The Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia) will co-sponsor a major conference, “US Democracy Promotion in the Middle East, to be held at the University of Melbourne, 21-22 October 2010.  This conference is the culmination of a major collaborative ARC project on US Democracy Building in the Middle East, and is proudly sponsored by The Australian National University, The University of Melbourne,  and Monash University. The project has involved CAIS Director, Professor Amin Saikal, and former Deputy Director, Professor James Piscatori as major researchers.

The United States maintains a declared commitment to democracy in the Middle East. The US initiatives to drive the Taliban out of Afghanistan and remove Saddam Hussein from power have been the latest episodes in a difficult relationship with the Middle East – one that is set to become even more complicated in relation to Iran’s refusal to abide by UN resolutions. The presence of US troops in the region is often justified in terms of providing security for budding democracies. But this is a contentious issue, viewed with a degree of scepticism in many parts of the Middle East and challenged by critics.

This conference provides an opportunity to explore the record of US democracy promotion in the Middle East and deliberate any shift in policy following the election Barack Obama to presidency in 2009. The conference will especially focus on the achievements and shortcomings of the George W Bush era in promoting democracy in the region and the implications of that legacy for the Obama Administration.

Exploring this legacy is critical to understanding the framework within which the Obama Administration operates. President Barack Obama has promised change in the way Washington relates to the Middle East. It has tried to restart the peace process and break with the convention of giving Israel a card-blanche. It has committed to troop withdrawal from Iraq, and has tried to break the circuit of accusation and counter-accusation with Iran. It is still unclear if these policy shifts can make a difference in the US image and further the interests of the United States in the Middle East. It is also unclear if President Obama can maintain this course.

Further details of the conference are available at http://www.asiainstitute.unimelb.edu.au/events/2010/democracy_in_mid_eas...