The United States, the Arab Spring, and Mideast Peace

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In The Media

The United States, the Arab Spring, and Mideast Peace

The United States must engage in a careful balancing act to maintain both its expressed commitment to Arab democracy and its commitment to its relationship with Israel.

By Michele Dunne

Published on May 23, 2011

Source: NPR's On Point

As the Arab Spring continues to usher in a new reality in the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict is beginning to see effects from the turmoil. Speaking on NPR’s On Point, Michele Dunne commented that “there is a mood in the Arab world of people rejecting things that were long unacceptable to them, whether it is authoritarian regimes, human rights abuses of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. I don’t think this mood is going to leave Palestinians behind.”

The Palestinians are beginning to rely on new strategies, some planned and some spontaneous, to change the equation, Dunne explained. The recent reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas, as well as that attempt by Palestinian refugees from surrounding Arab countries to cross the border into Israel and the West Bank, are examples of such initiatives. With the Palestinian leadership intending to bring their case for statehood to the UN general assembly vote in September, the United States is now in a difficult and contradictory position, Dunne said. As it continues to express support for democracy and self-determination in the Arab world, it must also consider its relationship with Israel. In the coming months, Dunne concluded, the United States will have to determine how to reengage in the peace process, or it will face a very difficult and uncomfortable challenge at the UN in September.

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 Security Middle East Israel North Africa Palestine Egypt Gulf Levant Maghreb

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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