FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 07/27/05
CONTACT: Cara Santos Pianesi, 202/939-2211, csantos@CarnegieEndowment.org
To advance significant political reform in the Arab world, the United States and Europe need to engage moderate Islamists, argues Carnegie Endowment senior associate Amr Hamzawy. This is less thorny than it might seem, as many Islamists groups and parties have embraced democratic procedures and shown a strong commitment to the rule of law. Hamzawy’s accessible Policy Brief, The Key to Arab Reform: Moderate Islamists, is a must-read for policymakers, journalists, and academics following reform in the Middle East. The Brief is available here.
For decades, Arab regimes have used scare tactics to encourage the United States and Europe to support their repressive measures toward Islamist movements by invoking the image of anti-Western fanatics taking power through the ballot box. However, today’s moderate Islamists no longer match this nightmare. Political actors or observers who still insist that there is no such thing as a "moderate Islamist" miss the reality that activist organizations in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, and Yemen have evolved after decades of failed opposition to repressive regimes. Instead of clinging to fantasies of theocratic states, many Islamist movements now see the wisdom of competing peacefully for shares of political power and working within existing institutions to promote gradual democratic openings.
U.S. and European officials understandably worry that Islamists might jettison democratic transition if they gain significant power. In The Key to Arab Reform, Hamzawy explains why these fears ignore the diversity of Islamist political inclinations.
Hamzawy emphasizes that policy makers must recognize that democracy cannot come to Arab societies without the participation of movements that command wide popular support. Rather than reflexively resisting Islamists, Western governments should develop policies to engage the moderates among them. Excluding them from the political sphere weakens the chances of democratic reform and increases the likelihood that eventually they will resort to violence.
Carnegie Endowment senior associate Amr Hamzawy is an Egyptian political scientist who previously taught at Cairo University and the Free University of Berlin.
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Direct Link to Author's Bio: http://carnegieendowment.org/experts/?fa=237