Author Archives: Mehrunisa

About Mehrunisa

Mehrunisa Qayyum is the founder of PITAPOLICY Consulting & Blog. PITAPOLICY Blog is listed on Muftah.Org. As @PITAPOLICY she tweets about politics, interests, technology and analysis in the "pita-consuming" region and contributes to the Huffington Post Blog, A Better People, and Triple Pundit. Regarding international affairs and trade issues, she worked at the United States’ Government Accountability Office for four years. Prior to that, she earned her MPP and Certificate in Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University and a BA in both Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations and Public Policy from the University of Chicago. Her recent writing experiences include analytical pieces on civil society, transparency & governance, human rights, political economy of Syria, and social media forums' impact. She enjoys watching the Colbert Report in her free time.

How Does Chartering a Grand Strategy for Lebanon’s Military Factor in Accountability?

On Wednesday, February 20th, PITAPOLICY attended the Aspen Institute’s discussion on Lebanon, entitled, “National Defense: Charting a Grand Strategy?” Lebanon’s military is an institution that poses many questions for U.S. military and political analysts.  Aram Nerguizian from the Center for … Continue reading

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Filed under Analysis, PIDE (Policy, International Development & Economics), Politics

Social Media Week: Giving Voice to the Voiceless Builds Momentum #SMWAJSTREAM

Poll: Whether you answered ‘Yes’,’No’, or ‘Unsure’, we would love to see you at our 2nd #PITAPAL tweetup in honor of Social Media Week in Washington, DC this week (#SMWWDC), on February 21st!  We are in the middle of Social … Continue reading

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Filed under Interests, Politics, Uncategorized

Press Release: #DCMENA Tweetup on FEBRUARY 21st

Second #DCMENA Tweetup: Join #PITAPAL on Thursday, February 21st, 2013 When? Thursday, Feb 21 @ 6pm – 8pm (EST) Why? Because we are inspired by Pay It Forward’s philosophy, and thank them for their work in Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, … Continue reading

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What will President #Obama discuss during his 2013 State of the Union Address? #SOTU

Tomorrow, February 12th, 2013: PITAPOLICY will livetweet President Obama’s State of the Union Address from the Arab American Institute.  Which of the Maghreb countries below will he even mention in his address: Libya, Tunisia, or Egypt?  Will he discuss drones? … Continue reading

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Filed under Politics, Uncategorized

WHARTON Business School To Hold Annual MENA Conference

On February 16th, Saturday, PITAPOLICY is excited to attend and cover the Wharton School of Business Annual MENA conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Early-Bird registration will end Friday evening, so don’t hesitate too much longer! Conference Theme: “Economies of Freedom: Reshaping … Continue reading

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Misperception or Perception: Professional Development for Women Is a Challenge, Period.

Dear Pitaconsumers, Last week I received a few tweets about my article for the Vancouver Observer arguing that there are even stronger candidates for the Top 100 Arab Women of Influence.  (The Top 100 list is compiled by Arabianbusiness.com, which … Continue reading

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Not Should we, but WHEN #MIDEBATESyria. Yesterday.

Dear Pitaconsumers, I just listened to four policy experts, or “Four Anglo-Saxon Men” on Syria at the McCain Institute…and I am almost tempted to complete a PhD in Middle East Studies just so I can write a dissertation on how … Continue reading

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Egypt: Cleaning House Before the IMF Visits–Again

 Do you have that friend that insists on cleaning his or her home BEFORE the cleaning lady arrived?  Well, whether it is irrational or not, sometimes countries’ leaders could benefit from some of these Obsessive-Compulsive tendencies 🙂  On that note, … Continue reading

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Filed under Analysis, PIDE (Policy, International Development & Economics), Politics

Development Directions by Raza Rumi Mentions How Millennials “Pay It Forward”

Dear Pitaconsumers: We are pleased to be listed by a new #PITAPAL, Raza Rumi in his Development Directions electronic newsletter.  Mr. Rumi tracks development aid/assistance news, and PITAPOLICY’s Huffington Post article got listed–thanks to Twitter sharing by our intern, @Pitaconsumer–who … Continue reading

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Revolutions Are Not Time-Bound: #Libya

Yesterday’s U.S. Congressional hearings put Libya in the focus regarding security and terrorism.  But there is more to Libyan engagement and post-revolutionary rebuilding apart from Al Qaeda’s terrorist role in the “Arab Awakened” countries. Ambassador Chas Freeman continues to present … Continue reading

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Filed under Politics, Technology