realclearworld Newsletters: Mideast Memo
This weekend marks an important step in the slow slog toward democracy and equality in Saudi Arabia. Following a 2011 edict by the Kingdom's late ruler King Abdullah, Saudi women are, for the first time, running and voting in nationwide municipal elections to be held Saturday.
Although the municipal seats -- which deal mostly with local budgetary matters -- hold little authority, the vote nonetheless represents a victory for the many Saudi women who have worked in recent years to expand and improve the rights of women in both the country's public and private spheres. Foreign Policy's Elizabeth Dickinson reports from Riyadh and Jeddah:
"Since 2013 women have been appointed to the Shura Council, a national advisory parliament, and have seen their opportunities for employment grow exponentially. Female workers once clustered in teaching and nursing are now opening their own businesses, running the cash registers at malls, and cooking in restaurants."
These gains, however, have received pushback and opprobrium from a Saudi society that remains very conservative, and the likelihood of an electoral letdown this weekend remains high. "Female voter registration, which took place in August and September, was low and analysts and advocates alike say there is a good chance no women candidates will be elected," explains Dickinson.
Female candidates are prohibited from putting their photos on campaign posters and cannot drive, making it difficult to campaign and win votes. Some analysts, in spite of all these challenges, still see reason for hope. Saudi columnist Abeer Mishkhas:
"For every step forward more hurdles are put in their way, but when I look at my mother's generation and compare it with this one, I can't but be optimistic about the changes that have begun to sweep through Saudi society. Women are forging ahead as doctors, company executives, academics, athletes, and now, after the 12 December elections, some will be councillors. It may prove slow and laborious, but perhaps nothing is worth having if you don't fight for it."
Why 900 Women Are Running for Office in Saudi Arabia -- CS Monitor
Saudi Women Far from Equal to Men -- The Guardian
Are Saudi Suffragettes in for a Letdown? -- Foreign Policy
Around the Region
Turkey-Russia row hitting pocketbooks and travel plans. The ongoing dispute over Turkey's Nov. 24 downing of a Russian fighter jet is starting to have a direct effect on Russians, thanks in large part to sanctions imposed on Turkish imports like fruits, vegetables, and clothing. It's also cramping Russian travel plans: "Almost 4 million Russians visit Turkey annually, mostly on cheap package tours to its sunny Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. But in the wake of the Su-24 incident, Russia has banned charter flights to Turkey, and as of this week virtually all Russian group tours have stopped." Read the rest here.
Photographing disaster in Yemen. Photographer Alex Potter chronicles a night of airstrikes and heartbreak in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.
Poverty up in Israel. "Most of Israel's poor families are neither ultra-Orthodox nor Arab, however. Poverty is most prevalent in outlying areas of the country and in Jerusalem. A growing incidence of poverty was noted particularly in Jerusalem and the south, but in absolute terms, it is particularly high in the Jerusalem area and the north." Haaretz has more.
Syria's rebels attempt to close ranks. Reuters' Angus McDowall reports on a critical meeting of Syrian rebel factions held this week in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Delegates from a number of different forces -- including those with links to al-Qaeda -- met Wednesday in an attempt to unify the disparate groups ahead of possible talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. For more, click here.
Large Mideast retail chain drops Donald Trump. It would appear as though U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States may have cost the bombastic entrepreneur some business in the Middle East. Katie Paul reports.
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