On Friday December 12, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy unveiled a report offering recommendations for the new American presidential administration on improving relations with the Muslim World. The program entailed a presentation of the major issues and recommendations contained within "The Doha Compact: New Directions for the United States and the Muslim World," followed by remarks and a question-answer segment by several panelists.
The panel consisted of Stephen Grand, director of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Saban Center; Ahmed Younis, an analyst for the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies; and Saad Eddin Ibrahim, chairman of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies.
The Doha Compact has been signed by 47 leaders and thinkers from across the Muslim world, the U.S. and many other states that hold critical roles in the relationship between the Muslim world and the rest of the international community. The Compact contains four major themes of recommendations that hope to resolve the many issues that currently divide the U.S. and the Muslim world: A New Style of American Foreign Policy, Addressing Together the Conflicts that Divide Us, Understanding the Role of Islam in the Muslim World, and Educating and Investing in People.
Reshaping American Policy
Grand noted that while many within the Muslim world accept that the U.S. will remain a lasting power on the international scene, they desire a shift from the policy of "imposing its will on the region." Instead, many Muslims, Grand and the report state, look for a new style of leadership "that is less focused on an 'axis of evil' and more focused on building 'partnerships of equals.' Grand argued that the new president must travel early in his administration to the Middle East and actively listen to the people of the Muslim world as a show of America's openness to productively engage the region.
As a part of shared conciliation method, the Compact asserts that the U.S. should forego its "heavy-handed approach to democratization," while retaining its support for those within the Muslim world working to bring about reform. In return, the Muslim-majority states should refrain from "using America (and Israel) as an excuse … to maintain their hold on power" and promote constructive reforms and more accurate depictions of the two states.
One of the main trends in these suggestions were calls for internationalized efforts, to resolve the conflicts, such as bringing together not only the U.S. and Muslim states but the EU, UN, Japan, and non-Muslim states neighboring the Muslim world. The report calls for an internationalized effort to ensure the Mideast Peace Process results in the establishment of an independent, viable Palestinian state through international support, both economic and military.
Additionally, the Compact argues that the U.S. and Muslim states must work together to forge a peace agreement in Sudan by working to unify rebel groups and place sanctions on the Khartoum government. The Compact asserts that “the international community needs to look forward and strengthen regional dialogue on ensuring stability in Iraq,” as well as ensuring that Afghanistan does not “become the forgotten war again.”
The role Iran and Pakistan play in resolving regional and international security issues is also stressed by the report, as it calls for increased pressure to convince Iran that “support for violent extremists” hinders opportunities for peaceful relations with its neighbors and ensuring that democracy and educational progress take hold in Pakistan so as to counter al-Qaeda’s resurging power.
The report also called for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, arguing that the conflict should not “[divide] the world from Islam” and that the new president should make Indian-Pakistani dialogue a priority. This takes on additional purpose following the late-November Mumbai attacks that have strained relations between the two countries.
The Future of Democracy
“Democracy must come to Muslim societies,” Younis asserted, “but that democracy must come organically.” He continued by arguing that for the people of the Middle East, the biggest concerns are the problems directing affecting their lives, such as education and economic development.
Ibrahim argued that the new administration has the opportunity to “create real environment for democratization” throughout the Middle East. “[Obama] should schedule his first visit to Jakarta or Istanbul to show support for emerging democracies,” he said.
Ibrahim criticized American policies that allowed President Mubarak of Egypt to remain in office for nearly three decades on the belief that he would modernize the country. “Mubarak has been in office for 28 years; how many more years does he need to bring economic development?” he asked. In August 2008, Ibrahim was sentenced to two years in jail for “defaming Egypt.”
The Compact calls for the U.S. to reach out to Islamist parties that are willing to embrace democracy and bring about reform, while these parties “need to demonstrate through their actions and not just their rhetoric” their willingness to adopt the democratic ideals of multi-pluralism and equal rights for women and religious minorities.
The prospect of organic democratization holds some elements that “scare the West,” Ibrahim conceded, as it would mean the inclusion of Islamist groups. But he asserted that this is a necessary trade-off and the U.S. must be willing to “deal with them equitably,” including the Muslim Brotherhood, if it desires a healthy relationship with the citizens of the Muslim world.
Symbolism as a Critical Gesture
The panelists stressed the importance “symbolic gestures” made by both sides would play in improving relations.
“Style matters and the way the U.S. presents itself matters,” Grand asserted, noting that the U.S. must promote an image of respecting the Muslim world in order to foster a good relationship. He said that the U.S. must reshape its image and signal that it “is not imperial, but wants to help the region develop.”
Ibrahim, founder of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, called for the establishment of a “non-partisan commission for truth and reconciliation” inside the U.S. to look at how its actions have negatively affected its image in the world. He said that such an action would represent a “symbolic act” to present the U.S. as willing to reengage the Muslim world in a positive manner. Ibrahim stressed that America must “humbly” confront its image and the grievances others hold against its policies.
Grand pointed out that despite appointments to his national security team, the Obama administration’s policies on dealing with “acute conflicts” in the region are not yet clear. He did recommend that while the U.S. should not completely withdraw from the Middle East, as some both in America and the Muslim world desire, but “must signal its lack of intent to remain indefinitely.”
Younis, a member of the Advisory Committee on U.S.-Muslim World Relations of the United States Institute of Peace, noted that the many people in the Middle East “do not put acute conflicts above the level of disrespect” they feel has been shown to them. He contended that letting conflicts overshadow people’s day-to-day livelihoods allows “the politicization of policies.”
Restoring Understandings
The panelists argued the U.S. should focus on promoting agendas that improve people’s lives in the Middle East. The most important aspect of this remains the establishment of educational institutions. The Compact calls for the U.S. to “be a partner in helping create indigenous educational institutions in the Muslim world capable of providing world-class education to their citizens.” Aspects of this include a promotion of the liberal arts and other skills critical to engaging successfully in the global economy, as well as restoring the Muslim world’s role as a leader in technological and scientific advancement.
Steps have been taken with increased participation between U.S. and Middle Eastern institutions, as Ibrahim referred to education as America’s most important commodity. He noted that since September 11 the number of American-style universities has increased from the original two American Universities in Cairo and Beirut to 16.
Improved educational efforts in the U.S. are required to enable the American people to understand the true nature of Islam and “do a better job of differentiating the faithful from the fanatical.” Accomplishing this would require regular information sessions with policymakers to educate them about the vastly diverse beliefs and practices of the sects in Islam. Shifts in language choices would be necessitated in order to ensure that proper respect is shown for Islam and its followers, as well as passing these lessons onto the general public.
Isfahani contended that the growing role of what he termed the “great game” – the major policies of states – overshadowed the “quiet game” – the role of families and communities in shaping society. In order to combat this, he argued that the U.S. should understand how the two overlapped and ensure the preservation of both. By focusing on the quiet game, Isfahani said, the U.S. would “gain insight into the realities of societies.” Doing so, according to Isfahani, would allow the U.S. to contribute to building up societies and villages from the bottom up.
Arguing that the success of such an initiative depends upon public engagement, Younis said, “This is the right moment of leadership, but only if the American people fold into this message” of regularly conversing with Muslims both here and abroad.
“This is not really about engagement between governments,” Grand said, “but about engagement between societies,” alluding to the Compacts final recommendation to establish society exchanges between the U.S. and Muslim states to remove the perceptions of “otherness” between the cultures. “We know far too little about Muslims and the Muslim world and that is half the problem.”
