Commentary
Nathan J. Brown
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REQUIRED IMAGE
Other
Living with Palestinian Democracy
By isolating the new Hamas government diplomatically and financially, the US and its allies have succeeded in bringing the Palestinian Authority to the brink of collapse. In addition, government and opposition leaders in the Middle East regard the West's reaction to Hamas as a test of its sincerity in the push for regional political reform.
Published on May 15, 2006
By isolating the new Hamas government diplomatically and financially, the US and its allies have succeeded in bringing the Palestinian Authority to the brink of collapse. In a new policy brief, Living with Palestinian Democracy, Carnegie Senior Associate Nathan Brown predicts that the West Bank and Gaza, already in a deep depression, will descend into political chaos that serves nobody’s interest. Government and opposition leaders in the region regard the West's reaction to Hamas as a test of its sincerity in the push for regional political reform.
Brown, a leading expert on Palestinian politics, argues that a longer-term strategy based on support for Palestinian democracy is part of the solution to the impasse. Brown acknowledges the serious international complications triggered by the Hamas victory, but argues that it also presents an opportunity for meaningful political reform.
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Nathan Brown is a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment. He is an expert on Palestinian reform and Arab constitutionalism.
About the Author
Nathan J. Brown
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, is a distinguished scholar and author of nine books on Arab politics and governance, as well as editor of five books.
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Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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