Can American and Muslim Democracy Advocates Find Common Ground?
Washington's democracy rhetoric after 2001 raised hopes of a rapprochement with reformers in the Muslim world. The gap between words and policy made the partnership harder than it looked.
In the years after the September 11 attacks, the United States declared the spread of democracy in the Middle East a pillar of its foreign policy. President George W. Bush's second inaugural address in 2005 pledged to support "democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture". For reformers across the Muslim world, it was an unusual moment: the world's most powerful country was, at least in words, on their side.
The opportunity
Many Arab and Muslim democracy advocates had long argued that authoritarian rule, not religion, explained the region's political stagnation. Surveys from the period consistently found strong support for democratic ideals in Muslim-majority countries, alongside deep distrust of US policy. A genuine partnership seemed possible if American rhetoric could be matched by consistent support for elections, free media, independent courts and civil society.
The obstacles
Several problems stood in the way:
- Iraq. The invasion tied the language of democracy to military occupation. Many reformers were reluctant to be associated with it.
- Selective support. The US continued to back friendly authoritarian governments when its security interests demanded it. Critics saw that as proof that democracy was a slogan, not a policy.
- Unwelcome results. When elections produced victories for Islamist parties, as with Hamas in Palestine in 2006, Washington's enthusiasm faded quickly.
After the Arab Spring
The uprisings of 2011 tested the question again, this time without American initiative. Initial US support for change in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya gave way to caution as the region fractured. The 2013 coup in Egypt, which Washington declined to call a coup, confirmed the scepticism of many reformers.
What a real partnership needs
The lesson from two decades is not that cooperation is impossible. It is that credibility depends on consistency. Democracy advocates in the region are more likely to trust outside partners who:
- apply the same standards to allies and adversaries;
- support institutions and civil society over the long term, not only during crises;
- accept election results they dislike.
Rhetoric alone can open the door to a rapprochement. Only policy can keep it open.