Is the United States retreating from its democracy promotion agenda in the Arab world? Has the Bush administration become fearful of the potential outcome of Arab democratization after the electoral victory of Hamas and the considerable gains of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt's parliamentary elections last year?
Michele Dunne reports on how the low-level People’s Congress in Libya actually represents very little participation or power, and explains how the current system is too unwieldy and complicated to promote individual empowerment and accountability and that the real power of the Libyan government still rests with Omar Khadafi and a small circle of allies.
The lack of democratic breakthroughs worthy of mention in Arab countries has spurred debate about barriers to change. The debate would be incomplete, however, without a discussion of the means by which authoritarian Arab regimes control their societies, particularly the critical roles performed by security services.
The subject of democracy promotion has in recent years moved to the center stage of U.S. foreign policy as a result of the heightened awareness of the strong connections between the state of democracy in the world and vital U.S. national interests. The U.S. government is devoting greater resources than ever before to the task of supporting democracy abroad.
Human Rights in the Arab World: Independent Voices offers perspectives from those at the forefront of research and debate at the intersection of human rights and Islam, globalization, transnational advocacy, and the politics of key states such as Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen.
Libya is making a political and economic comeback, after years of being shunned as a promoter of terrorism. Some question whether the U.S. should hold the country up as an example of successful international diplomacy.
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.