Carnegie Endowment for Peace published Marwan Muasher (Middle East expert from Carnegie) speaking on Al-Jazeera explaining that the early months of the Arab uprisings were filled with expectations that the Middle East was transforming from a region plagued by autocratic governments to democracy and pluralism. However, these romantic notions were quickly overcome by fears, at least among Western observers, that Islamist governments would take root in the region and that their presence would be inimical to U.S. interests.
Muasher noted, “No matter what the U.S. thinks, this process is going on domestically in the Arab world and the ability of the United States to shape this process is severely limited. There has been a marked wane in the economic power of the U.S. following the global economic crisis and the Iraq war has demonstrated the limitations of American military power.” Muasher also noted that “the political power of the United States has decreased because of its inability to solve the region’s principal problem, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” In some ways, “the image the U.S. has of its power in the region is outdated,” suggested Muasher. Yet despite its outdated understanding, Muasher asserted that the United States is still relevant and can play a constructive role in the region. Ultimately, “the U.S. must let the people of the region select their leaders and promote a policy that supports democratic transitions to pluralistic societies,” said Muasher.
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