Middle East Policy

It is extremely important, in my view, to make distinction between what is "pragmatic" and what is "existential" in political choices in the Middle East. This will explain and clear so much the occurrences and enlighten the Middle East policy This is an excerpt from the latest press conference by PM Blair and President Bush in Washington followed with an indispensable question of mine: Q Thank you. Mr. President, and Prime Minister Blair, can I ask you both tonight what your messages are for the governments of Iran and Syria, given that you say this is the crisis of the 21st century? PRESIDENT BUSH: Want me to start? My message is, give up your nuclear weapon and your nuclear weapon ambitions. That's my message to Syria -- I mean, to Iran. And my message to Syria is, become an active participant in the neighborhood for peace. PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: The message is very, very simple to them. It is that, you have a choice. Iran and Syria have a choice. And they may ...

As usual, Dr. Rice proves again her statecraft, scholarship and insight. Here is an op-ed by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice published in the August 16 edition of The Washington Post followed by the text of UNSC Resolution 1701. A Path To Lasting Peace By Condoleezza Rice For the past month the United States has worked urgently to end the violence that Hezbollah and its sponsors have imposed on the people of Lebanon and Israel. At the same time, we have insisted that a truly effective cease-fire requires a decisive change from the status quo that produced this war. Last Friday (August 11) we took an important step toward that goal with the unanimous passage of U.N. Resolution 1701. Now the difficult, critical task of implementation begins. The agreement we reached has three essential components: First, it puts in place a full cessation of hostilities. We also insisted on the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah must immediately cease its attacks o...

My website NEOINTERNATIONALISM is available now. Its main objectives so far are to promote the neo-internationalism and advocate the Middle East democratization focusing on the Middle East democratization policies, especially the relevant international policies. This is the first step. I eventually intend this website to serve as a think thank on the themes of Middle East democratization policy and international politics of democracy promotion. Any collaboration, help and suggestion are solicited and welcome. My personal page can be found here . My perspective can be found here . The campaign for promoting freedom and democracy, ending totalitarianism can be found here .

As the liberation of Lebanon goes on by liberating Lebanon from the foreign regional determination concerning the Lebanese affairs including war and peace through some Lebanese surrogates, the Lebanese people are restoring their right to self-determination. The international community is responsible for the high cost because every thing was obvious and perceived by the international community through the UNSCR 1559 and the following UN reports and resolutions. To explain all those elements including the context I just need to repost an article of mine I wrote earlier this year, in which I warned of risking the regional security and stability, and nothing was late to become a reality. Lebanon's Independence and Democracy The forces of the old Middle East, the pre-2003 Middle East, through the totalitarian-terrorist alliance, are fighting to survive. After the consecutive failures in Iraq to restore the totalitarianism as an indispensable guarantee to the Middle East stagnancy, which...

Any regime's foreign policy depends on the nature and the interests of this regime. The connection between totalitarian regimes and regionally destabilizing efforts is natural in contexts in which these regimes are at risk. We must be aware that regime's survival is what matters in determining the regime's domestic and foreign policy more than the state's interests and national security. This is a genuine political phenomenon in terms of totalitarian authoritarian political systems. So, let us empirically and transparently read the Middle East realities and events to find the basic relations and rules controlling what happens there. See: About Iran Regime Totalitarianism, violence and Terror The Neo-Internationalism After 9/11 . Here is a Backgrounder from the Council on Foreign Relations on the status of human rights in Iran the important Middle East player: Iran's Waning Human Rights By Lionel Beehner , August 9, 2006 Introduction The recent death of activist Ak...

Here is a recent policy watch of the U.S. efforts, stances and statements concerning democracy promotion worldwide, especially in the Middle East: (Source: International Information Programs , U.S. Department of State.) Headlines: New Egyptian Press Law Restricts Free Speech, U.S. Official Says U.S. Pledges Full Support for Middle East Democratization Bush Outlines Effort To Resolve Middle East Crisis Stressing Middle East Freedom And Democracy U.S. Condemns Death of Iranian Activist U.N. Council Must Address Rights Violations in Mideast, Sudan U.S. Hails Anniversary of Iran's Constitutional Revolution "...instead of having foreign policies based upon trying to create a sense of stability, we have a foreign policy that addresses the root causes of violence and instability. For a while, American foreign policy was just, let's hope everything is calm, kind of managed calm. But beneath the surface brewed a lot of resentment and anger that was manifested in its -- on September...

In the context of the international struggle for the new Middle East, where freedom, democracy and peace should replace totalitarianism, authoritarianism and violence come from the dictators' interdependent authoritarian system, which fights to survive after the liberation of Iraq in 2003 through the Operation Iraqi Freedom. We need to know more about the key players in the Middle East starting from their domestic affairs and internal structure including the power structure to understand the events and conceive a vision about the region dynamics and, finally, to have a transparent empirical insight into the Middle East affairs and geopolitics. (See: The Neo-Internationalism After 9/11 Totalitarianism, violence and Terror The International "New Deal" of the Middle East ) Therefore, I am posting quotes about Iran from the Freedom House book, Freedom in the World 2005 , selected by Prof. R.J. Rummel : Iranians cannot change their government democratically. The most powerful...

Here are the recent news and developments concerning the political life and democratic stirring in Egypt gathered from the Egypt Monitor . Egypt watch is of extreme importance for the Middle East democratization research. For my comment on this subject go to Arab Democracy and Egypt Paradigm . Egypt Democracy Watch: (Covers the latest two months) People's Assembly Preparing a Report on Constitutional Amendments On July 11, the People's Assembly- lower house of parliament- starting to discuss constitutional amendment to be presented to president Mubarak. A report will be handed to president Mubarak, who in turn will choose the amendments to be introduced. Mubarak Abolishes Jail Sentences for publication Offenses In a sudden last minute move, on July 10, president Mubarak instructed members of parliament from the ruling National Democratic Party to abolish publication offenses in a new law on the press. This move came to ease the tensions between civil society activists and the...

This is the news section of the current issue of the Arab Reform Bulletin Published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace : Headlines: Syria: Continuing Crackdown on Dissent Egypt: Controversial Press and Judiciary Laws, Arrests, U.S. Aid Debate Kuwait: Reformists Gain in Elections Iraq: Amnesty Plan Yemen: Run Up to Presidential Election Bahrain: Debate over Anti-Terror Bill; New Association Law Saudi Arabia: Reduced Powers for Morality Police Jordan: Islamist MPs Arrested; Evidence of Torture in Prisons Algeria: Referendum to Amend Constitution; Prominent Journalist Released Morocco: Electoral Law Debate; Wave of Arrests of Justice and Charity Members Democracy Assistance Dialogue: Sanaa Conference Syria: Continuing Crackdown on Dissent Seventeen state employees in Syrian ministries were dismissed by Prime Minister Muhammad Naji Al Otri on June 14 without explanation, but human rights activists believe it was because they signed the Beirut-Damascus declaration, a petiti...