CIAO DATE: 11/04

Integrating Democracy Promotion Into U.S. Middle East Policy

Abstract

Between 2002 and 2004, the United States accorded new prominence to political and economic reform and democratization as policy goals in the Middle East. Continuing that trend and translating rhetoric into effective strategies both depend on whether reform and democratization become fully integrated into the U.S. policy agenda in the region. Can the United States promote change at the risk of instability in the region while it remains dependent on petroleum from Arab countries? Can it pursue Arab–Israeli peace and democratization at the same time? Can the United States still secure needed military and counterterrorism cooperation if it antagonizes friendly regimes by promoting democratization as well? Is it feasible for the United States to promote democratization effectively amid widespread grievances against the war in Iraq and serious questions about U.S. human rights practices there and in Afghanistan?

The answer to all those questions is affirmative. The United States can and should seek peace, reform, and security for the region simultaneously, while continuing to buy Arab oil. Doing so, however, will require strengthening nascent aspects of U.S. policy and adding new ones. The United States should pursue these various goals separately in the first instance, without preemptively sacrificing one part of the policy agenda for another. It should also be alert to ways in which the goals can reinforce one another. The United States will also have to recognize the limits of regional approaches, such as the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) initiative, in the quest for reform and democratization. For reform to become fully integrated into the policy agenda, the United States should formulate practical, specific approaches to each country in the region— including difficult but important countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as easier ones such as Bahrain and Morocco–in which effective diplomatic engagement with the host government and assistance programs complement each other.

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