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Συμμετοχή των Ισλαμιστών και Προώθηση της Δημοκρατίας

Μόνα Γιακουμπιάν

Deeming democratic change to be a long-term antidote to Islamist extremism, the Bush administration coupled its military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq with intensified efforts to promote democracy in the Arab world, underscoring the need for free and fair elections. To date, parliamentary elections of varying openness have taken place across the region, from Morocco to Kuwait. The elections ushered in a wave of Islamist victories, dubbed by many as an “Islamist tsunami.” 1The Islamists’ successes stem from their effectiveness as vehicles for popular opposition. While liberal, secular opposition parties remain largely detached from much of the population, Islamists have developed vast and easily mobilized grassroots networks through charitable organizations and mosques. The leadership is often younger and more dynamic, with strong ties to the community, και οι κομματικές οργανώσεις γεμίζουν ενέργεια και ιδέες, προσελκύοντας αυτούς που αναζητούν αλλαγή.Οι Η.Π.Α. Η κυβέρνηση έχει δεσμεύσει αθόρυβα έναν αριθμό μετριοπαθών και νόμιμων ισλαμιστικών κομμάτων σε όλη την περιοχή εδώ και αρκετά χρόνια, μερικές φορές μέσω της συνήθους διπλωματικής δραστηριότητας, μερικές φορές μέσω κρατικών επιχορηγήσεων προς τις Η.Π.Α. οργανώσεις. Αυτή η Ειδική Έκθεση εξετάζει τη δέσμευση που χρηματοδοτείται από τις ΗΠΑ με νομικά θέματα, μη βίαια ισλαμιστικά κόμματα μέσω του Εθνικού Δημοκρατικού Ινστιτούτου (ΕΙΜΑΙ) και το Διεθνές Ρεπουμπλικανικό Ινστιτούτο (IRI), οι οποίες έχουν την πιο εκτεταμένη εμπειρία σε σχέση με ισλαμιστές στην περιοχή, και επικεντρώνεται στο Μαρόκο, Ιορδανία, και την Υεμένη, λόγω της σχετικής πολιτικής τους ανοιχτότητας και της δύναμης και της ζωντάνιας της ισλαμιστικής πολιτικής τους αντιπολίτευσης. Επιτυχημένη Στρατηγική. A successful Islamist engagement strategy both empowers individuals and strengthens institutions to yield greater transparency, more accountability, and shifts toward moderation. Training and empowering individuals cultivates moderates within the parties and enhances their political sophistication and influence. Meanwhile, as regimes in the Arab world resist or manipulate political reforms, strengthening democracy’s infrastructure is as important as supporting individuals. Independent electoral procedures and monitoring help to establish free and fair elections. Institution building ensures appropriate checks on executive power and a strong rule of law. Strengthening parliaments is especially crucial, as Islamists participate primarily in legislatures.In assessing whether Islamist parties have moderated in response to U.S. engagement, it is difficult if not impossible to quantify or measure shifts that may themselves be relative and subjective. Directly linking greater moderation to specific U.S. engagement activities is also highly problematic. At best, this engagement should be considered a contributing factor. Nevertheless, the tentative results in Morocco, Ιορδανία, and Yemen are promising enough that continued engagement with moderate Islamists should be encouraged, albeit with greater emphasis on institution building and an eye on the broader context of the ideological battle in the Muslim world between extremism and moderation.

Democracy and Islamist Parties

Μόνα Γιακουμπιάν

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, international pressure mounted for political reform in the Middle East, particularly the Arab world. For its part, the Bush administration elevated democracy promotion in the Middle East to a key strategic priority. The administration’s policy sprung from the belief that strong linkages exist between the Middle East’s long history of autocratic rule and the emergence of a transnational terrorist movement with its roots in many of those same countries. Numerous independent analyses likewise have suggested that the Middle East’s dysfunctional, autocratic political systems are helping to breed Islamist extremism.An Islamist “Tsunami”Yet, despite the critical importance assigned to political opening in the Middle East, a number of factors, including ongoing turmoil in Iraq and competing priorities of the Global War on Terror (ποσοστό), have intervened to complicate U.S. democracy promotion efforts. Συγκεκριμένα, various Islamist parties’ strong showings in recent elections have added a new layer of complexity to U.S. democracy promotion efforts in the Arab world. Πράγματι, across the region, Islamist parties and organizations boast strong grassroots support. These groups represent a broad spectrum of views, ranging from moderate parties that have renounced violence to well-established terrorist organizations.Hamas’ resounding victory in the January 25, 2006 Palestinian elections, winning 74 out of 132 seats, is perhaps the most dramatic example of the power Islamists wield at the ballot box. Deemed a terrorist organization by the United States and Europe, the party’s rise to power has significantly complicated U.S. policy toward the Palestinian Authority as well as efforts to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Similar concerns characterize Hizballah’s role in Lebanon. The terrorist organization won 14 of 128 seats in the Lebanese parliament in the June 2005 αρχαιρεσίες, the first independent vote in thirty years following the withdrawal of Syrian troops. While Hizballah’s parliamentary presence is far outstripped by an anti-Syrian opposition bloc, the organization still holds significant sway over Lebanese politics and is the only political party to maintain an armed militia.