2008: Editorials Criticize Obama on Iraq
July 18th, 2008 by Matt
First, the Washington Post takes aim, decrying Obama’s “foolish consistency” on a timetable for withdrawal, and predicting that it will be extremely difficult to achieve in the manner Obama presents it. The Post also criticizes Obama’s “irrational” and “indifferent” behavior toward the grander strategic ramifications of the war, reiterating how Iraq is “vital” to U.S. security interests, as it sits at the “strategic center” of the Middle East on “some of the world’s largest oil reserves”. Matt Yglesias sarcastically rebuts the notion that we should care about Iraq because of oil strategy:
“Oops, did I say democracy promotion? I meant to say that Iraq has a lot of oil so we need to try to micromanage its future. And yet it’s precisely this impulse — the belief that we desperately need to retain “influence” in oil-possessing parts of the world that got us into the corrupt bargain with the Arab autocracies that produced the conditions under which al-Qaeda arose and began targeting us. Remember when Iraq was supposed to be part of a drive for reform that changed that dynamic? Oh for the heady days of the Arab spring.”
Also, The Wall Street Journal rips Obama’s “judgment” on the surge.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Election 08, Iraq, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »
Where is America on Turkish Democracy?
July 18th, 2008 by Amanda
According to opinion by Aliza Marcus and Andrew Apostolou in the Washington Post, “Turkey’s political crisis has taken a turn for the worse” as the nation’s Constitutional Court is likely to ban Prime Minister Erdogan and his AKP party from government participation. They consider this a drastic measure that is certain to spark “political instability in an important U.S. ally.”
Despite the country’s importance for America in the region at large, “the U.S. government has been curiously quiet about this assault on Turkey’s democracy”. Marcus and Apostolou affirm that “if the United States is serious about promoting democracy in Muslim countries, it should stand up for Turkey’s democratically elected government.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Islam and Democracy, Secularism, Turkey, US foreign policy | Comment »
The Atlantic Divide on Democracy
July 14th, 2008 by Adam
In an interesting article in the Daily Star, Waleed Sadi examines the differences between American and European approaches to democratization in the Middle East. Sadi says the U.S. sees regional democratization as, “…a process with a political agenda linked to its strategic global policy.” This makes the American commitment to democracy much more inconsistent as the U.S. is willing to ignore democracy when it advances U.S. interests, while promoting it when their is little risk.
The Europeans, on the other hand, are more consistent even if its successes are limited. The EU takes a more subtle, nuanced approach and rarely criticizes nations that have yet to embark on political reform for fear of provoking a counterproductive response. Sadi concludes by elucidating the greatest difference on regional democratization by saying, “…the EU has concluded that democracy cannot be imposed from the outside, but must arise from within through a slow evolutionary process. Democracy needs to be nurtured and cultivated by creating a culture for democracy that does not arise out of nowhere. This conclusion has yet to dawn on the US leadership.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, EU, US foreign policy | Comment »
Mediterranean Union and the Middle East
July 10th, 2008 by Adam
With Sunday’s summit in Paris, many are discussing what impact, if any, this weekend’s launch of the Mediterranean Union will have on Euro-Arab relations and Middle East politics as well. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently decided to attend this weekend’s summit at the behest of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. However, “Ankara has been hesitating about whether to embrace the Union for the Mediterranean, an initiative spearheaded by Sarkozy, because of doubts that it may be an attempt to delude the country’s European Union membership prospects.”
Amitai Etzioni at Talking Points Memo sees the new union as an opportunity for Turkey to bolster its leadership in the Middle East and use its position as a functioning democracy to promote reform and regional integration. Etzioni says, “Calling on Turkey to lead the economic and political development of the Middle Eastern community fits well in a new global design.” Furthermore, “…a Middle Eastern community, serving as a democratizing magnet for other states in the region, would well complement such a global architecture.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, EU, Turkey | Comment »
Controversial Funds for Democracy Promotion in Iran
July 10th, 2008 by Adam
At the Public Record, Jason Leopold examines the State Department’s controversial “Democracy Program” to promote democracy, civil society, and human rights inside Iran. Leopold asserts that the money has been shrouded in secrecy with some of the money going to Iranian exile organizations in order to establish relationships with opposition groups. He also argues that the money is not having its desired effect as civil society and human rights organizations have rejected the funds as they believe it will taint their ability to bring change from within. Furthermore, such funds are described as having heightened Tehran’s insecurity and allowing them to justify crackdowns on opponents by citing foreign subversion.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Foreign Aid, Iran, US foreign policy | 1 Comment »
Post-Bush Democratization
July 10th, 2008 by Adam
In the Daily Star, Marina Ottaway suggests that the next U.S. administration not forgo democracy promotion despite the mistakes of the Bush administration. Ottaway asserts that it would be very costly to give up on promoting democracy due to the appetite for reform and a realization among many in ruling circles that Arab autocracies may not be able to survive without significant change. She prescribes that the U.S. set low-key, modest goals tailored to each country’s experience so that democratization is seen as consistent and reasonable.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: Religious Freedom in Turkey
July 9th, 2008 by Sarah
The Congressional Human Rights Caucus Task Force on International Religious Freedom invited Ziya Meral, a Turkish researcher, and Patricia Carley, Policy Director for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to lead a staff briefing on the current political and social scene within Turkey and the status of religious freedom in the country. Both speakers agreed that banning the AKP party could be disastrous for democracy in Turkey. All comments were made off the record.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Freedom, Human Rights, Political Islam, Political Parties, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
The Future of Democracy Promotion
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 | Comment »
Democracy Promotion and Culture
July 1st, 2008 by Adam
Lawrence Harrison in the Christian Science Monitor looks at the links between democracy promotion and culture. He examines the occupation of three Latin American countries in the early 20th century and claims that, “These three examples demonstrate how good intentions expressed through military force and money can be frustrated by cultures that are not congenial to democratic institutions.” Iraq’s democratic future, he concludes, is unlikely unless its culture embraces democratic tenets.
Posted in Democracy Promotion | Comment »
League of Democracies and War
June 26th, 2008 by Adam
In the Daily Star, Robert Skidelsky castigates the idea of a “League of Democracies” as a flawed, unnecessary pipe dream. The concept is flawed in that it is based on the ideas that democracies will agree on important international issues and that long-term peace between democracies and non-democracies is not feasible. He fears that such a league will disrupt the current international order by marginalizing Russia and China, and allowing the league “…to legitimize war-making by democracies - in order to spread democracy!”
Posted in Concert of Democracies, Democracy Promotion | Comment »
League of Democracies
June 25th, 2008 by Adam
In an article in Foreign Policy (registration required), Thomas Carothers examines the idea of a “League of Democracies,” and the logical pitfalls it encounters when thought about more concretely. The most faulty assumption made by advocates of the idea is the premise that shared democratic values will foster a consensus on foreign policy. Furthermore, outside the U.S. there are few advocates for this idea as there is skepticism that it would be a vehicle for promoting American interests rather than promoting democracy.
Posted in Concert of Democracies, Democracy Promotion | Comment »
Al-Hurra Flops
June 23rd, 2008 by Adam
The Washington Post details the problems of Al-Hurra, the U.S.-backed Arabic language television network. The network, meant to be the War on Terror’s Radio Free Europe, has failed to gain traction in the Arab World since it was founded four years ago as an attempt to win Arab hearts and minds and bolster democracy, while providing an alternative to Al-Jazeera.
GrandMasta Splash at Arabic Media Shack provides further analysis.
Posted in Arab media, Democracy Promotion | Comment »
Book Reviews: The Role of the US in Democracy Promotion
June 20th, 2008 by Amanda
In Foreign Affairs, Eva Bellin reviews two recent publications on the role of the US in political reform in the Middle East. In the Brookings Institution publication, Freedom’s Unsteady March: America’s Role In Building Arab Democracy, Tamara Cofman Wittes argues that “the region’s long-term stability can be guaranteed only by democratization” and believes the failures by the Bush Administration were caused by “a halfhearted effort rather than the inherent unachievability or inadvisability of the objective.” She disagrees with Wittes on many points, contending that “the bottom line is that U.S. strategic interests do not require democracy promotion in the Arab world.”
Bellin considers the Carnegie Endowment’s Beyond the Façade: Political Reform in the Arab World, edited by Marina Ottaway and Julia Choucair-Vizoso, to be a more “sober account” compared to Wittes’s “impassioned defense of democracy promotion.” Despite the variations of enthusiasm and tone, Bellin notes, “their policy recommendations are surprisingly congruent.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Criticism of U.S. Policies
June 18th, 2008 by Adam
Rami Khouri over at the Daily Star says that criticism towards America in the region is primarily the result of U.S. policies rather than envy since its policies have been spectacular failures and created more instability. The incoherence of American democracy promotion has setback political reform and has made the ability of reformers extremely difficult. In a condemnatory fashion, Khouri concludes, “People in the region notice, and they react critically when a major power helps to make their societies increasingly violent and dysfunctional, adding fuel to the fire of the Middle East’s own intemperate statehood and mediocre governance systems.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Strengthening Afghanistan
June 12th, 2008 by Sarah
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee will convene next Wednesday to evaluate current U.S. efforts to train and equip Afghanistan police and strengthen the justice system in the country. The Center for American Progress recommends that the U.S. and international community implement anti-corruption measures, provide more military trainers for police, establish civilian mentors for the force, recruit more women, and support a national judicial sector strategy.
For the full recommendations, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Military, Reform, Women | Comment »
Center for National Policy: Stability Operations: The Lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan
June 10th, 2008 by Sarah
This afternoon, the Center for National Policy invited Dr. Anthony Cordesman, the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to discuss the lessons in stability operations from Iraq and Afghanistan. Cordesman formerly served as national security assistant to Senator John McCain of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as director of intelligence assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and as civilian assistant to the deputy secretary of defense. Tim Roemer, President of CNP, moderated the event.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Iran, Iraq, Military | Comment »
CSIS: Qur’anic Guidance to Good Governance
June 10th, 2008 by Sarah
The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Hills Program on Governance, in collaboration with the Caux Round Table and the Islamic University of Malaysia, invited Dean of the Islamic University of Malaysia, Ibrahim Hazizan Bin Md. Noon, and Professors Ibrahim Zein, Abdullah al-Ahsan, and Muhammad Arif Zakaullah to present an analysis of the Qur’an and its implications on good governance in both the public and private sectors in Muslim societies. Ibrahim Zein is Dean of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization. Abdullah al-Ahsan is Professor within the Department of History and Civilization. Muhammad Arif Zakaullah is Professor in the Department of Economics and Management Sciences.
Additional comments were made by Stephen Young, Global Executive Director of the Caux Round Table and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C. Concluding remarks were made by Roderick M. Hills, Founder and Chairman of the Hills Program on Governance at CSIS.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Event Notes, Islam and Democracy | Comment »
NPC: Human Rights and Political Reform in Morocco
June 10th, 2008 by Sarah
The National Press Club invited Dr. Ahmed Herzenni, the President of the Advisory Council on Human Rights, and Fatiha Layadi, journalist and Independent party member of the Moroccan parliament, to discuss how the establishment of Morocco’s truth and reconciliation commission has strengthened the country’s civil and political institutions. The event was moderated by Jane Arraf, former CNN Baghdad Bureau Chief, and introductions were made by American Moroccan Institute’s President Mokhtar Ghambou.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Morocco, Reform | Comment »
Future of Democracy
June 3rd, 2008 by Adam
In a thought provoking article, Mohammed Fadhil in the Wall Street Journal addresses the struggle in the Middle East between democratic forces and their anti-democratic counterparts that see democracy as facade for Western domination. Fadhil asserts that this should not deter Western support for democracy because, “…it’s naïve to expect democracies that emerge from isolated nationalistic initiatives, without backing from outside powers, would ever be welcomed by the neighbors in Saudi Arabia, Iran or Syria.” Fadhil concludes that only when America supports the democratic process vigorously can it be protected from anti-democratic forces that seek to squelch nascent reforms.
Posted in Democracy Promotion | Comment »
Dueling Visions of Democracy
June 3rd, 2008 by Sarah
Check out the fascinating article by Nadia Urbinati in Dissent, in which she argues that two divergent visions of democracy frame the ongoing debate surrounding the promotion of democracy abroad: “One is ideological, quasi religious in kind, based on a nucleus of values that are identified with the West as an organic whole. The other is moral and procedural in kind and pays attention to the context. It is based on a nucleus of procedures that are applicable in various circumstances.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion | Comment »
