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The Layalina Review

The Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media

The Layalina Review is a peerless bi-weekly source for monitoring developments in the spheres of public diplomacy and Arab media.

Its readers include academics, Foreign Service Officers, students, members of Congress and their staffs, foreign diplomats, and professionals in both the private and public sectors.

Published 26 times per year, the review is free to subscribers and available in PDF, HTML, and RSS formats.

The Layalina Review is brought to you thanks in part to a grant from The Dr. Scholl Foundation of Illinois.

Statistic of the Week
More than 85% of the people in Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon combined have followed news about political demonstrations in the region, and in Arab countries there is widespread optimism that the protests will lead to more democracy, according to a recent study.

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Vol. VII No. 25: 12/02-12/15, 2011

Vol. VII No. 24: 11/18-12/01, 2011

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The views expressed here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Layalina Productions, Inc.

VOL. VII NO. 26 December 16-December 29, 2011

A Year in Review

Social Media and the Success of the Arab Spring
The successes of the Arab Spring exemplified the critical role social media played in mobilizing the Arab people. While the events of the Arab Spring brought about new media reforms to enable greater press freedoms, some regimes were determined to enforce censorship to avoid similar uprisings.

Palestinian Authority Looking to the Future
The Palestinian Authority carried out critical diplomatic actions to gain recognition from the international community and acquire statehood. Although their bid to achieve statehood failed at the United Nations, the PA was successful in attaining recognition in UNESCO, much to the chagrin of Israel and the US.

Arab Spring: A Success for Some in 2011
As the uprisings of the Arab Spring brought about an organic government transition in Egypt and Tunisia, Libyans under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi struggled in an armed conflict to bring down the dictator and establish a new government. Meanwhile, Syria’s on-going uprisings strive to institute new governance under a new leader despite severe government crackdowns.

A Tumultuous Year for US-AfPak Relations
Over the course of a year, the United States managed to exacerbate relations with Pakistan while simultaneously establishing security agreements with Afghan forces. Although US and Afghan forces aimed to cooperate in military operations addressing the tribal regions of Pakistan, miserable US relations with Pakistan have severely undermined such actions.

The Year of the Islamists
Islamist political parties dominated elections in Tunisia and Egypt, raising concerns that radical Islamists may have great political influence and that Islamic laws may be drafted into new constitutions in the post-revolutionary Arab world.

US-Arab Relations: A Whirlwind of a Year
As the uprisings began in the Arab world, President Obama’s alleged hesitation to support such revolt left many young Arabs unconvinced that American interests were similar to their own. Furthermore, a poll by IBOPE Zogby International showed that America’s poor reputation in the region had fallen to a record low.