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 November 3, 2009
The Obama administration will use “principled engagement” to promote democracy in the Arab and wider Muslim world, said Michael Posner, assistant US secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
Change “occurs from within society” and is “very hard to impose from outside,” he said, insisting that reform was nevertheless essential “both to provide security [read full story]
Posted in International Republican Institute, Iran, Islam/politics, Middle East and North Africa, Morocco, NGOs/Civil society, Tools/technology, democracy promotion, democracy support, dissidents, engagement, media, promoting democracy, protests | Tagged Arab democracy, promoting Arab democracy |
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 |
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