March 29th, 2011 by Kyle

Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ray Takeyh, believes that the most important events taking place in the Middle East over the last week are not the military actions in Libya, but the “plebiscite in Egypt,” “the stalled attempt to usher in a constitutional rule in Bahrain, ” and “the ongoing turmoil in Yemen.” Takeyh believes that the U.S. must continue ardently supporting reform in the region even in light of the Arab League’s support for the military action in Libya.

He believes that the U.S. must focus on Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and that we must press the Egyptian military towards the transition to civilian rule. In regards to Saudi, he states: “Riyadh can be instrumental in advancing the cause of stability in the Gulf should it move away from its zero-sum confrontation with Iran and intolerant obsession with the Shiites.” He argues that the U.S. must also do more to effect Saudi policy to help effect a modernization of gulf politics.  Thus, Takeyh recommends that the U.S. European nations  focus on Libya while it focuses its efforts on broader reforms in the region.

Posted in Arab League, Bahrain, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Freedom, Gulf, Iran, Libya, Military, Multilateralism, Reform, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy | Comment »