The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

NEW: In Sudan, a parallel war is taking place on social media platforms as Sudanese are being bombarded with competing propaganda campaigns by the RSF and SAF. Designed to increase support and shape domestic agendas, these campaigns have been fueling the deliberate dissemination of manipulative information, as well as disinformation and divisive hate speech. In our latest piece, co-published with Arabi Facts Hub, former nonresident fellow Hamid Khalafallah analyzes digital propaganda and disinformation in Sudan and their implications for civilians’ safety, efforts toward a peaceful resolution, and civic space. Read his analysis here: https://lnkd.in/eBZXHMtZ “These deliberate campaigns are used to fuel the mass arming of civilians, as reports show that many have been misled and manipulated to pick up arms and join the fighting. These campaigns continue to perpetuate divisive narratives online, which have polarized Sudanese citizens and exacerbated intercommunal tensions, threatening to damage the Sudanese social fabric beyond repair,” writes Khalafallah.

💡 What should the policy world be paying attention to in MENA in 2025? In the year ahead, the MENA region faces an array of growing risks and a handful of important opportunities, all requiring precise and strategic thinking: from Israel’s devastation of Gaza and the fall of Assad in Syria to increasing repression in Egypt and Tunisia. We asked TIMEP's nonresident fellows and staff what they believe policymakers should focus on in 2025, based on their expertise and mandates. Read their answers here: https://lnkd.in/ezMt3JDN

Egypt's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is happening this month on January 28. The UPR is a UN mechanism through which the human rights record of every UN member state is assessed in a peer review process. As part of the UPR, civil society can submit information as well. Ahead of this year’s cycle, TIMEP has submitted three alternate reports spotlighting three critical human rights issues in collaboration with eight different partners. 1- Erosion of Legal Profession Independence and Fair Trial Guarantees: Together with the The Law Society and Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L), TIMEP highlights the policies and laws that undermine the independence of the judiciary and fair trial guarantees in Egypt. This is in addition to the systematic persecution of lawyers, obstructing their ability to defend their clients effectively. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dg928wGd.   2- Economic and Social Rights: In collaboration with the Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR), MENA Fem Movement For Economic, Development And Ecological Justice, Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), the Center For Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance, and the Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)-المنبر المصري لحقوق الإنسان, TIMEP examines the impact of austerity measures in Egypt on essential economic and social rights. The report highlights critical concerns around equal access to health, education, just working conditions, adequate living standards, and social security, with particular focus on the disproportionate impact of these measures on vulnerable groups, including women and prisoners. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d-m3htg5. 3- Right to Health for Transgender and Intersex Individuals: Jointly with Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute, TIMEP sheds light on the healthcare disparities faced by transgender and intersex individuals in Egypt. The report reveals inadequate healthcare policies, insufficient resources, and the absence of anti-discrimination measures, contributing to the continued marginalization of transgender and intersex individuals and undermining their internationally and constitutionally protected rights to health and equality. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dM3ayd_i.  

As 2024 wraps up, some end-of-year reflections from TIMEP's Executive Director Mai El-Sadany.

On this last day in 2024, join TIMEP in our mission to invest in our community's power and deliver better policies for the MENA region. Your donation to our #YearEndGiving campaign helps keep our work sustainable and independent: https://lnkd.in/ey3p9h4U

Thanks to our community's generous support, we've already met 29% of our #YearEndGiving campaign goal. There's still time before 2024 wraps up to support TIMEP in our mission to revolutionize MENA policymaking. We can't do it without you! Click here to make a one-time or recurring monthly donation: https://lnkd.in/gr8HxzQe

This past year has been devastating for our communities. Wars have claimed the lives of a harrowing number of civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan, while Tunisians have faced a growing crackdown and Egyptians have suffered a seemingly endless economic crisis. Despite this, the year ended with a spark of hope, when the Assad regime finally fell from power after a half century of brutal rule. Syrians now have, ahead of them, a chance to rebuild and redefine their country’s future, with all of the challenges that entails and the potential that brings. Now, more than ever, it is essential that our community have the power and the resources to influence and define the debates about policies impacting the MENA region. TIMEP has worked with partners in the region and the diaspora to build our networks, expertise, and influence to ensure that those most impacted by policies in the MENA region are central to informing and shaping them. To grow this work at a critical juncture, we need your support. Whether it’s a recurring donation that we can count on every month or a one-time contribution, your support is what makes this work sustainable and independent. Invest in our community’s power. Invest in TIMEP. Join us in our shared effort to demand better from and for MENA policymaking by making a donation to TIMEP’s #YearEndGiving Campaign: https://lnkd.in/gq8WsApP.

NEW: On December 8, the 54-year Assad regime family rule came to an end. The weeks and months to come will be critical for Syria's transition. In this new piece, TIMEP speaks with Dr Haid Haid ( حايد) to unpack what happened and what's to come. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eKSkRw-w. "External actors must support a Syrian-led transition while providing guarantees for inclusivity and fairness. Equally important is the need to prevent HTS from monopolizing the process or imposing its unilateral vision on the country. In this context, it is vital to monitor how international actors wield their influence and leverage," Haid told TIMEP.

Several European countries decided to pause the review and processing of all Syrian asylum applications, leaving many asylum seekers in limbo, fearing for their future. In this analysis, TIMEP's Obai Kurd Ali and Mai El-Sadany argue that these decisions are not only premature, but also not commensurate with facts on the ground, unethical, and likely in violation of European countries’ international legal commitments. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e3vZGAD8 "Decisions like these European asylum ones create a context in which Syrian asylum seekers and refugees may be forced to return to a country that is not yet safe, through a process of deportation or return that is not dignified and does not ensure that they have a place to resume a dignified life at home. Such unfair decisions constitute a pressure factor that makes Syrians’ return lacking any voluntary status," they write.

For too long, you’ve seen those setting and implementing policy ignore and cast aside the expertise and ideas of those who know the MENA region best. At TIMEP, we’re working to change that and we need you to help us continue this vital work. Support our #YearEndGiving campaign here: https://lnkd.in/gq8WsApP