Rethinking the Middle East
Analysis
BBC
4.6 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 February 2011
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The autocratic regimes of North Africa & the Middle East enjoyed many years of military, political and financial support from the United States government. Dr Maha Azzam looks at the recent history of US involvement in the region, including the brief shift in policy during the presidency of George W Bush, and the role that Israel plays in US/Arab relations. As violence & unrest spread throughout the region, will US policy vary state-by-state depending on its own interests or will President Barack Obama embrace the pro-democracy protests wherever they emerge? What expectations do the protestors have of American support and what levers can the US pull in order to assist them? And if it is seen to falter in its support for the protestors will this seriously undermine US influence in the long-term?
Dr Maha Azzam is an Associate Fellow of Chatham House.
Contributors Dr Shadi Hamid, Brookings Institute, Qatar Shashank Joshi, Royal United Services Institute, London Elliott Abrams, Council of Foreign Relations, Washington Roger Hardy, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington Carl Gershman, National Endowment for Democracy, Washington Jonathan Spyer, Global Research International Affairs Center, Israel Abdel Moneim Abou el-Fotouh, Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo Prof Khaled Fahmy, American University, Cairo Alexandros Petersen, Henry Jackson Society, London.
Transcript
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| 0:50.0 | Chatham of Chatham House looks at the dilemm house looks at the dilemmas facing US foreign policy following recent events in the Middle East. |
| 0:56.0 | Amid the violence and chaos of recent weeks, one thing seems certain. |
| 1:01.0 | The old hypocrisy of supporting authoritarian governments in the Middle East that were |
| 1:06.3 | friendly towards the United States has to be thrown out the window. |
| 1:09.8 | And all of a sudden what we're talking about is how we move forward into a new age where |
| 1:14.3 | the United States can be still influential in the region while supporting what |
| 1:20.0 | could be rather unpredictable democratic movements. |
| 1:22.3 | President Fosny Mubarak was the third could be rather unpredictable democratic movements. |
| 1:23.0 | President Fosny Mubarak was the third dictator to rule Egypt since a military coup in 1952. |
| 1:29.8 | He was finally forced out on February the 11th after 18 days of protest. |
| 1:37.6 | Protesters had many reasons to be in Tahriars Square, |
| 1:40.8 | despite a growth rate of over 5%, nearly half of Egypt citizens live on less than $2 a day, |
... |
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