Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in the U.S. on Saturday for his first visit in six years. Today, Mubarak will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Mubarak’s meeting with President Obama tomorrow is set to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Sudan, regional security and the Iranian nuclear program, leaving little space for discussion of human rights and democracy, reports al-Arabiya.
In the Washington Post today, Michele Dunnewrites that the uptick in cooperation between Cairo and Washington should be viewed in a larger context than collaboration aimed at solving the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The succession issue in Egypt, as well as the likelihood of unfair parliamentary elections next year, signals that Egypt is on the verge of change.
Citing POMED’s recent analysis that reports reduced funding for democracy-promotion in Egypt, Dunne writes that in this “climate of renewed goodwill” between the U.S. and Egypt, Obama should seize the opportunity to emphasize a pro-democracy and human rights message. Importantly, she writes that a convergence of pertinent mutual interests–such as curbing Hamas’ power as well as Iranian nuclear ambitions–will reinforce cooperation. In other words, she contends that promoting democracy and increased political pluralism in Egypt will not cause Mubarak to shy away from cooperation on the Palestinian-Israeli front, which is a priority issue for the Obama administration.
Ben Smith at Politico writes about POMED’s recent report that analyzes the 2010 foreign aid budget in the lens of democracy promotion. Citing President Obama’s budget cuts for democracy and civil society promotion for allies Egypt and Jordan, Smith highlights some potential contradictions in new U.S. policy about Middle East democracy promotion:
“The return to ‘realism’ is an element of Obama’s agenda that has rankled with some of his allies on the left, and though the administration doesn’t advertise a willingness to compromise on human rights and democracy in exchange for friendlier relations with Egypt’s and Jordan’s government, it’s a logical connection that the budget request seems to set out in black and white.”
Mohamed Elshinnawi at Voice of America writes about POMED’s newest report, The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010: Democracy, Governance and Human Rights in the Middle East(click here to access the report). Elshinawi reports that the POMED analysis provides insight into the Obama administration’s plans for promoting democracy in the Middle East, where funding for democracy programs has been increased overall.
Be sure to check out POMED’s new policy paper on how the U.S. and its European allies can better promote democratic reform and human rights in Egypt. Written by Greg Aftandilian, “Looking Forward: An Integrated Strategy for Supporting Democracy and Human Rights in Egypt” is being released as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is due to visit the White House on May 26 and President Barack Obama will be delivering a major address on relations with the Muslim world on June 4.
Aftandilian will be discussing the main conclusions of the paper tomorrow afternoon with Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch, Edward Walker, former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, and Neil Hicks, International Policy Advisor for Human Rights First. The event will be held at the U.S. Capitol from 2:00-3:30. For details, click here. To RSVP, email: advocacy@pomed.org.
Come join us for a very timely discussion of strategies for supporting democracy and human rights in Egypt. The upcoming visits by President Mubarak to Washington and President Obama to Cairo will be watched closely for signals as to the place of democracy and human rights in a changing U.S.-Egypt relationship. On Wednesday afternoon, POMED will be hosting an event on Capitol Hill marking the release of a new paper by Greg Aftandilian - Looking Forward: An Integrated Approach to Supporting Democracy and Human Rights in Egypt. Joining him for the discussion will be Neil Hicks, International Policy Advisor for Human Rights First; Tom Malinowski, Washington Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch; and Ambassador Edward S. Walker, former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt and former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
The Project on Middle East Democracy has recently released its analysis of the FY 2009 budget by POMED Advocacy Director, Stephen McInerney, as well as two papers by POMED’s Director of Dialogue Programs, David DeBartolo, which outline the perceptions of U.S. democracy promotion efforts in the Middle East.
POMED has prepared a report that compares the presidential budget, House, Senate and final omnibus versions of State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2008, H.R. 2764. The original House version of the bill passed on June 22, 2007, and a Senate version then passed on September 6, 2007. As year-end efforts to agree on FY08 funding came to a head in late fall, the bill was used as the vehicle for an omnibus appropriations package, which cleared the House on December 17th and Senate on December 18th and was cleared to go to the White House on December 19th. On Friday, December 21, 2007, the President signed a stopgap measure continuing federal funding through December 31, giving him an additional ten days to review the omnibus bill before signing it.
POMED’s report looks at how all the versions compare for funding to specific Middle Eastern countries and for general democracy promotion programs.
