February 27th, 2009 by Jed

Democracy Digest highlights a new Washington Institute report titled “Rewriting the Narrative: An Integrated Strategy for Counterradicalization” which argues democracy assistance should play a primary role in “counter-radicalization” efforts. Key to the report’s findings is that democracy assistance should not be linked with counter-terrorism and national security policies. Combining democracy promotion with counter-terrorism can result in the perception that U.S. efforts are aimed at regime change not at bolstering democratic reform. The report calls for doubling the amount of funding allotted to the National Endowment for Democracy and the Middle East Partnership Initiative. The report is the final work of the Task Force on Confronting the Ideology of Radical Extremism convened by Washington Institute experts Scott Carpenter, Michael Jacobson, and Matthew Levitt.

Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy |