An American non-profit organization dedicated to political reform inthe Middle East concludes in a new report that proposed changes in U.S.foreign aid to the region could be a mixed blessing for those workingto promote democracy in that troubled part of the world.
Thereport by the Washington-based (POMED)applauds the major increases being requested of Congress by the ObamaAdministration in its 2010 foreign operations budget. The report saysthose increases should dispel any notion that the White House issteering clear of the previous administration's so-called freedomagenda and abandoning efforts to actively promote democracy in theMiddle East.
POMED's advocacy director, Stephen McInerney, saysthe Administration's budget request, which is likely to be approved bythe Congress later this year, contains large increases for programs topromote democracy and good governance across the broader Middle Eastand North Africa. The proposed funding for these programs, over $1.5billion, is more than double the 2009 request.
McInerneyadds that funding for democracy and governance programs now makes up 14percent of total U.S. assistance to the region, the highest percentageyet. But despite these positive signs, the requested budget falls shortin some significant, and discouraging ways, McInerney says.
"Onewould be a shift in the Arab world toward funding democracy andgovernance programs through the foreign governments, through the Arabregimes, and (another would be) the decrease -- the 29 percent decrease-- in funding for independent civil society groups across the Arabworld."
In particular, says McInerney, funding for civil societygroups is cut most sharply in two countries -- Egypt and Jordan. Bothare key U.S. allies and important partners in the Arab-Israeli peaceprocess.
Marina Ottaway, the director of the Middle East Programat the independent , believesthe reduction in direct U.S. aid to grass-roots democracy activists inthese two countries is a concession to their autocratic leaders and aclear indication of President Obama's policy priorities in the region. "I think the Obama administration has set for itself a goal to achievepeace in the Middle East, " Ottaway says. "Obviously, peace in theMiddle East would do a lot to promote stability and then you couldpromote the democracy agenda. And that's why I think the Obamaadministration is willing to sacrifice a democracy agenda as long as itcan get cooperation from Arab countries on the peace process."
Ottawaybelieves President Obama will have to put pressure on Arab regimes toopen up what she calls "some political space" for opposition groups.And she says Obama should raise the issue of democracy in his strategicdialogues with the leaders of key Arab countries, such as Egypt.
Thereport by the Project on Middle East Democracy notes that the mostdramatic increases in U.S. funding for democracy and governanceprograms will be in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, where civil societygroups would receive a tenfold increase in American aid. Thomas Melia,the deputy executive director of , a non-profit group thatpromotes democracy around the world, says this means fully 86 percentof U.S. global spending on democracy and governance programs is beingallocated to just three countries currently at war. Melia believesthis could be seen as a reasonable investment in post-conflictgovernment reorganization and civil society development. But Meliaworries that it might also suggest a direct connection between U.S. warefforts and U.S. promotion of democracy in the Middle East.
TheFreedom House official adds that the concentration of aid funding inthese three embattled countries also means less money will be availablefor successful democracy promotion programs in other countries. ThomasMelia believes the Obama administration should pursue a two-prongedstrategy on this issue. "They need to be able to work with governmentson matters of mutual interest," he says. "They also, I hope, will finda way to be engaged broadly with civil society and with oppositionparties and independent groups to demonstrate that the Americaninterest in countries is not just with their governments, but with thequality of life that the people of those countries enjoy."
ThePOMED report notes that given the large-scale protests following Iran'spresidential elections in June, it is likely that Congress will approvethe $40 million requested by the White House for the Near East RegionalDemocracy Fund. That fund has been supporting Iranian democracy througha variety of educational and cultural exchange programs and by makingPersian language information available on line through internationalbroadcasting.