Research Guides
JSIS 495: Task Force - Winter 2015: Task Force G
This guide is for the students in JSIS 495 to help guide them in their research for their capstone projects.
Human Rights in the MENA Region
Denis Bašić TTh 10:30-12:20 AND 010
In this Task Force course we shall imagine that we work for a human rights agency, such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, and shall be examining the question of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Our goal will be to closely familiarize ourselves with facts on the ground, but also to understand causes and consequences behind them. We shall study the human rights issues in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco/Western Sahara, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
UW WorldCat
Tips for Searching the UW Catalog
- Try the following subject headings. Use the format: su: Syria--Foreign relations--1971- This works best if you use two dashes and no space before or after the two dashes.
- Human rights--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Human security--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Torture--[country]; Torture (International law); Torture victims; Slavery--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Crimes against humanity; Right to life; Genocide; Freedom of speech--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Intellectual freedom--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Freedom of religion--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Freedom of movement; Emigration and immigration law; [Country]--Emigration and immigration; Gender identity--Law and legislation; Sexual orientation--Law and legislation; Reproductive rights--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Right to Internet access; Freedom of information; Right to water--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.]; Right to labor--[country, i.e. Algeria, Iran, etc.].
Recommended books
Goldstein, Eric
Tunisia's repressive laws : the reform agenda
New York, NY : Human Rights Watch, c2011
ISBN: 9781564328168 (pbk.) ;ISBN: 1564328163 (pbk.)
UW Tacoma Library Stacks (KTV2460 .G65 2011 )
Ibadi, Shirin
History and documentation of human rights in Iran
New York : Bibliotheca Persica Press, c2000
ISBN: 0933273401 (cloth : alk. paper) ;ISBN: 9780933273405
Suzzallo and Allen Libraries Stacks (KMH2460 .I2313 2000 )
Lawrence, James T
Human rights in the Near East and North Africa
New York : Nova Science Publishers, 2004
ISBN: 1590339339 ;ISBN: 9781590339336
Suzzallo and Allen Libraries Stacks (JC599.M628 H86 2004 )
Muscati,Samer.
At a crossroads : human rights in Iraq eight years after the US-led invasion
New York : Human Rights Watch, c2010
ISBN: 9781564327369 (pbk.) ;ISBN: 1564327361 (pbk.)
UW Tacoma Library Stacks (JC599.I655 M87 2011 )
Sanei, Faraz
Codifying repression : an assessment of Iran's new penal code
New York, N.Y. : Human Rights Watch, 2012
ISBN: 9781564329325 ;ISBN: 1564329321
UW Tacoma Library Stacks (KMH3800 .S26 2012 )
Journal databases
The following specialized databases help you identify articles in scholarly journals, magazines and newspapers.
- Access UNCurrent and retrospective United Nations documents and publications. Only some are full text.
- Bibliography of Asian Studies
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Includes journal articles and book chapters about all counties of Asia in Western languages.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
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Substantial information on supplies, economic feasibilities of production, financing of projects, etc. Includes statistical information.
- Human Rights Studies Online
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Comparative documentation, analysis, and interpretation of major human rights violations and atrocity crimes worldwide from 1900 to 2010. - Index IslamicusThe only database solely on the Middle East and primarily Islamic regions. Try Syria and foreign relations.
- JSTOR Search
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A full-text database of mostly English-language scholarly journals in the social sciences and humanities, with contents embargoed for the most recent 2-3 years. Advanced Search options allow for optimal retrieval of relevant items.
- Military & Government Collection This link opens in a new window
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Scholarly and general interest periodicals covering all branches of the military, as well as government affairs. - PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
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Publications from scholarly journals, think tanks, and some government sources. Covers all aspects of political science, including national security. Try Syria and uprising, then use suggested subjects. - Project Muse This link opens in a new window
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Full text database covering the Humanities and Social Sciences. Strong in publications of University presses. - ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window
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Contains citations for 2.4 million dissertation and theses from 1861 to present day with more than 1 million full text dissertations that are available to download in PDF format. Each year more than 60,000 new full text
- Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies
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Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies covers the social sciences and humanities over the past 25+ years
Human Rights Organizations
- BADILIncludes a lot of statistics in its discussion of Palestinian human rights.
- Center for Human RIghts Documentation and ResearchPremier collection of human rights organization records, archives and papers. Organizations which have deposited their papers here include Amnesty International USA, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, and The Committee of Concerned Scientists
- Digital National Security Archive
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Cross-collection searching of digital archives licensed through the University of Washington Libraries Libraries - ELDISOnline information service providing free access to relevant, up-to-date and diverse research on international development issues. The database includes over 40,000 summaries and provides free links to full-text research and policy documents. Co-ordinated from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Brighton, United Kingdom
- Forced Migration ReviewPublished by the Refugee Studies Centre in the Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford. Through FMR, authors from around the world analyse the causes and impacts of displacement.
- Globalex International Human RIghts Research GuideLinks to many international agreements on Human Rights
- Human Rights FirstA non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization that does not accept government funding.
- Human Rights in the Middle East and North AfricaInternational organization educating the public about human rights and human rights violations; on investigating human rights abuses, including their causes, development and consequences; on contributing to the development of international and national human rights law and the rule of law; on preserving the memory of the victims of human rights violations and fighting against the impunity of human rights violators.
- ICTJ - International Center for Transitional JusticeICTJ works to help societies in transition address legacies of massive human rights violations and build civic trust in state institutions as protectors of human rights
- International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)Has a section organized by country.
- Refugees InternationalTalks about the conditions under which people have fled and how rights are addressed in finding a solution.
- UNRWA Photo and Film ArchiveArchives of activities of the UNRWA activities with Palestinian refugees, i.e. examples of how human rights have been addressed.
Background, Country Information and Statistics
- Arab Spring: A Research & Study GuideExtensive webpage.
- Electronic IntifadaThe Electronic Intifada is an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine, its people, politics, culture and place in the world.
It also includes material on current problems in Syria. - Europa World Plus Series
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A publication in the Europa World Plus series Regional Surveys of the World, this annual overview provides general background on the region and together with specialized expert essays. - Index MundiIncludes country profiles, detailed country statistics, charts, and maps compiled from multiple sources
- OECD Economic Surveys [UW restricted]
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A concise triennial analysis of the state of the economy, listed by individual countries and conducted by experts at the European Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Includes statistics. - OECD libraryIn addition to the Country Reports listed directly above, includes general reports, such as Economic Policy Reports, Energy Reports, etc. Also includes statistics and data sets.
- World Factbook (Central Intelligence Agency)
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Produced the the CIA, the World Factbook provides concise overviews of the history, geography, demography, economy, internal political issues and principal international disputes of every country.
Policy Sources
- American Enterprise Institute (Washington, DC)A Washington-based think tank which "furnishes policymakers with ideas ... based on the resilient principles of private liberty, individual opportunity, and free enterprise" (from the mission statement)
- Brookings Institution (Washington, DC)A "non-profit public policy organization [conducting] high-quality, independent research... [to] secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system" (from the mission statement).
- Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russia Program (Washington, DC)Washington-based think tank "founded at the height of the Cold War ... dedicated to finding ways for America to sustain its prominence and prosperity as a force for good in the world" (from the mission statement).
- Chatham HouseLong established think tank in London. It has a section on energy policy and information on the Caspian.
- Council on Foreign RelationsThe Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
- European Council on Foreign RelationsA pan-European think-tank which conducts research and promotes informed debate across Europe on the development of a coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy.
- European DialogueA free independent network confederation of individual and cooperative partners of the OSCE, CIS and EU member-states. It cooperates with the institutions of OSCE, EU and other international non-governmental and governmental organizations. This portal was grounded to promote information-full discussion of their problems. A major issue is energy security.
- European Union External Action ServiceIncludes policy statements, strategy statements and action plans for each country.
- Heritage Foundation (Washington, DC)A Washington-based think tank which "formulates and promotes conservative public policies based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom ... and a strong national defense" (from the mission statement).
- International Strategic Research Organisation (Uluslararasi Stratejik Arastirmalari Kurumu)Turkish non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental research organisation that focusses on global issues of security and cooperation. Turkey has close relations with Central Asia.
- MIddle East Research Institute and Information ProjectContains articles on Syria, its problems and relationships to other countries.
Current News
- Access World News This link opens in a new window
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Easy to go directly to a country via a world map. Relies heavily on BBC.
- Eurasianet.orgInformation and analysis about political, economic, environmental and social developments in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as in Russia, Turkey, and Southwest Asia.
- ISI Central Asian and Caucasus News Database (In Russian or English) [UW restricted]Aggregates dozens of news sources from six southern-tier countries of the former Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan)
- al-Jazeera (in English)Arabic uncensored news site.
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (In English)A U.S. congresionally-funded, Prague-based media outlet charged with "reporting the news in 21 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established." RFE/RL relies for its Eurasia reports on a network of reporters located within the countries fo the former Soviet Union, coordinated by Prague-based editorial staff.
- Hurriyet Daily NewsPress digest of news on Turkey.
Need Help? Ask a Librarian!
Mary St. Germain
Near East Studies Librarian
Amanda Hornby
Geography Librarian