www.pomed.org ♦ P.O. Box 25533 ♦ Washington, DC 20027-8533

The Brookings Institution The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Falk Auditorium, 16 June 2008, 12:30 PM

The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution hosted a book discussion for Marwan Muasher, former Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, and author of The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation. Muasher was joined in the discussion by Thomas Friedman, three-time Pulitzer prize-winning columnist of the New York Times and renowned author. Martin Indyk, Director of the Saban Center and Brookings Senior Fellow, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.

In his opening remarks, Muasher stressed the need for moderation in the Arab World, but said it would be difficult, as the Arab center has lost credibility in the region. The center’s loss of credibility is due to its selective moderation as they have only emphasized moderation regarding the Israel-Palestinian Conflict while ignoring issues, such as good governance, political reform, and economic reform. This has allowed their opponents to accuse them of being hypocrites, compromisers of Arab rights, and apologists for the West. Muasher criticized the moderate’s selective reform because it allows them to be marginalized by radical elements in the Arab World and traditionalists that believe any opening of the current system will allow Islamists to seize control.

Friedman blamed the lack of reform on the inability to comprehensively resolve the Israel- Palestinian Conflict. The inability of moderates in the Arab World to disentangle themselves from the conflict and pursue economic development and good governance has been the problem in achieving reform. The problem, according to Friedman, is exacerbated by the fact that regimes are unable to take on the entrenched interests and bureaucracies that impede reform since they feel they have no legitimacy. He also touched on the resource curse, as Friedman feels that oil has kept regimes insulated from the pressures that force them to reform their societies.

Muasher responded to Friedman with solutions on how the center in the Arab World can regain their credibility and pursue real moderation and reform. Politically, the system must allow parties to participate as long as they are willing to interact through peaceful means and accept political and cultural diversity. This will have to include Islamist parties so long as they adhere to these principals. Islamists must be included because secular parties in the Middle East have never provided the freedom and reform they promised forcing people to choose between religious parties and the current regime. This will allow credible secular parties to grow as an alternative.

www.pomed.org ♦ P.O. Box 25533 ♦ Washington, DC 20027-8533 Muasher concluded with some steps the U.S. could take in assisting the Arab center and helping reform in the region. The best way the U.S. could support moderates in the Arab World would be to focus on solving the Israel-Palestinian Conflict, which would allow the center to pursue domestic reform. The center’s failure to solve the conflict has hurt their cause, and if they could move away from the conflict as their focus they could better the lives of their fellow Arabs and win their support. However, he was very skeptical of reform occurring under the current administration as he said that Bush has lost all credibility in regards to reform as the U.S. has pulled back on reform whenever the results are not in its favor. Domestic and economic reform should be left to the Arabs, as they can best implement it in a sustainable fashion.

www.pomed.org ♦ P.O. Box 25533 ♦ Washington, DC 20027-8533