضايا والتحديات الداخلية المعقدة مثل إصلاح الضمان الاجتماعي وتطوير قانون الضمان الصحي، ومعالجة العجز في الميزانية، وهي قضايا تعاملت معها كلينتون كعضو في مجلس الشيوخ وكوزيرة للخارجية اطلع على المزيد
Just one week after Russian bombers began flying missions over Syria out of an Iranian air base in Hamadan, Tehran has revoked its permission for Moscow to use the base. These missions never would have begun if Tehran had not agreed that they could take place. But Russia’s public declaration that they were occurring had a negative impact on Iranian domestic politics. Read more
In the Media
AGSIW Executive Vice President Stephen A. Seche commented on the different U.S. foreign policy approaches to the conflicts in Syria and Yemen for POLITICO: "The Syrian conflict is so all-consuming because it has dimensions that the conflict in Yemen does not have. Yemen does not rise to that level of complication."
AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Karen E. Young discussed Gulf Cooperation Council fiscal reforms and challenges with MEES: "The GCC is still growing, and not in a formal recession, but the rates are much lower than even international financial institutions predicted last year."
AGSIW Non-Resident Fellow Sigurd Neubauer commented on Oman's role as mediator for the United States and Iran for Al Monitor noting, “In a post-Iran agreement environment, I think that Oman is not as able to be as quiet a broker as it used to be."
Outreach
AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Karen E. Young participated in the Gulf Research Meeting at Cambridge University from August 16-19. She presented her research on barriers to women's inclusion in Gulf labor markets in the workshop, "The Economics of Migration to the Gulf: Perspectives from Countries of Origin and Destination."
Position Title: Associate – Cultural Programs Department/Team: Programs and Communication Period: Part Time (25 hours/week, no benefits) Location: Washington, DC
Job Summary: The cultural associate will be responsible for proposing and implementing cultural programming at AGSIW, such as panel discussions, film screenings, art exhibitions, and music performances. The associate will monitor the arts and culture scene in the GCC countries and help shape the direction of AGSIW cultural programming. The associate will provide administrative, communication, and logistical support to the programs team to plan and execute cultural programming. Read more
Position Title: Research Associate Department/Team: Senior Resident Scholars Period: Part Time (20-25 hours/week, no benefits) Location: Washington, DC
Job Summary: Provide research assistance and administrative support to senior resident scholars at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. At the direction of the scholars, conduct research on Gulf politics, foreign policy, culture, economics, and U.S. policy toward the region. Monitor contemporary developments in the Gulf states and in U.S. policy, including reviews of regional media and foreign language sources. Contribute analytical essays, bibliographies, and summaries on relevant topics. Read more
