By Michael Allen on December 15, 2009
As Lebanese President Michel Sleiman visits Washington, the movement that last year launched a coup against the democratically-elected government is fine-tuning its image. Adopting terminology and analysis that appears more leftist than Islamic, Hezbollah’s new manifesto marks a shift in discourse, but its underlying strategy remains the same, Rafid Fadhil Ali writes:
The content of Hezbollah’s [read full story]
Posted in Islam/politics, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa |
By Michael Allen on November 19, 2009
The dilemmas of reconciling security and human rights, stability and reform, and external and internal drivers for change were the dominant themes running through a conference on Middle East democracy this week.
The event was organized by the National Endowment for Democracy in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, to give some leading [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Egypt, Featured, Human rights, Iran, Iraq, Islam/politics, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa, Morocco, NGOs/Civil society, National Democratic Institute, National Endowment for Democracy, Women, authoritarianism, autocrats, democracy and development, democracy promotion, democracy support, democratization, dissidents, engagement, foreign policy, freedom of expression, governance, promoting democracy, protests |
By Michael Allen on November 12, 2009
November 16, 2009. U.S. Private and Non-U.S. Funding of Media Development, featuring: Anne Nelson, Author, Experimentation and Evolution in Private U.S. Funding of Media Development; Mary Myers, Author, Funding for Media Development by Major Donors Outside the United States. With comments by: Marjorie Rouse, Internews Network. Moderated by: Marguerite Sullivan, Center for International Media Assistance.
As [read full story]
Posted in Africa, Asia, Backlash, China, Democracy assistance, Egypt, Eurasia, Human rights, International Republican Institute, Islam/politics, Jordan, Latin America and the Carribean, Lebanon, Morocco, NGOs/Civil society, National Democratic Institute, National Endowment for Democracy, Pakistan, Russia, Soft power, Tools/technology, Women, authoritarianism, backsliding, corruption, democracy and development, democracy promotion, democracy support, democratization, dictatorships, dissidents, freedom of expression, governance, media, promoting democracy, rule of law, smart power, state-building | Tagged democracy support, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, International IDEA, uyghurs |
By Michael Allen on August 27, 2009
Paul Wolfowitz also invokes the admonition to “do no harm” when it comes to democracy promotion. But he denies that a pragmatic, evolutionary approach amounts to realism, even in the Middle East, where compelling strategic interests compete with promoting democracy as a policy imperative:
The goal should not be revolution, but rather evolutionary change. That’s the [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa, Morocco, democracy promotion, foreign policy, promoting democracy | Tagged democracy promotion, Paul Wolfowitz, promoting democracy |
By Michael Allen on August 26, 2009
The Obama administration was “right to avoid emotionally satisfying but pointless… rhetorical interventions” in the Iranian events of June 2009, argues Middle East analyst Gregory Gause. “It should be equally poised in rejecting calls …. to make democracy promotion a major pillar of American policy” in the region, he contends.
Gause is dismissive of pundits and [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Egypt, Iran, Islam/politics, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa, Morocco, NGOs/Civil society, Tools/technology, authoritarianism, democracy promotion, foreign policy, promoting democracy, protests | Tagged Democracy assistance, democracy promotion, Islamists, political Islam, promoting democracy, radical Islam, regional authoritarians, virtual mosque |
By Michael Allen on June 9, 2009
While Lebanon’s 2009 elections were “not without flaws,” they were a very positive step in the developing democratic institutions, according to the preliminary findings of the National Democratic Institute’s election observation team.
While the poll “ended with multiple contradictory messages” it was nevertheless a “refreshing” change in a region where elections are “typically, bland referendums stage-managed [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Elections, Islam/politics, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism | Tagged Arab democracy, Arab political reform, Hezbollah, Lebanon, National Democratic Institute |
By Michael Allen on June 8, 2009
The surprise victory of Lebanon’s pro-Western coalition in yesterday’s parliamentary elections is a setback to the region’s authoritarian ‘rejectionist’ axis. Many observers had expected the rival Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, supported by Iran and Syria, to make gains and to emerge as the major force in a new coalition.
A Hezbollah victory would have been a [read full story]
Posted in Elections, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa | Tagged authoritarianism, authoritarians, democracy, Hezbollah, Lebanon, March 14 coalition, March 8 coalition, National Democratic Institute, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden |
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