Vor dem 11. September 2001 hatte die US-Außenpolitik auf die innere Verfassung der Staaten des Nahen/Mittleren Osten keinen besonderen Einfluss nehmen wollen. Doch der Anschlag auf das World Trade Center hat gezeigt, dass einige dieser Staaten Brutstätten für Terroristen sind und dass die USA es sich sicherheitspolitisch nicht mehr leisten können, über die dortigen innenpolitischen Verhältnisse hinwegzusehen. Als längerfristige politische Strategie kündigte die Bush-Administration daher an, dem Terrorismus vor allem durch die Verbreitung politischer Freiheiten und durch die Demokratisierung einen wichtigen Nährboden entziehen zu wollen.
Die Studie untersucht, wie dieser ambitionierte politische Ansatz in der Praxis implementiert wurde. Im Mittelpunkt der Analyse stehen die Logik, die Annahmen und die Prämissen hinter den Zielen der USA und wie angemessen und praktikabel diese in der arabischen Welt sind.
„A serious, penetrating study grounded in significant primary-source research in Washington and the Middle East, and a searching, balanced analytic approach. The study provides considerable insight into the realities of the Bush push on Middle East democracy both toward the region as a whole and the illuminating case of Morocco.“Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
„Zoé Nautré has written a compelling analysis of the pitfalls of U.S. efforts to promote democratiza–tion in the Middle East. It is crammed with impressive research on what actually happened when the George W. Bush Administration took its zeal for democracy into the Moroccan bazaar. It’s an excellent and highly recommended read.“
Martin Indyk, Vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings Institution
englischFollowing September 11, 2001, democracy promotion in the Arab world became a top priority for U.S. national security. This study goes beyond simplistic condemnations of the Bush administration’s so-called “imperialistic policies” and highlights the complexities, competing interests, and inherent challenges of U.S. democracy promotion in a Middle Eastern context. An understanding of how U.S. policy towards the Middle East evolved after 9/11 is important because we continue to grapple with many related issues today: namely, whether and how to promote democracy in the Middle East, whether democratization is the best way to fight terrorism, how to balance short- and long-term security interests, how to engage with Islamists, and the overall repercussions of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
„A serious, penetrating study grounded in significant primary-source research in Washington and the Middle East, and a searching, balanced analytic approach. The study provides considerable insight into the realities of the Bush push on Middle East democracy both toward the region as a whole and the illuminating case of Morocco.“Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
„Zoé Nautré has written a compelling analysis of the pitfalls of U.S. efforts to promote democratiza–tion in the Middle East. It is crammed with impressive research on what actually happened when the George W. Bush Administration took its zeal for democracy into the Moroccan bazaar. It’s an excellent and highly recommended read.“
Martin Indyk, Vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings Institution
"This book is a useful contribution for academics and practitioners alike"
Martin Indyk, Vice President Brookings Institute