Project on Middle East Democracy

Project on Middle East Democracy
The POMED Wire Archives


Month: May, 2008

A Different Strategy With Pakistan May Be Better for the U.S.

May 31st, 2008 by Amanda

Touqir Hussain writes in a Middle East Institute policy brief that the U.S. must remove itself from the “counterproductive spiral” of a foreign policy with Pakistan that is based primarily on the war on terrorism. He asserts that America’s interests are better served by a stable Pakistan, but that this “requires a strategic shift in U.S. perceptions and strategy”.


Posted in Pakistan, US foreign policy | Comment »

Is Islamism Rising With Food Prices?

May 31st, 2008 by Amanda

Jack Fairweather at PostGlobal opines that Islamism in Jordan is being helped by the rise of food prices in Jordan. As the poor look to the Muslim Brotherhood for food assistance, Fairweather notes that the goodwill “comes with a caveat” requiring recipients to “attend classes advocating the imposition of Sharia law.” Although the group’s political arm, the Islamic Action Front, is allowed to participate in elections, the government is “distrustful” of the group’s tactics.

Yusuf Mansur at BitterLemmons International claims that the steep inflation of late is forcing normally “numb” Jordanians to recognize “manifest discontent and rising poverty.” He derides Jordan’s government on “the similarity of promises from one cabinet to the next and their dismal achievements [that] have helped douse the possibility of emergence from the catacomb of policy ineffectiveness.” He asserts that Jordan’s “dangerous tripod” of historically high unemployment and poverty that have gone unresolved by its leadership are only being exacerbated by the inflationary pressures, which is leading to popular unrest.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the “food crisis creates an opening for Muslim fundamentalists and has considerably “challenged America’s goals in the Middle East.”


Posted in Elections, Islamist movements, Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, Political Islam, US foreign policy | Comment »

Egyptian State of Emergency, Cont.

May 31st, 2008 by Amanda

The state of emergency rule enacted 27 years ago by the Egyptian Parliament under President Hosni Mubarak was renewed last week for an additional two-years. The extended law allows police to arrest anyone without charges and to quash public demonstrations, such as April’s organized protest in response to low wages and rising food prices. Amr Hamzawy at BitterLemmons International attributes the rise of strikes and demonstrations to “the acute decline in socio-economic conditions, despite the government’s “combination of repressive and conciliatory measures.” Many political activists and internet bloggers have been detained without reason or trail, and some consider the extension of emergency rule as a direct means to suppress these and other “opposition” movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

Reuters reports that the U.S. is dismayed by the reinstatement and has “urged Egypt’s government to get the anti-terrorism law passed as soon as possible” so that it may end the state of emergency.


Posted in Egypt, US foreign policy | Comment »

Internal Struggle Within al Qaeda

May 30th, 2008 by Sarah

Paul Cruickshank on Counterterrorism Blog states that key figures in Jihadist movements are turning away from al Qaeda. In The New Republic, Cruickshank and Peter Bergen write that “the potential repercussions for al Qaeda cannot be underestimated because, unlike most mainstream Muslim leaders, al Qaeda’s new critics have the jihadist credentials to make their criticisms bite.”

One such critic is Sayyid Imam al Sharif. For a profile of al Sharif, see Lawrence Wright’s article in The New Yorker.

Merv Benson of the Prairie Pundit criticizes Cruickshank and Bergen for implying that al Qaeda’s internal disintegration stems from “ something other than the pressure put on them by the US war.”

The Diplomad agrees, claiming “the West has indeed inflicted a series of defeats on the jihadists and influential Muslims are waking up to the fact that following the violent ones will only lead to more defeat and misery for Muslims.”

However, Michael Scheuer dismisses both of these articles in Wired’s Danger Room. “The recent spate of articles about the so-called civil war within al Qaeda are the products of Western and wishful thinking. Almost all of the ‘critics’ of bin Laden and al Qaeda that have been cited are jihadi-has-beens, men with personal grudges against bin Laden and/or al Zawahiri, or men who are saying what the Egyptian and Saudi governments tell them to say in order to get a bit less horrendous treatment in the prisons in which they are incarcerated.”


Posted in Islamist movements, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »

No Win, No Lose

May 30th, 2008 by Sarah

In an interview with Slate’s Deborah Amos, exiled Hamas leader Khalid Meshal describes the Lebanese-Hezbollah compromise last week as a “no-win, no-lose” situation. When asked why a similar power-sharing agreement was not made between Fatah and Hamas, Mishaal argues that “ the Bush administration prevented Palestinian reconciliation.”


Posted in Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamist movements, Israel, Lebanon, Mideast Peace Plan, Syria | Comment »

POMED Notes: Recent Events in Lebanon and US Policy

May 30th, 2008 by Adam

On Wednesday afternoon, the American Enterprise Institute held a panel discussion regarding the current political struggle in Lebanon and its implications for U.S. policy in the Middle East. The panel members were Hassan Neimneh, director of the Iraq Memory Foundation; Lee Smith, visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute; Robert Malley, director of the International Crisis Group’s Middle East and North Africa Program; and Danielle Pletka of AEI. AEI’s Michael Rubin was the moderator.

For POMED’s complete notes, click here.


Posted in Event Notes, Hezbollah, Lebanon, US foreign policy | Comment »

Deciphering the Persian Puzzle

May 30th, 2008 by Adam

The Economist examines the implications of Tehran’s erratic foreign and domestic policy, and how their opaque nature has allowed them to marginalize domestic critics and government rivals, while rather successfully pushing ahead with its foreign policy objectives.


Posted in Iran | Comment »

Hezbollah’s Downfall?

May 30th, 2008 by Adam

Over at The New Republic, David Kenner theorizes whether Hezbollah’s recent seizure of Beirut may represent the beginning of their political downfall. Kenner writes that Hezbollah may have alienated its supporters in Lebanon, “…by turning their weapons on their fellow countrymen earlier this month, Hezbollah has violated the ‘grand bargain’ with the Lebanese public that has allowed them to remain militarized.”


Posted in Hezbollah, Lebanon | Comment »

Engagement, Abandonment, and Negotiations

May 29th, 2008 by Adam

Laura Rozen in Foreign Policy writes how in the twilight of the Bush administration, there are signs of flexibility in its refusal to deal with certain regimes and groups in the region. She continues that the recent talks between Israel and Syria are signs that regional actors are preparing for a post-Bush foreign policy in which the U.S. will likely be more engaged. Michael Oren skeptically examines the recent revelation of indirect talks between Israel and Syria as politically motivated self-preservation for the two nation’s embattled leaders.

In Dissent, Michael Walzer argues against the Bush administration’s refusal to engage hostile and generally odious regimes. Walzer states engagement, “…is what diplomacy is about—its purpose is to sustain long-term relations, engagement and exchange, right now and down the road, with states and countries, for the sake of peace.”

Shmuel Rosner at Slate wonders if American acceptance of the Doha Agreement is the result of a lack of leverage in the region and whether this may be an indication of an abandonment of Lebanon by the international community.



Posted in Diplomacy, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, US foreign policy | Comment »

Dialogue with Our Enemies

May 29th, 2008 by Sarah

Paul Staniland in the Christian Science Monitor rejects the knee-jerk reaction against talking with terrorist groups, and instead advocates for strategic dialogue. “The smart question is not whether to talk to terrorists, but, instead, which terrorists to talk to and how to talk to them.”

John Shaw of the Washington Diplomat interviewed James Baker regarding his assessment of foreign policy challenges facing the next U.S. president.  While Baker praised President Bush for taking a more active role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he denounced the administration’s refusal to engage with Hamas after their successful election.  In regards to Syria and Iran, Baker stated, “You are not practicing appeasement if you talk to your enemies on an unconditional basis as long as you know what you are doing and you do it in the right way.”


Posted in Diplomacy, Iran, Israel, Syria, US foreign policy | Comment »

The Power of Language

May 29th, 2008 by Sarah

Lawrence Pintak, Jeremy Ginges, and Nicholas Felton opine in the New York Times that President Bush’s description of the Arab media as a purveyor of anti-American propaganda reflects a broader failure to use Arab journalists as a potential “weapon in the war of ideas against terrorism.”

Bret Stephens, writing for the Wall Street Journal, condemns the Department of Homeland Security’s recommendation to use the term “progress” instead of “liberty” when defining foreign policy goals.  While the DHS issued these recommendations in order to “better engage the Muslim world,” Stephens suggests that doing so sidesteps our true policy goals of ending totalitarianism, and he argues that the U.S. should not shrink from using the word “liberty.”


Posted in Journalism, Middle Eastern Media, US foreign policy, US media | Comment »

Using International Organizations to Stabilize the Region

May 29th, 2008 by Sarah

Kenneth Weisbrode of the Washington Times calls for the use of a robust multinational coalition such as NATO, to help stabilize the Middle East. According to Weisbrode, this will be a more effective tool to dissuade hostile parties from seeking nuclear weapons capabilities by stabilizing the region.

Mark Mazower in the Financial Times commented that in light of what he sees as the end of the “American Century,” the only way to effectively promote democracy and human rights is by working within a United Nations framework. Mazower suggests reforming the U.N. to accommodate its increased membership, and scaling down unilateral efforts of the U.S.


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Multilateralism, United Nations | 1 Comment »

Dissolving Turkey’s Islamist Political Party

May 29th, 2008 by Sarah

Laura King, of the Los Angeles Times, suggests that if Turkey’s highest court decides to continue with an action attempting to dissolve the Islamist Justice and Development Party, it could erase Turkey’s “years of movement towards modernization and greater engagement with the West.”


Posted in Elections, Political Islam, Turkey | Comment »

A League of Their Own

May 29th, 2008 by Pasha

Thomas Carothers considers for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace whether a League of Democracies will work, arguing that it “rests on a false assumption that democracies share sufficient common interests to work effectively together on a wide range of global issues.” Instead, Carothers recommends partnerships for individual issues, a clear rebuke of military interventions to supplant sovereigns with democracies, a reversal of policies that abuse human rights, encouraging autocrats and “autocratic allies such as Pakistan and Egypt” to reform politically, and a stronger commitment to existing multilateral institutions “such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.”


Posted in Multilateralism, Reform, US foreign policy | Comment »

POMED Notes: Iran, Political Islam, and Israel

May 28th, 2008 by Sarah

This afternoon, the Library of Congress, collaborating with the Hebrew Language Table and the Embassy of Israel, invited David Menashri to discuss the rise of Political Islam in Iran and its effects on foreign relations with Israel. Menashri is the director of the Center for Iranian Studies and a professor in the Department of Middle Eastern History at Tel Aviv University. He recently published an edited volume entitled Religion and State in the Middle East.

Menashri addressed the changing role of Islam in the Iranian government and the ebb and flow of the repression of rights within Iran. He also called for cooler rhetoric toward Iran from Israeli politicians and increased effort to find common ground with moderate Arabs regarding the Arab-Israeli peace process, arguing that this would undermine efforts to mobilize radicals in Iran and strengthen the ability of the Iranian reformers to bring internal change.

For POMED’s full notes on the event, click here.


Posted in Event Notes, Iran, Israel, Political Islam | Comment »

The Next President and Democracy Promotion

May 28th, 2008 by Amanda

The Carnegie Endowment asks if it is a good idea. In a policy brief by Thomas Carothers, he examines the increasingly popular trend among policymakers to construct a democratic league “as a way for the next administration to restore the credibility of U.S. foreign policy priorities and put democracy promotion efforts back on track.” He argues that the idea is based on the dubious assumption that democracies are more likely to “work effectively together” to serve each other’s best interests.

Carothers provides detailed steps of how President Bush’s successor can buttress democratic efforts abroad and enact a more effective foreign policy in the years ahead.

William Mensch Evans expounds on the topic in an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor. Considering the latest concessions by the Lebanese government to Hizbullah as “antidemocratic backsliding”, he avers the next president must do more to promote democracy. He offers a four point course for the executive to change course, suggesting broadly that “instead of focusing on top-down advocacy through pressure on repressive governments, we must work within societies that lack democratic traditions. From the bottom up, we can help create the conditions for a societal agreement.”


Posted in Democracy Promotion, US foreign policy | Comment »

Iran Ignites Washington

May 28th, 2008 by Amanda

Iran’s nuclear activity continues to pique interests, particularly after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently reported that Iran is not cooperating fully and has refused to suspend its uranium enrichment program. This has elicited significant debate in Washington over whether the U.S. should start talking or keep the diplomatic door sealed.

Zbigniew Brzezinski and William Odom write an article in The Washington Post suggesting that “the current U.S. policy toward the regime in Tehran will almost certainly result in an Iran with nuclear weapons.” The pair suggest that a “more flexible approach would increase the prospects of an international arrangement being devised to accommodate Iran’s desire for an autonomous nuclear energy program while minimizing the possibility that it could be rapidly transformed into a nuclear weapons program.”

This New York Times editorial relays the sentiment.

In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Amir Taheri provides a caveat to the presumed success of negotiations. He affirms that “whenever Iran has appeared as a nation-state, others have been able to negotiate with it, occasionally with good results,” but argues that the country has rarely acted in such a manner. Taheri claims that “when it comes to Iran behaving as the embodiment of a revolutionary cause, however, no agreement is possible.” A Washington Post editorial echoes his ideas, considering Iran’s backing away from agreements as having failed the “‘Litmus Test’”.

Interestingly, Iran’s former nuclear envoy, Ali Larijani, has just been named speaker of Parliament. The BBC reports that “the position in effect makes Mr Larijani the leader of the opposition” against President Mahmoud Ahmidinejad.


Posted in Iran, US foreign policy | 1 Comment »

Three New POMED Papers Released

May 28th, 2008 by Amanda

The Project on Middle East Democracy has recently released its analysis of the FY 2009 budget by POMED Advocacy Director, Stephen McInerney, as well as two papers by POMED’s Director of Dialogue Programs, David DeBartolo, which outline the perceptions of U.S. democracy promotion efforts in the Middle East.


Posted in POMED, Reports | Comment »

Provincial Elections, Iraq Reflections

May 27th, 2008 by Amanda

The success of the provincial elections set for October is sparking doubts due to the persistent sectarianism that pervades Iraqi politics. Juan Cole at Informed Comment cites Al-Zaman (in Arabic) as reporting that “differences over Kirkuk between the United Iraqi Alliance and the Kurdistan Alliance may delay the holding of the provincial elections.”

Opinions continue at Abu Muqawama, where Dr. Irak is concerned that President Nuri Al-Maliki may force Sadrists to the fringe in a “renewed effort to preclude Sadrists from the provincial elections unless JAM is completely disbanded, or take other measures to decisively tilt the electoral playing field against the Sadr Trend.”

More than five years on, some reflect on what started it all and why the reason for the war changed from terrorism to democracy.

Douglas Feith reprimands the Bush Administration The Wall Street Journal for its drastic shift in rhetoric, originally citing Saddam Hussein’s stockpile of WMDs for cause to invade. When none were found, Feith writes that “from that point forward, he focused almost exclusively on the larger aim of promoting democracy.”


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Elections, Iraq, US foreign policy | Comment »

Flogging for Blogging

May 27th, 2008 by Amanda

Post Global offers a full panel commentary on the emerging role of blogging and social networking websites in the Arab world by asking if they are affecting politics, and “is the impact positive?” Mona Eltahawy notes that in many Middle Eastern countries, most notably Egypt, the “desire to take on both the regime and the old guard of their movement compels young Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt – men and women – to blog.”

Nioroge Wachai echoes her positive remarks about the influence of the internet, considering social networks like Facebook to be “political weapons.” Eltahawy remarks, however, that the movement comes with a price–many activists who used such sites to organize the most recent uprisings have been detained and beaten by Egyptian Security Forces.

Mustafa Domanic is a bit less enthusiastic about the sheer force of on-line activity without heavy on-the-ground efforts, but agrees that “the internet has enhanced freedom of speech in most countries in unprecedented ways, by breaking government monopolies on information, communications and the media.” Anwer Sher also sees internet participation as “becoming more powerful” he counters that it is “no automatic revolution,” believing it sets the groundwork but is not the ultimate solution.

For more on economic developments that “are beginning to spark unrest in Egypt,” and causing public protest that have been constructed by bloggers, read this analysis by Ibrahim Saif and Ava Leone in The Daily Star.

UPDATE: The Brookings Institution examines the topic “Middle East Youth Bulge: Challenge or Opportunity?”


Posted in Egypt, Journalism | Comment »