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Book Talk: <i>Last Chance: The Middle East in the Balance</i>

Author David Gardner, Chief Leader Writer and Associate Editor, Financial Times

Date & Time

Tuesday
Sep. 8, 2009
12:00pm – 1:00pm ET

Overview

On September 8, 2009, the Middle East Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center hosted a book talk with author David Gardner, Chief Leader Writer and Associate Editor at the Financial Times in London. The event was moderated by Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Gardner began his discussion with the overarching theme of his book – the Arab world is stuck in a quagmire of despotism while the West is engaged in a generational struggle to transform the Middle East. He elaborated upon this main theme with what he has coined the “Arab exception.” This term describes how Arab countries have not been included in the expansion of democracy that has taken place throughout most of the world, including Latin America. Gardner explained this phenomena is not only a consequence of the actions of those Middle Eastern countries, but also the actions of the United States and its European allies who have continued to prop up despotic rulers in hopes of achieving short-term stability in the region. This US-Western collusion has marooned Arab countries against democracy, according to Gardner. He highlighted what little regard these actions have shown and continue to show for human and political rights in the Middle East.

In addition to speaking broadly about trends in the Middle East, Gardner addressed the perceptions and outcomes of the war in Iraq and what they indicate about the possibility of democracy in the region. He described the Bush administration’s view of Iraq as the first pin in a bowling alley that would inevitably knock down the other pins, just as introducing democracy in Iraq would inevitably spread to other countries in the Middle East. Gardner depicted the actions formed by this theory as the “geopolitics of breaking and entering.” This bowling alley theory has since been refuted by the ongoing problems in Iraq and the region, he argued. Gardner went on to discuss the discredited economic development theory that claims providing economic opportunities to citizens will create a liberal democracy. Gardner stated that politics is the key to it all, not economics.

Gardner also discussed the rise and current challenges of Islamism in the region, arguing that the support of despotic regimes has also suppressed any credible challenge to Islamism. He stressed that the West needs to engage in the debates among Islamists and develop successful policies in the region. For instance, Gardner expressed his disagreement with the policy of isolating Hamas, noting that it has largely been a failure and has come at an enormous cost to Gazans. These policies and associated actions have fueled the “incubator of blind rage” for some Muslims directed at the West. In response to this anger, Gardner suggested the West must help to foster an environment where Arabs are able to decide their own future, which may include some form of  Islamism, and to allow a “thoughtful Islamism” to emerge. The West needs to learn how to manage the consequences of this history and how it interacts with the Muslim world. It is ultimately up to Arab citizens to claw their way out, Gardner argued, but Arab countries deserve and should expect assistance from the West.

Drafted by Kendra Heideman on behalf of the Middle East Program

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Middle East Program

The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program serves as a crucial resource for the policymaking community and beyond, providing analyses and research that helps inform US foreign policymaking, stimulates public debate, and expands knowledge about issues in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.  Read more

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