See No Evil

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  "authors": [
    "Michele Dunne"
  ],
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  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
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  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
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  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
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  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
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  "regions": [
    "North Africa",
    "Egypt"
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  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
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}

In The Media

See No Evil

Inconsistent U.S. pressure on the Mubarak regime to enact democratic reforms likely increased the perception among the Egyptian people that the United States did not support them.

By Michele Dunne

Published on Apr 1, 2011

Source: This American Life

During the last decade, the United States has maintained an inconsistent policy on pressuring the Mubarak regime in Egypt to implement democratic reforms and curb human rights abuses, explained Michele Dunne on This American Life. Although U.S. officials raised the issue of reform in meetings with Egyptian officials, successive U.S. governments often did not make a concerted effort to push for real reforms. Dunne explained that both the Bush and Obama administrations were very careful in their public criticism of the previous Egyptian government, given the important role Egypt played as a regional ally. Ultimately, Dunne said, this lack of consistency made the Egyptian people feel as though the U.S. government was not on their side.

About the Author

Michele Dunne

Former Nonresident Scholar, Middle East Program

Michele Dunne was a nonresident scholar in Carnegie’s Middle East Program, where her research focuses on political and economic change in Arab countries, particularly Egypt, as well as U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Recent Work

Research
Islamic Institutions in Arab States: Mapping the Dynamics of Control, Co-option, and Contention
- +6
  Yasmine Farouk, Nathan J. Brown, Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, …
Research
From Hardware to Holism: Rebalancing America’s Security Engagement With Arab States
- +8
  Robert Springborg, Emile Hokayem, Becca Wasser, …

Political Reform North Africa Egypt

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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