July 3rd, 2008 by Sarah

Today, some heavyweights at Bitter Lemons make recommendations to the next President on how to promote democracy in the region.

Waleed Sadi argues that the U.S. uses democracy promotion as a political tool, “raised when it serves US interests and ignored when expedient.”  The U.S. must recognize that “democracy needs to be nurtured and cultivated by creating a culture for democracy that does not arise out of nowhere.”

Marina Ottaway recommends that in order to rebuild its credibility, the next President must work with open-minded members of the ruling elite and democracy advocates in the region to set modest goals, tailored to the conditions in each country, and to pursue them consistently.

Michel Nehme raises the question is whether the integration of moderate Islamists “merely contributes to the stabilization of authoritarianism or paves the way for a more pluralistic and democratic political system.”

George Giacaman questions whether the U.S. is really committed to promoting democracy in the region.  Instead, Giacaman suggests U.S. policy merely aims “to bring enough political stability so the countries of the region will remain within the US and western orbit. It’s not to get complete democracy.”

Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islamist movements, US foreign policy |