POMED Notes: “How Should the U.S. Respond to the Prospect of Islamist Governments?”

On Friday, the Hudson Institute hosted an event focused on the transitional government processes taking place in Egypt and Tunisia as well as the unrest in the region and the role that Islamists will play, entitled, “How Should the U.S. Respond to the Prospect of Islamist Governments?” The event was moderated by Nina Shea, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute. The panel of speakers consisted of: Ed Husain, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Hedieh Mirahmadi, President of the World Organization for Resource Development; and Hillel Fradkin, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World at the Hudson Institute.

For full notes continue below, or click here.

Before asking panelists for their remarks, Nina Shea discussed the transition of the revolution in Egypt from a largely non-ideological movement to what she said many argue has been commandeered by Islamist interests. She asserted that in the Cold War the U.S. sought to train liberal democrats across Europe, but have recently taken a more hands off approach. With the upcoming elections in Egypt she questioned what kind of role the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran will take.

Ms. Mirahmadi began her discussion by stating that the events across the region provide great hope, but also provide the potential for a new generation of Islamism. After the fall of Mubarak, she argued that this does not necessarily mean that a democracy will rise in its place. She argued that the U.S. debate often “stagnates” on whether to interact with Islamists directly and that this is not important because they will institute their agenda regardless. She argued that dialogue is not the central concern, but rather empowering the opponents of Islamists who support the values that the U.S. believes in. Without this support, she believes that Islamists will take greater control and steer Muslim societies.

Material support and training are the tools that Ms. Mirahmadi believes that the U.S. must extend to those who support values that the U.S. believes in. With this support, those who disagree with Islamists can define their platform and build a political force. The failure to promote organizations who support the United States values creates a fragile or non-existent civil society according to Mirahmadi.

“There is no one brotherhood, there are various brotherhoods in the Muslim Brotherhood”, according to Husain. He stated that the Muslim Brotherhood is a network of groups with varying ideologies and cannot be treated as a monolithic entity. Following a recent trip to Egypt, Husain states that following his discussions he thinks it is fair to say that Islamist projects have failed in Sudan, Iran, and Afghanistan, but they are “being experimented with in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia.” In regards to the varying beliefs of the brotherhood, Husain argued that they have mixed answers and that it is a “good sign”, because he believes they can be shaped with the help of NGO’s. He also believes that an important factor in the Muslim Brotherhood will be that of the parliamentarians who are less concerned with Islamist goals because they are held accountable by their constituencies to deliver on social services.

Mr. Hillel questioned what the U.S. can do, and stated that Egypt is a sovereign nation and that the U.S. will respect its sovereignty as it has other nations in the region. He argued that the people of the Middle East will decide how they want to be governed and that we are occasionally able to affect this but on the whole it is not the case. The U.S. must analyze the possibilities according to Hillel and then formulate policy in response to the outcomes. In regards to the brotherhood he stated that indeed there are a “variety of brotherhoods” and also that they were “energetic and misleading” in helping to secure votes for the most recent referendum. He stated that the U.S. must not interfere with the Egyptian elections because a government which rises out of the aspirations of the people is a belief that our government holds and should seek to uphold across the world.

When asked further about the Muslim Brotherhood, Mr. Hillel stated that the brotherhood presents a seriously confused and contradictory view of what they want, but he stated it’s possible that the revolution could drastically change what they believe in. Ms. Mirahmadi stated that she sees the “slide of the Muslim community” due to being forcefully islamicized by political Islam, an issue she believes needs to be addressed. When asked by an audience member if U.S. support for liberal political parties strengthens Islamist movements, Ms. Mirahmadi stated that the U.S. needs to develop a policy on political Islam and also must support groups who share our values. She stated that the majority of Muslims do not want to be forcefully islamicized and that these policies have the potential of succeeding.