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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GWOT Year 3 - 2004 (mainly Iraq)
Bush seeks $40m more for Mideast democracy by B Bender 
Bush seeks $40m more for Mideast democracy But officials see little impact in regional strategy By Bryan Bender, Boston Globe, 1/22/2004 WASHINGTON -- President Bush's State of the Union proposal to strengthen prodemocracy forces in the Middle East by doubling US funding for reform efforts was met with bipartisan support yesterday. But in the long run, the new investment will only have a modest impact on achieving the president's goal to spread democracy through the region, government officials and specialists said. They said that much more money and commitment would be needed to turn the tide for what the president called "a forward strategy of democracy." In his address on Tuesday, Bush asked Congress to increase the budget for the National Endowment for Democracy from $39.6 million this year to $80 million, with the new money slated to fund groups in the Middle East that support free elections, open markets, a free press, and labor and trade unions. "As long as the Middle East remains a place of tyranny, despair, and anger, it will continue to produce men and movements that threaten the safety of America and our friends," Bush said. "So America is pursuing a forward strategy of freedom in the greater Middle East. We will challenge the enemies of reform, confront the allies of terror, and expect a higher standard from our friends." The National Endowment for Democracy was established in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan to provide grants to organizations in the Soviet Union and other communist nations to promote democracy movements. Bush laid out his vision for a democratic Middle East beginning with Afghanistan and Iraq -- describing democracy as a long-term bulwark against regimes that support terrorism and the ability of militants to enlist new recruits -- at the nonpartisan institution's 20th anniversary in November. "It's a very dramatic move," the endowment's president, Carl Gershman, said in an interview yesterday of the president's proposal. Gershman stressed that his group does not impose democracy on countries, but rather strengthens internal groups that are already espousing a liberal democratic outlook. "We do not impose our views," Gershman said. "This is based on the idea that you have to support indigenous forces." The White House provided a preview yesterday of how the new money would be spent. "Governed by an independent, nonpartisan board of directors, the [National Endowment for Democracy] makes hundreds of grants each year to support prodemocracy groups in dozens of countries," it said in a statement. The endowment "works in part through direct grants to" nongovernmental organizations "and civil society groups fighting for democracy, human rights, religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and free elections." The endowment's funding proposal was met with support from both parties. Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Edwards of North Carolina made a similar proposal last week. The endowment "plays a vital role in supporting grass-roots civil society programs worldwide, but its resources do not match the importance of its mission," Edwards said in a statement on Jan. 13. He also called for doubling its budget, "focusing specifically on programs in the Middle East and Africa." Edwards also called on US allies in Europe and elsewhere to establish similar prodemocracy institutions and to match the American funds. Gershman and others, however, warned that the $40 million boost remains insufficient when compared to the enormous challenges of strengthening reformers in the Middle East. "There is more to deal with here than the amounts of money will enable us to do," Gershman said. He cited the endowment's ongoing programs across the world in helping establish elections, political parties, independent media, and trade unions. "You add that up, and you have a gigantic package," he said. The Bush proposal also said that Washington needs to do a better job of winning the hearts and minds of the people in the Middle East. A new State Department public diplomacy program established after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has met with only limited success. Bush said in the State of the Union that the American message is not getting through to many parts of the world that have little experience with representative government. Recent public opinion polls in the Middle East have indicated that the United States has a poor image. In addition to the increased endowment funds, the president said that other US-funded operations like the Voice of America would expand programming in Arabic and Persian, and a new television news channel would soon begin broadcasts in the region. Bryan Bender can be reached at bender@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company. |