Can the Obama administration simultaneously pursue democracy and security in the Middle East? Can the U.S. engage autocratic regimes and push for human rights at the same time? The U.S. can and it should, according to a new USIP Study Group Report on Political Reform and Security in the Greater Middle East.

This extensive paper examines the complex nexus between democratic change and U.S. security interests, with a principal focus on Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen. It sets out a set of general and country-specific findings and recommendations for a long-term strategy by which “political liberalization” can enhance the stability and legitimacy of governments, thus strengthening security and peacemaking in the region.

Find out more about the Study Group on Reform and Security.

About the Authors

Daniel Brumberg (Principal Author) is Acting Director of the Muslim World Initiative at the U.S. Institute of Peace and Co-Director of Democracy and Governance Studies at Georgetown University, where he is an Associate Professor of Government. He is the author or editor of several books, including: Reinventing Khomeini: The Struggle for Reform in Iran (University of Chicago Press, 2001), Islam and Democracy in the Middle East, co-edited with Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), Conflict, Identity, and Reform in the Muslim World: Challenges for U.S. Engagement, with Dina Shehata (USIP Press, 2009). The author of a bi-weekly blog "Islam and the West" for Washingtonpost.com's On Faith web page, Dr. Brumberg is now pursuing a multi-country study of the "Globalization of Authoritarianism." He has lived and traveled in the Middle East, and speaks French and Arabic.

Explore Further

• The Arabic version of the Executive Summary is now available for download. (PDF/169.6 KB)