Egypt: Too Late for International Monitors?
November 24th, 2010 by Evan
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s David Schenker suggests that Egypt should follow Jordan’s example and allow international organizations to monitor its elections on Sunday in a new piece for The Weekly Standard. “Absent international monitors, it is all but certain that Cairo’s perennially fraudulent elections will continue,” Schenker writes, adding “Rather than return to the customary practice of sending out the troops on November 28, Cairo should send in the monitors — both independent domestic observers and international ones. Should Egyptian elections be assessed as free and fair, Egypt — like Jordan — will win international praise.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections | Comment »
The Decline of USAID
November 19th, 2010 by Evan
Jerry Hyman, President of the Hills Program on Governance at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, recently published a new article describing the decline of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) over the past four administrations. Hyman describes the fundamental tension between foreign policy and development policy and how USAID has lost much of its independence, especially since development was enshrined as a pillar of U.S. national security policy during the second Bush Administration.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Egypt: U.S. “Has More to Gain” by Supporting Democracy
November 19th, 2010 by Anna
At World Politics Review, former Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent James Dorsey contends that it is in Washington’s long-term interests to promote democratic reform in Egypt, rather than “turn a blind eye to flagrant human-rights violations and measures that stymie democratic development.” He highlights the Egyptian regime’s “repression of the opposition, intimidation and control of the media, and electoral restrictions” all but ensure that the National Democratic Party (NDP) will remain in power. Dorsey calls fear that democracy promotion efforts would benefit Egypt’s Islamists “exaggerated,” adding that the Obama administration could shape the debate in Egypt prior to the parliamentary elections by publicly focusing on the matter. He concludes: “[a]ll in all, the United States has more to gain by nudging the Egyptian and Arab debate toward an embrace of democracy and human rights — and more to lose by maintaining a policy that so far has primarily identified Washington with repressive, corrupt regimes, significantly tarnishing its image.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Hamid and Gause Debate Democracy in the Muslim World
November 19th, 2010 by Evan
Shadi Hamid, Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center and Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, and
Gregory Gause, Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont, recently participated in video debate on democracy in the Muslim world. Over the course of the conversation, Hamid and Gause discuss whether democracy in the Middle East is in Washington’s interests, what Islamists would do if they came to power, and the durability of authoritarian rule across the Arab world. View the full discussion
here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Islam and Democracy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Voicing Dissent: Inside the Fight for Democracy and Human Rights”
November 16th, 2010 by Evan
On Tuesday, the Foreign Policy Initiative hosted a panel discussion titled “Voicing Dissent: Inside the Fight for Democracy and Human Rights” as part of its “Restoring America’s Leadership of a Democratic World” conference. The Washington Post’s Jackson Diehl moderated a panel composed of Ambassador Michael Kozak, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Win Min, a Burmese activist, and Michele Dunne Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Editor of the Arab Reform Bulletin.
To read full notes, continue below or click here for a pdf copy.
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Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Event Notes, Human Rights | Comment »
Reaffirming America’s Commitment to Democracy Promotion
November 16th, 2010 by Evan
In the fall issue of the Harvard International Review, Kenneth Wollack, President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), argues that critics of democracy promotion present a “false dichotomy” between America’s values and interests. Wollack acknowledges that the Bush administration’s military intervention in Iraq and the United States’ inconsistent approach to dealing with autocrats have caused doubts, but contends that popular calls for “dignity and representation” from across the Middle East should form the foundation for a reinvigorated democracy assistance policy. According to Wollack, American policy makers must “set the tone” and create space for American nongovernmental groups like NDI and the International Republican Institute (IRI) to help governments and activists make democracy work.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Egypt: The Cost of Pushing for Democracy
November 15th, 2010 by Jason
Addressing criticisms resulting from an earlier post, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Steven Cook responded today by listing a number of “plausible (not possible) risks and their probability” should the U.S. pressure Egypt on democratic reforms. Cook describes the risks of democracy promotion as “likely manageable,” and suggests that the U.S., and in particular President Obama, take the most direct route by making a statement “either the week before or the day after the Egyptian election,” directly criticizing the Egyptian governments failure to live up to their promises of reform.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, US foreign policy | 1 Comment »
“Islamic Feminism and Beyond”
November 15th, 2010 by Jason
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Middle East Program released a new paper (pdf) today, titled “Islamic Feminism and Beyond: The New Frontier.” The introduction is written by Haleh Esfandiari and Margot Badran, and the paper includes six sections covering a range of topics and countries. The articles include “Feminist Activism for Change in Family Laws and Practices: Lessons from the Egyptian Past for the Global Present” by Margot Badran, “Recent Amendments in the Turkish Civil and Criminal Codes and the Role of Feminist NGOs” by Binnaz Toprak, “Women and the Politics of Reform in Morocco” by Souad Eddouada, “Beyond Islamic Feminism: Women and Representation in Iran’s Democracy Movement” by Nayereh Tohidi, “The Personal Status Code and Women’s Celibacy in Tunisia” by Lilia Labidi, and “Analyzing Reform Successes and Failures: The Personal Status Regime in the Arab World” by Amaney Jamal.
Posted in Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Human Rights, Iran, Morocco, Reform, Tunisia, Turkey, Women | Comment »
Egypt: Clinton Fails to Publicly Raise Domestic Issues with Egyptian Delegation
November 12th, 2010 by Evan
The Washington Post published a new editorial today criticizing the Obama administration’s failure to publicly address Egypt’s human rights and democracy record during Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit’s visit to Washington, DC this week. “Ms. Clinton had an opportunity to send a vital message; wrongly, she chose not to,” the author writes. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley recently told reporters that the U.S. addressed domestic issues with the Egyptian delegation “directly and forcefully” behind closed doors. The Post responds that while it is “good to hear […] chances are that the private words were lost on Mr. Aboul Gheit.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The Future of the U.S.-Turkey Relationship”
November 11th, 2010 by Evan
The Center for American Progress (CAP) hosted a discussion titled “The Future of the U.S.-Turkey Relationship” on Wednesday. Brian Katulis, senior fellow at CAP, moderated a panel composed of Steven Cook, senior fellow of Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Michael Werz, senior fellow at CAP. As part of the larger discussion of Turkey-U.S. relations, the panelists addressed the development of democracy in Turkey.
To read full notes, continue below or click here for a pdf copy.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Islam and Democracy, Political Islam, Political Parties, Turkey | Comment »
Tunisia: False Stability and Misguided Western Support
November 11th, 2010 by Evan
Writing at the Guardian’s Comment is Free, Rachel Linn argues that the West’s unflinching support for the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia is misguided. “The common view from outside is that Tunisia is stable. […] But that does not mean this surface-level ’stability’ runs very deep. Most Tunisians I spoke to expressed real apprehension about the future,” Linn writes. By ignoring the young and growing opposition, the West is doing itself a disservice. “If we truly want to improve the brand image of the west in the Muslim world, we ought to consider seriously whether our engagement in such countries is genuinely supporting the best outcome for their populations. Supporting citizens’ desire to pursue their own political aspirations – whatever those may be – by resolutely standing by political freedom would seem a basic start, and something I would argue is the only justifiable option in Tunisia,” Linn concludes.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Freedom, Tunisia | Comment »
Egypt: Eissa Says Obama Not Pressuring Mubarak on Media Freedom
November 10th, 2010 by Anna
In an interview with David Lepeska in the Columbia Journalism Review, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Eissa notes that in an effort to control Al Dostor, the government has filed lawsuits, imprisoned Eissa, and threatened the paper’s publishers with millions of pounds in taxes. After finally taking over the paper, Al Dostor is now “a pet newspaper.” He states that although there was a period of increasing media freedom in Egypt during the Bush administration, “Now the Egyptian government seems to have gotten the green light from the Obama administration to go back to the way they were before.” In “not pressuring Mubarak at all,” Obama ignores the possibility that “society is going to implode on itself and destroy those regimes.”
Regarding the upcoming elections, Eissa says: “[m]y sense is there’s going to be a lot of fraud.” He also predicts that Western media outlets will not be allowed to access polling stations during the upcoming parliamentary elections, a strategy that the regime will likely repeat during the presidential race next year. Without an independent media, Egyptians cannot hold their government accountable, and since opposition parties in Egypt “do not speak out,” the media has taken on that role. “The people want change,” Eissa says, but politicians are not pushing for it.
For more news and analysis on Egypt, sign up for the Egypt Daily Update.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Journalism, Political Parties, US foreign policy, US media | Comment »
Former CIA Counter-Terrorism Chief Argues that U.S. Must Support Democracy
November 8th, 2010 by Evan
In a recent opinion piece for Al Jazeera
Robert Grenier, former director of the CIA’s Counter-Terrorism Center,
argues that democracy promotion is essential to US interests: “The championing of democratic reform in the Muslim world should not simply be a matter of altruism, easily set aside when seemingly more compelling national interests present themselves. Instead, it should be seen as a central element in US counter-terrorism policy,” Grenier writes, adding “A consistent commitment to democracy, even if sometimes inconsistently applied, is genuinely in the security interests of the US and, perhaps paradoxically, in the long-term interests of some of the US’ most important and currently undemocratic allies in the region.” According to Grenier, democracy advocates have thus far failed to make this argument.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy | Comment »
MEPI Offers New Funding Opportunity
November 5th, 2010 by Evan
The Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative recently announced three new funding opportunities for both international and local organizations working in the region. For details, see the links below:
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Jordan: IRI Publishes Election Guide, Announces Monitoring Delegation
November 2nd, 2010 by Evan
The International Republican Institute recently
published a guide to the November 9 Jordanian parliamentary election. According to the author, “The November 9 elections represent an opportunity to show Jordan is committed to administering open and transparent elections. If this is the case, the new parliament will begin its work with a stronger mandate and the potential to further democratic reforms.” IRI also recently
announced the members of its election monitoring delegation.
Lorne Craner, President of IRI, will lead a team of international experts including
Michele Dunne from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
Dr. Wajeeha Sadiq Al Baharna, President of the Bahrain Women’s Society, and
Hassan Habib Mohamed El Shamy Deputy Director of the Parliamentary Election Monitoring Project at the Ibn Khaldun Center in Egypt, among others. The
National Democratic Institute will also be fielding a team that includes
Andrés Pastrana Arango, the former president of Colombia,
Paul Dewar, member of parliament from Canada
, Sam Gejdenson, former member of the U.S. Congress,
Margaret Anderson Kelliher, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and
Leslie Campbell, NDI regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. This will be the first time that Jordan has welcomed international election observers.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Elections, Jordan | Comment »
Is America Responsible for Meaningless Elections?
November 2nd, 2010 by Evan
Writing in the Asia Times,
Ramzy Baroud argues that while democratic rhetoric has spread quickly across the region, little genuine reform has occurred. Baroud blames American policy for this reality. In recent years, Arab governments have learned two lesson: First, the U.S. is not interested in the development of genuine democracy across the region; the Muslim Brotherhood’s success in the 2005 Egyptian parliamentary election and Hamas’ victory in 2006 scared policymakers, Baroud writes. Second, countries will be judged not by the validity of their democracy, but by how well their political systems serve U.S. interests. According to Baroud, these two realizations have perpetuated a system of meaningless elections and engineered democracies.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Egypt: Diplomacy Fails to Convince Mubarak to Reform
November 1st, 2010 by Evan
A recent editorial in the Washington Post
argues that the
Obama administration’s apparent disinterest in pushing for democratic reforms across the Middle East has given the Egyptian government space to crackdown on the press and opposition parties. Obama’s attempts to pressure Egypt through diplomatic channels have failed: “When he met with Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak in September, President Obama brought up the need for ‘a vibrant civil society, open political competition, and credible and transparent elections in Egypt,’ according to a White House summary. […] Since then Mr. Mubarak has done exactly the opposite of what the president asked.” If Obama is serious about pushing for change, he will have to speak out publicly, as Bush did before Egypt’s 2005 election, the author concludes.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid | Comment »
Is the Internet Really “Pro-Democratic?”
October 26th, 2010 by Jason
In an article titled “Democracy in Cyberspace” published in Foreign Affairs, Ian Bremmer argues that while the internet provides a tool for reformers and democracy advocates, it is not a silver bullet: “Innovations in modern communications may help erode authoritarian power over time. But for the moment, their impact on international politics is not so easy to predict.” Bremmer makes the point that “tools are value neutral; there is nothing inherently pro-democratic about them. To use them is to exercise a form of freedom, but it is not necessarily a freedom that promotes the freedom of others.” The internet is a “dark place” Bremmer says, where the power of communication can be used to promote illiberal values as easily as democratic ideals.
There is also the problem of nations “rethink[ing] their definitions of ‘critical infrastructure.’” The increasing importance of the internet to the world economy and the security implications of “cyber warfare” are causing some governments to treat the internet as a space to be defended and controlled. “The result will be a world that has not one Internet but a set of interlinked intranets closely monitored by various governments […] American and European users will access the same Internet as before, but the Chinese government has already made clear its intention to declare sovereignty over an Internet of its own. Other authoritarian states have every incentive to follow its lead.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Technology | Comment »
Civil Society in Arab World Faces Structural Obstacles, Funding Challenges
October 25th, 2010 by Anna
In a recent article, Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Doha Center explores obstacles to the development of civil society in the Arab world. He asserts that NGOs in the region “have been weakened and tamed.” Although Western governments often express rhetorical support for civil society development, “the mode of NGO empowerment remains both flawed and often aimless,” Hamid adds. He outlines three main problems: 1) that many NGOs are co-opted by the government, which limits the social and political change they can drive; 2) restrictive legislation in many countries limits freedom of association and assembly, and organizations often self-censor out of fear of government reprisal; and 3) many supposedly pro-democracy organizations do not actively challenge the dominant political structure. Hamid also highlights issues with Western funding for Arab NGOs: “US and EU funding usually goes to NGO programming that is oppositional but not necessarily conducive to the sort of sustained, structural change that democratization requires.” In light of these difficulties, Hamid writes that Arab civil society organizations must “develop a sustainable model for funding from internal and regional sources.”
Posted in Civil Society, Democracy Promotion, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “What Next for Afghanistan? A Post-Election Analysis”
October 20th, 2010 by Anna
On Monday, October 18th, the Brookings Institution held an event called “What Next for Afghanistan? A Post-Election Analysis.” The panel was moderated by Martin Indyk, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. The panelists were Thomas Garrett, Vice President for Programs at the International Republican Institute; Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution; Vanda Felbab-Brown, Fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Gerard Russell, Former Senior Political Adviser for Afghanistan. The group discussed the recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, focusing on polling irregularities, voter intimidation, tabulation errors, prospects for peace talks between President Hamid Karzai and Taliban leaders, and the future of the U.S. and NATO role in the country.
(For the full notes, continue reading below. Or, click here for the PDF.)
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Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Events, Taliban, US foreign policy | Comment »
