Brookings Press Blog

Freedom's Unsteady March

America’s Role in Building Arab Democracy

President George W. Bush intended to bring democracy to the Middle East, but the early results were dispiriting. After stalemate in Iraq and the electoral success of Hamas, many observers concluded that the pursuit of Arab democracy was a fool's errand. Despite these setbacks, Tamara Cofman Wittes argues that democracy promotion in the Arab world remains an essential component of any strategy to achieve long-term American goals in that critical region.

Freedom's Unsteady March shows why America cannot afford to be neutral or passive in the face of the momentous changes taking place in Arab states and why it must wield its power and influence in support of democratic reform. Wittes also dissects the Bush administration's failure to advance freedom in the Middle East. She diagnoses the roots of America's ambivalence about Arab democracy, and shows how to confront more honestly the risks of change and act more effectively to contain them.

On May 1, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host Wittes for a discussion of this book.

- Learn more about Freedom’s Unsteady March.

- Learn more about the May 1 event at Brookings.

Front-loading and the Presidential Primaries

The compression and hastening of the nomination season are changing the nature of the presidential selection process

The race for the White House may seem like a marathon, but the nomination process is becoming a sprint, with the starting gun fired earlier each time. Where state primaries and caucuses were once spread out over a period of three or four months, most are now crammed into a four—or five—week interval at the very beginning of the delegate selection calendar. Despite the importance of this issue in American politics, however, too little systematic analysis has been done on the topic. The Front-Loading Problem in Presidential Nominations, by William G. Mayer and Andrew E. Busch, offers a comprehensive examination of the front-loading problem in all its facets.

- Check out the Democratic primary schedule.

- Check out the Republican primary schedule.

- Recent and forthcoming Brookings books on campaigns and elections:

• NEW! The Swing Voter in American Politics, edited by William G. Mayer
• NEW! Voting Technology: The Not-So-Simple Act of Casting a Ballot, by Paul S. Herrnson, Richard G. Niemi, Michael J. Hanmer, and others
• COMING SOON! Get Out the Vote! How to Increase Voter Turnout, 2nd edition, by Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber
• A Matter of Faith: Religion in the 2004 Presidential Election, edited by David E. Campbell
• The Marketplace of Democracy: Electoral Competition and American Politics, edited by Michael P. McDonald and John Samples

Turmoil in Burma

As the military junta's crackdown begins, the U.S. calls for use of "diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom"

Burma's military junta, which is known for its human rights violations—including the restriction of basic freedoms, the persecution of ethnic minorities, and forced child labor—is clashing with Buddhist monks and other peaceful demonstrators. In a scene reminiscent of Burma's student uprising of 1988, which ultimately resulted in bloodshed at the hands of the military, thousands of individuals have taken to the streets to protest the repressive regime.

While there were no reports of violence in the initial weeks of the current protests, the military government announced on Tuesday that a curfew would be imposed. They have since cracked down on protesters, with reported use of tear gas, clubs, and bullets, killing several protesters and arresting hundreds more.

In his speech this week to the United Nations General Assembly, President Bush announced that the United States is placing tighter sanctions on the military junta in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and he called upon other countries to "use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the Burmese people reclaim their freedom."

In Worst of the Worst: Dealing with Repressive and Rogue Nations, a new Brookings book edited by Robert I. Rotberg, the authors present an innovative, transparent approach to identifying the world’s most repressive regimes, and setting policy priorities in order to address the injustice that the repressive nations inflict. In her chapter on Burma, Priscilla Clapp, former chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Burma, describes the country as the "poster child for entrenched repression." She explains that "the creation of a stable democracy in Burma will require a total overhaul of government and the development of civil society and the institutions of pluralistic democracy" rather than an abrupt or violent transition, which would ultimately lead to the continuation of authoritative military rule.

For a more detailed analysis of Burma's history and politics, check out Burma: Prospects for a Democratic Future, also edited by Rotberg. This book examines the origins and consequences of Burma's policies from military, political, social, and economic perspectives.

- Learn more about Worst of the Worst.

- Learn more about Burma: Prospects for a Democratic Future.

(Photo by racoles.  Some rights reserved.)