The Middle East Forum for the Future

The "Forum for the Future" constitutes an unprecedented and significant opportunity to address the Middle East reform at the international level. It is very important to consider the Middle East reform as an item on the international agenda and make advantage of any available international effort.

I need some time to evaluate the Forum for the Future comprehensively but there are some points I want to highlight.

The U.S. has succeeded in putting the Middle East reform on the international agenda to be an international objective, in the wide meaning. Highlighting this subject internationally is very helpful in prompting related course of action in the Middle East and helpful too, in initiating the real international commitment.

The international commitment and related efforts are still a matter of policy, the single policy of each state, which normally motivated by interests. The international order is still lagging to tackle this objective. Promoting democracy as international task has emerged in the international arena before the international order is developed and equipped to perform it. I could suggest two reasons behind this shortfall; the U.S. post-Cold War policies accompanied by a somewhat chaotic post-Cold War international order, and the second reason is the weakness of the European powers to play a role of leading powers in the world-level challenges. However, after the recent changes accompanied by Bush administration policies, I think the international order has the developing foundations, and then the prospects to get forward in that way.

The U.S. is in pursuit to internationalize and institutionalize the international support of democratization through the engagement with the other world powers and the international institutions like the U.N.

The engagement and collaboration with many concerned states, especially the Middle Eastern ones, are significant and effectual conclusion of Forum for the Future. This engagement put the Middle East regimes in a position in which they face the world in addition to their peoples simultaneously.

Bringing the Middle East civil society representatives and institutions to the same table is, in my view, the foremost achievement and a really creative action by the United States. Strengthening and spotlighting the civil society like that would make a significant difference necessary to make progress in the democratization process. I still believe that the civil society is a key factor in this pursuit.