Jordan: Youth Apathetic to Political Process
August 19th, 2010 by Farid
In an effort to “uncover young people’s attitudes toward political involvement and specifically their experiences in the previous election in 2007,” the Al-Hayat Center for Civil Society Development and the National Democratic Institute have “launched a campaign focused on engaging and registering young voters for [the] Nov. 9 parliamentary elections.” Surveying 2,100 people between 18 and 20 years of age, results showed that “for this year’s elections, respondents expressed a continued lack of confidence in parliament and said they do not have information on how Jordan’s recently-amended electoral law might affect procedures for the November polls.” Facing these issues and concerns, Al-Hayat has taken various measures to encourage the youth in the country to participate in the upcoming elections.
Posted in Civil Society, Elections, Jordan, Public Opinion | Comment »
Arab Public Opinion: No Love for Liberal Democracy?
August 11th, 2010 by Jennifer
Barry Rubin writing at the blog for the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center argues that the data in the recently released 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll reveal “the realities of the Arabic-speaking world: the hegemony of radicalism among the masses, passionate hatred for Israel and the West, and lack of sympathy for democracy or liberalism.” Noting that participants in the survey registered high approval ratings for the Turkish and Iranian premiers, but not for any moderate Arab leaders, Rubin points to “a decline in Arab nationalism that would have been unthinkable during the 1950-2000 era.” He goes on to harshly criticize the poll’s conductors at Brookings, who he said attempted to spin the study’s results to suggest that the Obama administration’s overly “friendly” stance toward Israel was the primary cause of negative sentiment toward the U.S. He says that this conclusion is untenable, arguing that the real problems faced by the Arab world are not Israel, but the “failure of Arab statist dictatorships and Arab nationalist ideology”; a “stifling traditional culture that clashes with modernity”; and “internal group conflicts,” among other challenges. According to Rubin, the U.S. cannot change trends in Arab public opinion by distancing itself from Israel, achieving a two-state solution, or practicing engagement and “appeasement,” since “the only solution is internal and it will take decades at best.” Instead, he urges the West to “defend itself, help the most relatively moderate forces (both governments and mass opposition movements as in Lebanon and Iran), and stand up for its own values.”
Posted in Israel, Public Opinion, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
Arab Public Opinion: Policy and Polls
August 10th, 2010 by Jennifer
Will Inboden writing in Foreign Policy argues that while recent polling data indicates a troublesome drop in Arab public opinion of the Obama administration and U.S. policy, the significance of these statistics should not be overinflated. Inboden suggests that policy gains trump popularity increases, stating, “The task of statecraft is not to chase the whims of public opinion, but to pursue policies that serve the nation and that over time will create a more stable, free, prosperous, and peaceful world.” Calling opinion polls in the Middle East “fickle, elusive, and unreliable indicators of true beliefs,” he praises a recent study– entitled “Actions, Not Just Attitudes,” and undertaken by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy –that claims that quantifiable measures of Arab behavior toward the U.S. in fact show a positive outlook among Arabs toward the U.S. since 2003. Inboden concludes that the administration should focus on hard policy achievements in the region, including “successfully completing the mission in Iraq so that it becomes a nation peaceful, secure, and free; promoting political and economic reform among the region’s many repressive regimes and stagnant economies; addressing regional threats such as the Iranian nuclear program; and yes, patiently pursuing a fair and durable two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”
Posted in Public Opinion, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The View From the Middle East– The 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll”
August 6th, 2010 by Jennifer
The Brookings Institution hosted a presentation by Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and Senior Fellow at Brookings, on the 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll. Kenneth Pollack, Senior Fellow and Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, moderated the event.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Public Opinion, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll: Palestine-Israel, Not Democracy, Takes Center Stage
August 5th, 2010 by Jennifer
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings released the 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll today and held an event (full notes forthcoming from POMED) marking the publication of the results. The poll– conducted in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and the UAE from June 28-July 20 of this year, in conjunction with Zogby International — recorded a striking drop in optimism among Arabs toward American policy in the Middle East. While at the beginning of the Obama administration’s term, 51% of respondents expressed a positive outlook on U.S. regional policy, the new poll indicates that only 16% still felt hopeful, with 63% describing themselves as “discouraged.”
Shibley Telhami, nonresident senior fellow at the Saban Center and conductor of the poll, commented that “the data leaves little doubt that the deciding factor in the shift of opinion toward the Obama administration is disappointment on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.” Analyst Laura Rozen confirms in a piece at Politico that “hopes in the Arab world about how much Obama might transform U.S. foreign policy may have been unrealistically high as he came into office, and considerable disappointment has set in as the administration encounters difficulties in making significant progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, among other issues.” In another significant finding, 57% of participants in the survey said that Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons would prove “positive” for the region, versus only 29% in 2009.
Meanwhile, Marc Lynch writing in Foreign Policy highlights changes in Arab opinion as indicated in the poll regarding a number of important issues. Lynch points out that only 20% of respondents expressed positive views of President Obama versus 45% in 2009, while negative opinion of Obama rose from 23% to 62%; additionally, 12% registered favorable views toward the U.S. in general, versus 15% during the final year of President George W. Bush’s administration. Significantly, 61% of those polled pointed to a continuing lack of progress on the Palestine-Israel front as the area of their greatest disappointment, whereas a mere 1% cited failures in “spreading democracy” as their major concern. On the other hand, Lynch cites encouraging data from the survey showing that 20% of respondents indicated that they were the most pleased with Obama’s attitude toward Islam and Muslims, while those expressing “very unfavorable” views toward the United States dropped from 64% in 2008 to 47% in 2010.
According to Lynch, the survey’s results “should be sobering for supporters of the administration’s foreign policy. The perceived failure to deliver meaningful change has taken its toll.” Nevertheless, he cautions against focusing exclusively on the statistical data, stating, “Public opinion surveys are only one part of the story — the goals of engagement are always broader than ‘moving the numbers’,” and adding that “if the administration begins to deliver — on Israeli-Palestinian peace, on the withdrawal from Iraq, on engagement with Iran — then the numbers will change.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Public Opinion, Publications, US foreign policy | Comment »
Turkey: Is Reform Truly a Debate Between Secularists and Islamists?
August 3rd, 2010 by Farid
Turkey will hold a national referendum on September 12 “on a wide-ranging set of changes to the constitution.” Advocating for the amendments, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) argues that the “reforms will enhance democracy in Turkey and boost its case for accession to the European Union.” The Republican People’s Party (CHP) however, opposes the reforms, saying that “they violate the independent nature of Turkey’s military and judiciary.” The package of reforms to the 1982 constitution includes 26 amendments encompassing military, judicial, and citizen rights components.
On that note, in a very insightful piece in The Wilson Quarterly, Michael Thumann argues that recent political developments in Turkey are not based on a “clash between Islamist Turks and secularists,” but rather on a conflict between Turkey’s long-reigning political elites and a “rising class of newcomers” with roots outside of Istanbul who also happen to be “religiously observant.” According to Thumann, the veteran elites are “gradually losing their grip on [Turkey’s] central institutions and its society, and they don’t like it.” Elaborating on this point, Thumann points to the issue of headscarves to suggest that “Islam in Turkey is not so much experiencing an upsurge or revival as it is coming out of the closet,” adding that women who wear headscarves have not increased in numbers but rather that they now wish to participate in public life. Correcting mainstream misconceptions about the AKP, Thumann explains that “the AKP has not pursued any Islamist objectives, such as establishing laws based on religious sources.” Turkey’s old elite however, believe that the “commitment to internal Westernization is hanging in the balance,” Thumann explains, adding that compromise is rare in Turkish politics and that “an attempt to make a minor amendment to the constitution may quickly turn into a battle about the very survival of the Turkish republic.” According to Thumann, in a trend similar to those seen in Western nations with diverse populations, “AKP partisans claim the same jobs, access to schools, and even concepts—modernity and democracy—that were once seen as the monopoly of the old elite.” But it is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Thumann argues, who has “assumed command of Turkey’s Westernization drive” and pushed for EU membership.
Regarding the upcoming referendum, Thumann says that the reform package fails to address Turkey’s increasing centralization of government. As of now, local governments in Turkey do not have the authority to make significant decisions, and thus, “Regions that lack self-sufficient local government perforce lack strong representation in the capital to push for local interests,” he explains. In a predominantly authoritarian region, Turkey’s embrace of democracy must be demonstrated by embracing “pluralism in its national life,” Thumann says.
Posted in Political Parties, Public Opinion, Reform, Secularism, Turkey | Comment »
Palestine: PA’s Hands Tied on Talks by Palestinian Public Opinion
July 12th, 2010 by Jennifer
James Zogby writing at Foreign Policy quotes a recent interview conducted with PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on his weekly television show Viewpoint with James Zogby. According to Zogby, Ashrawi critiqued the recent meeting between U.S. President Barak Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that moving to direct talks on the peace process when no tangible progress has been made is not feasible for Palestinian leaders, who would lose credibility with their constituency. Zogby notes that Ashrawi pointed to a lack of U.S. understanding of the democratic dynamics of Palestinian government: she stated, “‘They pay attention to Israeli democracy and public opinion and coalition requirements but they do not pay attention to the fact that the Palestinians have a very vibrant and active democracy and very active and outspoken public opinion, and they have to understand [Palestinian President] Abbas does not have a free hand to just make unilateral single decisions like that in a vacuum.”
Zogby highlights Ashrawi’s concern that a “disconnect” separates the U.S-Israel approach and the Palestinian approach to talks. Ashrawi argued that Israel and the U.S. seek to present at least the image of movement on the peace process through initiating talks, while the Palestinian population has no interest in such gestures as long as they feel that no real progress is being made on the ground, since Israel continues to take actions that undermine the two-state vision, such as building settlements. Calling Palestinian public opinion “highly inflamed.. very intelligent, very well informed, and very critical” of the situation, Ashrawi predicted that the talks will fail unless the U.S. is prepared to curb Israeli policies, according to Zogby’s report.
Posted in Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, Public Opinion | Comment »
Jordan CSS Poll: Public Unaware and Confused by New Elections Law
June 29th, 2010 by Jennifer
The University of Jordan’s Centre for Strategic Studies released a striking public opinion poll on Monday regarding electoral processes in Jordan. The poll evaluated public knowledge and opinion in three key areas: the new Elections Law, the most recent parliamentary elections in 2007, and the upcoming November 9 parliamentary elections. The third section also included questions on the impact of the tribes on elections.
Under the first category, the poll indicated that 66% of respondents reported that they were entirely unaware that the government had instituted a new Elections Law. Of those polled who had heard of the law, only 52% were informed of its details to any degree, and of those, only 17% characterized their knowledge as extensive. On the other hand, 16% indicated that they had no information whatsoever about the details of the law, while 23% reported that they were unable to understand some of the law’s details. In a stunning statistic, 62% indicated that they accepted or agreed with the new law, even though only 33% reported any knowledge of the law’s existence in the first place.
Asked whether they believed this year’s elections will be free and fair, 65% of the respondents said yes, while 9% said no, and 13% responded that they did not know. A large majority, 72%, felt that punishments for vote-buying would prevent its occurrence in the elections. On the other hand, a large segment of those polled, 25%, reported their intention to boycott the elections. This number is significant, given that elections are only 20 weeks away and that 57% of respondents reported that they did vote during the previous round of elections. Regarding tribalism, 31% of those polled who voted previously indicated that they cast their vote for a relative or based on tribal affiliations, versus 16% who reported that they voted for the candidate’s platform.
Some observers criticized the public confusion made apparent by the results of the poll, with one blogger commenting that the study points to “yet another massive government failure to communicate with the people, especially over complex legislation that desperately needs to be understood by an electorate if the goal is to actually get them to vote.” The author suggested that bringing in international monitors to observe the elections might lend more credibility to the Jordanian government, in that regard.
Posted in Elections, Jordan, Public Opinion, Reform | Comment »
Egypt: Is Washington a “Sucker” for Mubarak?
May 29th, 2010 by Josh
Ellen Bork of the Foreign Policy Initiative dives into this question at the Weekly Standard, reflecting upon the time-honored U.S. convention of prioritizing stability in Egypt to explain why Egyptians view the U.S. with a “mixture of resentment, confusion, and hope.” For 30 years, she says, U.S. policymakers have subordinated democracy to Middle East peace and security, with little thought about whether supporting President Mubarak’s personal stability is ultimately futile in the face of economic stagnation, corruption, and incessant repression — all of which contain the “seeds of [Mubarak’s] destruction.” Having just spoken to a number of Egyptian intellectuals and small businessmen, Bork reports that many are surprised at “American credulousness,” a common refrain derived from their rejection of the popular formula that for years has held that free and fair elections will lead to radical Islamist rule. “They think … that granting Egyptians political rights would neutralize the threat,” she writes.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Political Islam, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
New Poll Shows “U-Turn” in U.S. Favorability
May 29th, 2010 by Josh
After nearly a year of slow but visible gains in U.S. approval throughout the Arab world, the latest iteration of Gallup polling shows significant declines in four of the six states surveyed — perhaps reflecting what some have recently identified as a rather acute disappointment with what they see as a gap between Obama administration rhetoric and action. Egypt experienced the steepest fall from a two-year high of 37 percent approval last fall to 19 percent today. Algeria was next, dipping 13 percent from 43 to 30. Declines were relatively more mild in Iraq and the Palestinian Territories (3 and 4 percent respectively), both within Gallop’s margin of error.
Aside from surface-level favorability ratings, the poll’s so-called “internals” are fascinating as well. When asked what would improve their view of the United States, 55 percent of Egyptians cited “supporting the right of Muslims to elect their own government” as a “very significant” issue. Other priority responses in this category include: “pulling out of Iraq” (64 percent); “removing military bases from Saudi Arabia” (60 percent); “more direct humanitarian aid” (57 percent); and “greater technology transfer and exchange of business expertise” (57 percent).
Posted in Algeria, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Iraq, Lebanon, Mauritania, Military, Palestine, Public Opinion, Technology, US foreign policy | Comment »
Lebanon: Disentangling Hezbollah from Shi’a Communities
May 27th, 2010 by Josh
Over at the Middle East Channel, Randa Slim of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund offers a fresh perspective on the deeply entrenched relationship between Hezbollah and Lebanese communities. Dismissing the utility of either internal or external military force as a means to disarm the popular Shi’a movement, Slim presents an alternative rooted in an “intra-Lebanese process of political dialogue.” Her recommendation also includes a prominent role for the international community, one that eschews its traditional projection of force in favor of new policies intended to create the “political, security and economic incentives and atmosphere in Lebanon and in the region that help promote and support disarmament.” All actors must reorient their focus away from the “Iranian provider” and toward the “Lebanese consumer,” meaning that the key to marginalizing Hezbollah’s military capacity lies in the ability to create upward pressure from the Shi’a community to demand change. According to Slim, cultivating such an environment requires an approach with four components:
- Maintaining U.S. military support of the Lebanese army: Presenting the Lebanese Armed Forces as a “strong and capable institution” would engender confidence and encourage the Shi’a community to move away from Hezbollah as its source of protection.
- The National Dialogue led by Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman, which includes Hezbollah and other political parties, must formulate and agree on a national defense strategy.
- The Lebanese government must initiate a program of economic empowerment for underprivileged Shi’a communities
- Working toward an Arab-Israeli comprehensive peace in order to assuage the ever-present concern of a violent confrontation with Israel
“Only pressure from its Shi’a constituency will change Hezbollah’s cost-benefit calculations,” Slim says. “This pressure will come only after Lebanon’s Shi’a believe that the Lebanese state institutions are the best guarantors of their economic and physical security.”
Posted in Hezbollah, Islamist movements, Lebanon, Military, Public Opinion, Reform, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Arab Attitudes One Year After Cairo
May 24th, 2010 by Chanan
As the one year anniversary of President Obama’s address in Cairo soon approaches, the folks over at Bitter-Lemons hosted four perspectives to debate the state of Arab public opinion and the United States.
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, writes that the “Obama bounce” in favorability ratings among Arab public opinion is still in evidence, though attitudes toward the president himself are down since its peak during his Cairo address. He explains: “Arab attitudes one year after Cairo are both cautious and mature. They are neither unrealistically hopeful nor excessively deflated. They are still waiting for needed change and open to recognizing it when it comes.”
Mohamed A.B. Yossif, a Cairo-based journalist, stressed “that Arab public opinion toward the US is passing through a transitional phase where new and more complex standards are used to judge US polices in the region.” Whereas the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was at one time the primary prism through which Arab attitudes toward the U.S. were formed, now millions of Arabs are judging the U.S. based on its support for authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Many want the U.S. to apply pressure on Arab governments to reform and “a prioritization of democracy promotion on the agenda of Arab citizens.”
David Pollock of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy cites a number of intriguing findings about the state of Arab opinion toward the U.S., but highlights that perhaps the most striking finding is that “the US is just not that much on people’s minds in the region.” And Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Research, explains the even though Palestinians see the United States as inherently biased toward Israel, they still predominantly support strong U.S. intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, Public Opinion, Reform, US foreign policy, Uncategorized | Comment »
Egypt: Exploring Prospects for Democracy
May 17th, 2010 by Josh
The Alliance of Egyptian-Americans organized a conference last weekend at the City University of New York to examine the political, economic, social and cultural developments in Egypt during the past half century. Participants agreed that Egypt’s restrictive political environment and lack of freedom have created a great deal of civil unrest, and could lead to an “explosion” as questions of presidential succession grow louder in advance of next year’s election. Gouda Abdel Khaleq, a leader of the leftist Tagammu Party and professor at Cairo University, called Egypt a “frozen democracy” and stressed that President Mubarak’s regime suffers from a “crisis of legitimacy.”
Elsewhere, Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress uses the recent extension of Egypt’s Emergency Law as a pivot point to address President Obama’s conviction on matters of democracy and freedom abroad. “Will [the administration] stand behind the words that will be part of its forthcoming national security strategy that include supporting ‘universal values’ around the world? Or will it follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Bush administration, whose signature ‘Freedom Agenda’ is now regarded by many Egyptians as kalam fadi, empty words?” Katulis believes Obama will have the opportunity over the next year to correct many of the policy ills from previous administrations, and Egypt will be a barometer for Obama’s universal support of basic rights and freedoms.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Egypt, Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Poll Shows Strong Pro-Democracy Sentiment
March 9th, 2010 by Josh
The second annual Asda’a Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey reveals overwhelming support for democracy among those between the ages of 18 - 24, ranging from a low of 85 percent in Oman to a high 99 percent in Kuwait. Also notable are the figures relating to technology and preferred methods of communication: Four out of five own a mobile phone; 60 percent use the Internet at least once daily; Google, Facebook, and Yahoo are the most frequented websites; and most youth rely upon online social networking as their primary way of keeping in touch with friends and family, with one-third using these tools daily. Commenting on region-wide views of civil society, Karen Hughes — Burson-Marsteller’s global vice-chairwoman — reported that “Increased public participation was seen as either ‘very important’ or ’somewhat important’ by the vast majority of young people across all the countries surveyed.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Kuwait, Oman, Public Opinion | 1 Comment »
Iraq: Poll Shows Split Views on Election Ban
February 24th, 2010 by Josh
A recent survey reveals that only 47 percent of Iraqis support the Accountability and Justice Committee’s controversial blacklist, while 38 percent oppose the ongoing effort to disqualify candidates. The poll also shows a 16 percent drop in the number of Iraqis who say they will vote compared to the 2005 turnout, reinforcing fears that the increasingly divisive election season will lead to a “stalemated and dysfunctional” political system similar to the sectarian-style government in Lebanon.
Elsewhere in Iraq-related punditry, Thomas Friedman takes to the New York Times to emphasize that, politically speaking, “culture matters, a lot more than we think, but cultures can change, a lot more than we expect.” In order to transcend the cultural forces that often prevent political stability, Friedman wonders if a Shiite Nelson Mandela could emerge to “lead a real reconciliation instead of just a Shiite dominion.” But IraqPundit says no, and in the process accuses Friedman of misreading history to create the false narrative of Mandela emerging organically to save his country — when in fact Mandela’s ascension came after decades in prison and a significant level of international support. No such support exists in Iraq, the author says, since “it looks as though the U.S. is prepared to abandon Iraq and argue that it’s the fault ofthe Iraqis for not figuring out how to get out of the chaos.”
Posted in Elections, Iraq, Public Opinion, Sectarianism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Pew Poll: Mixed, Decreasing Support for Hamas and Hezbollah
February 10th, 2010 by Maria
A newly released Pew Poll has some interesting new data on opinions from 25 Middle Eastern countries.
Hamas: Numbers show positive support for Hamas in Jordan (56 percent) and Egypt (52 percent) but interestingly enough, 52 percent of Palestinians rated the group negatively over 44 percent who rated them positively. Even more interesting is that only 37 percent of Gazans favored Hamas as opposed to 47 percent in the West Bank. Turkish respondents only gave Hamas 5 percent of its support.
Hezbollah: 63 percent of Palestinians and 51 percent of Jordanians rated Hezbollah positively - but the group did not poll as high in Egypt (43 percent) and actually rated the lowest in Lebanon (34 percent). However, in Lebanon, not surprisingly Hezbollah’s support was specific to religious divides. Nearly all of Lebanon’s Shia Muslims (97 percent) were in favor of the group, compared to only 18 percent of Lebanese Christians and 2 percent of Lebanese Sunni Muslims. Like Hamas, Hezbollah received very little support among Turks (3 percent).
Noah Pollack concludes at Commentary, “The good news is that Muslims in the Middle East tend not to like the Islamists in their own countries. The bad news is that they tend to like the Islamists in other countries.” Although it is worth noting that Hamas and Hezbollah are very different from most “Islamist” groups in the region, which are unarmed.
This polling data was released last week, though the surveys were conducted between May and June of 2009. Click here to access a full PDF version of the report, which also includes polling numbers on views of Muslim leaders, the Sunni-Shia conflict and Lebanon’s growing divide.
Posted in Egypt, Hamas, Hezbollah, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Public Opinion, Turkey | Comment »
Lebanon: Corruption by the Grand Mufti?
February 2nd, 2010 by Jessica
The Daily Star reports that Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, head of the Dar al-Fatwa council, has been urged to respond to allegations of corruption by Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss. Media sources report that Hoss’ allegations were made in Dar al-Fatwa, the highest Sunni authority. Hoss’ condemnation of Qabbani, followed fall media campaigns questioning Dar al-Fatwa’s financial integrity and transparency and accusing the Grand Mufti of embezzling thousands of dollars from the aforementioned council in 2009. The Daily Star reports that Hoss’ letter asks for a resolution to the allegations against the Grand Mufti, though he remains skeptical of Qabbani’s innocence, “Keeping quiet about this issue for so long proves that the accusations are true.” Hoss openly expresses his fear that a failure to resolve the issue of Qabbani’s integrity will lead to sectarian violence, “I am afraid that a decision to remain in your post, which you are no longer worthy of, would be cause for sectarian strife within the ranks of your confession.”
Posted in Lebanon, Public Opinion, Reform | Comment »
Saudi Arabia: Study Shows Most Saudis Are Concerned About Corruption
January 28th, 2010 by Maria
A data set released by Princeton-based Pechter Middle East Polls conducted on Saudi Arabian citizens shows they are a moderately satisfied constituency, but most of whom are concerned with corruption (63 percent) and religious extremism (54 percent) in Saudi Arabia. The polling was done on 1,000 Saudi Arabian citizens residing in three main urban areas of the country: Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam/al-Khobar. Interestingly enough, most also responded that they would like new and additional political changes, like local elections. The research organization that conducted the study analyzes that the Saudis are open to accepting “a gradual pace of reform” as well as “modest measures” toward reform within the next few years.
Posted in Elections, Public Opinion, Reform, Saudi Arabia | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Assessing ‘A New Way Forward’: One Year of the Obama Administration in the Middle East”
January 21st, 2010 by Josh
The Project on Middle East Democracy hosted an event to analyze President Obama’s first year in office and present ideas for a more substantive engagement in democracy promotion moving forward. In his inaugural address on January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama declared, “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” This vision of a “new way forward” became a theme of the Obama administration’s interactions with the Arab and Muslim world during its first year. President Obama further articulated this vision in his major speech in Cairo, in which he identified seven major challenges that the U.S. and the Muslim world must confront together: violent extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, nuclear nonproliferation, democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, and economic development. Now, on the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration, we gather to assess the Obama administration’s first year and to examine further opportunities for the administration to implement its vision of a new beginning with the Arab and Muslim world.
POMED’s Executive Director Andrew Albertson provided opening remarks and introduced the keynote speaker, Senator Robert Casey, Jr (D-PA). Daniel Brumberg of the U.S. Institute of Peace then moderated a panel of six speakers, each of whom participated in one of POMED’s three regional conferences in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan: Mohammad Azraq, 2010 Leaders for Democracy Fellow in Jordan; Karim Bayoud, Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections; Cole Bockenfeld, International Foundation for Electoral Systems; David Linfield, Fulbright Fellow in Jordan; Bassem Samir, Egyptian Democratic Academy; and Jessica O’Higgins, International Student Exchange Programs.
Albertson moderated the second panel, which consisted of: Adel Abdellatif, Arab States Bureau, UN Development Programme; Michele Dunne, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Steven Kull, Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA) provided closing remarks.
For POMED’s notes in PDF, please click here. Otherwise, continue reading below the fold.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Elections, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Islamist movements, Jordan, Kurds, Lebanon, Legislation, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Publications, Reform, sanctions | 1 Comment »
Afghanistan: Reaction to the Afghan Survey
January 12th, 2010 by Josh
In response to the just-released Afghanistan survey (see our previous post here), Max Boot from Commentary digs through the data to reveal what he believes is positive news. While conceding that a strong minority subscribes to the position that Afghanistan is moving in the wrong direction, Boot takes heart in the finding that 63 percent of Afghans are supportive of the continued presence of U.S. troops. More important than this public base of support, however, is what Boot terms the “public revulsion against the enemy [U.S. troops] are fighting, the Taliban.” The survey finds that only 8 percent of the population support the Taliban fighters, leading Boot to conclude that “there is a considerable base of public support that our troops can tap into.”
Elsewhere, Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent calls the results “eye opening” and observes a significant and positive shift from BBC’s last poll in September, 2009, when only 44 percent of Afghans believed their country was “on the right track.” Ackerman suspects that the dramatic rise in U.S. favorables could result from General McChrystal’s emphasis upon the behavior of U.S. troops, prompting Andrew Sullivan to praise the removal of “gung-ho Cheneyism” that he blames for the deterioration of “decency, humaneness and professionalism that once was globally understood as the core of the US military.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Military, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
