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 »
Congressman Wolf Urges Clinton to Speak Out on Egypt
November 19th, 2010 by Evan
Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), Co-Chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing disappointment that the administration did not publicly address the upcoming Egyptian election during Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit’s recent visit to Washington. “In President Obama’s Cairo speech he addressed an unyielding belief that all people should have ‘the ability to speak your mind and have say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose.’ Unfortunately the actions of this administration have failed to support its rhetoric,” the Congressman wrote. Wolf urged Secretary Clinton to “speak out against the abuses of the Egyptian government” adding that failure to do so will “send the wrong message to those fighting for democracy and human rights around the world.” The full text of the letter is available here.
Posted in Diplomacy, Egypt | Comment »
Egypt: Foreign Ministry Criticizes U.S. Efforts
November 18th, 2010 by Evan
Egyptian officials harshly criticized the U.S. government for meddling in its internal affairs after the State Department called for the Mubarak government to allow international monitoring of the upcoming parliamentary election. According to Al Masry Al Youm, Egyptian officials were particularly upset over a recent meeting between members of President Obama’s National Security Council and the Egypt Working Group, a bi-partisan group of Egypt and democratization experts pushing for reforms in Egypt.
Posted in Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections | 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.
Read the rest of this entry »
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: Sec. Clinton Meets With Egyptian Foreign Minister
November 11th, 2010 by Jason
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit met yesterday, focusing primarily on the stalled peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. In remarks to the press, Sec. Clinton touched on a number of issues, including both countries support for the Special Tribunal in Lebanon (STL) and their shared support for Iraq’s efforts to build a “stable, sovereign and self-reliant nation.” Democracy reforms in Egypt were not discussed.
Posted in Diplomacy, Egypt, US foreign policy | 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 »
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 »
Jordan: MCC Funds New Water Program
November 1st, 2010 by Evan
Last week, the U.S. awarded Jordan a $275 million grant to improve water access in the northeastern region of Zarqa through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). During the signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “Americans understand that a strong and prosperous Jordan is good for the region and good for the world. We want to work with you to realize our shared aspirations and shape the future together.” Originally created in 2004, the MCC funds development projects in countries that meet rule of law and democracy performance criteria. Jordan’s participation in the MCC program remains controversial. The country has failed to meet the political rights and civil liberties criteria in recent years.
Posted in Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, Jordan | 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 »
POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Iran”
October 28th, 2010 by Jason
The Brookings Institution held a panel discussion on Thursday titled “Human Rights in Iran.” The discussion was moderated by Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow and Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. The panelists were Geneive Abdo, Director of the Iran Program at the Century Foundation, Philo Dibble, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Markus Löning, Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, and Mojtaba Vahedi, political advisor to former Iranian presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or click here for pdf.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Civil Society, Diplomacy, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Reform, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »
POMED Notes: “19th Annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference”
October 22nd, 2010 by Jason
The National Council on US-Arab Relations held its 19th annual Arab-US Policymakers Conference on Thursday. Opening remarks were made by Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO of the National Council on US-Arab Relations and Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, chairman of the Board of Directors at the National Council on US-Arab Relations. The first talk on the agenda was entitled “Arab-US Relations: Misadventures Past and Present,” and was given by The Honorable Chas W. Freeman Jr., former Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of Defense.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or go here for pdf.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Diplomacy, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Islam and Democracy, Military, Neocons, Political Parties, Sectarianism, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Jordan: American Democracy Promotion Falls Short
October 12th, 2010 by Evan
In a new piece at Foreign Policy’s Middle East Channel Anne Mariel Peters analyzes American democracy promotion efforts in Jordan. While the Jordanian government has made great progress in expanding “personal freedoms” and implementing “democracy’s procedural trappings,” the country’s electoral system remains heavily rigged in the Hashemite regime’s favor and its parliament is still powerless to formulate policy. According to Peters, American efforts have done little to change this equation: “The United States is playing a double game in Jordan. One the one hand, it has dumped millions into activities promoting liberalism and best-practice electoral processes, calling them democracy promotion. On the other hand, it does not seem willing or able to pressure a reliable friend and ally to transfer sovereignty to the Jordanian people, and continues to provide the Hashemite regime with aid that encourages policymaking behind closed doors.” Given the U.S.’ reliance on Jordan for political, intelligence and logistic support in the region, Peters concludes that these procedural reforms may be “as good as it gets.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Jordan, Reform | Comment »
MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program Expands
October 8th, 2010 by Evan
This week the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) announced continued funding for its Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF) program, which provides democracy advocates from the Middle East and North Africa with the “practical skills and networking opportunities needed to build civic engagement and support citizen empowerment in the region.” Since 2007, the program has been implemented by Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. For the first time, the program will expand to include a regionally-based component. Working with partner institutions in the Middle East, the program will offer similar training and internship opportunity in Arabic. For more details, visit www.mepi.state.gov.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy | Comment »
POMED Notes - “The Elusive Synthesis: Exploring the Changing Relationship Between Democracy Support and Development Aid”
October 8th, 2010 by Evan
On Thursday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a discussion on the evolving relationship between the democracy support and economic aid communities.Thomas Carothers, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment, gave a summary of his forthcoming article in the Journal of Democracy describing the “uneasy convergence” between the two groups. Brian Levy, adviser on public sector governance at the World Bank, and Scott Hubli, director of governance programs at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), delivered responses, and Marc Plattner coeditor of the Journal of Democracy and vice-president for research and studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) moderated the discussion.
(To read the full notes, continue below or click here for pdf.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy | Comment »
Egypt: A Litmus Test of Administration’s Commitment to Democracy
October 5th, 2010 by Evan
Writing in the Washington Post, Fred Hiatt questions the White House’s commitment to prioritize democracy promotion. Despite President Obama’s recent speech to the UN General Assembly, in which he called democracy a matter of “pragmatic necessity,” democracy always seems to be a secondary objective for the administration: “The administration criticized the narrowing of freedom in Russia, but cooperation on Iran was a higher priority. It chided Hosni Mubarak for choking civil society in Egypt, but the autocrat’s cooperation on Israel-Palestine mattered more.” According to Hiatt, how Obama handles Egypt in the coming months will be a key test: “If Obama’s speech signals a genuine shift, we will see the administration insist on election monitors in Egypt or withhold aid if Mubarak says no.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt | Comment »
Egypt: Obama Administration Must Back Up Words with Deeds
September 30th, 2010 by Evan
Following President Barack Obama’s speech at the UN General Assembly on the importance of human rights and democratization, multiple commentators have called on the administration to reinforce its rhetoric by acting to support democracy in Egypt.
An editorial in the Washington Post advocated for the Feingold-McCain resolution, which calls on Egypt to allow international and domestic monitors to verify the results of the upcoming elections. “The demand for observers is a reasonable one. Monitors from the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute were present for Egypt’s 2005 elections; the chairs of those groups, Mr. McCain and former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright have written to Mr. Mubarak offering their services for the November balloting. There has been no response.” Instead Egypt has launched an assiduous lobbying campaign to sink the resolution. The question, the editorial says, is whether President Obama will make good on his many verbal commitments to support democracy in Egypt.
Writing at Politico, Laura Rozen describes the growing sentiment in Egypt that Egyptian democracy will once again be forgotten. “Egyptian civil society activists complain the Obama team — like preceding U.S. administrations — has been too muted in its calls for greater democracy and human rights in Egypt. They say the U.S. has placed a greater priority on seeking Egypt’s help to advance fragile Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, as well as Cairo’s lead role in reconciliation negotiations between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas,” Rozen writes, citing statements from prominent Egyptian activists. While the administration responds that it has pushed Egypt on the use of the emergency law and other key issues, Robert Kagan, a scholar at the Brookings Institution and a co-founder of the Egypt Working Group, said that U.S. could be doing much more: “‘At various different times — think about the shah of Iran in the late 1970s — the critical thing is what does the U.S. do when there is a crucial turning point,’ Kagan said. ‘Egypt is in that condition now.’”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Freedom | Comment »
Obama Administration Highlights Democracy, Human Rights Efforts
September 24th, 2010 by Evan
Following President Obama’s speech at the UN yesterday, the White House issued a press release describing how the administration has worked to promote democracy and human rights over the past year. Across the Middle East, the U.S. has “invested in the capacity of local organizations to promote participatory, pluralistic, and prosperous societies … through the Middle East Partnership Initiative.” The release also describes how the administration has worked to further democratization through bilateral engagement. In Egypt, the U.S. criticized the government’s extension of the emergency law last May and pushed for the release of an individual detained under the law; In Iraq, U.S. assistance was essential to the success of the March 2010 parliamentary election.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights | Comment »
