It’s been an eventful week in the Middle East, but much of the news has been overshadowed by the unfolding disaster in Japan. Saudi military forces have crossed into Bahrain as protester violence continues; the situation in Libya is escalating; and in Egypt, a referendum on the constitution scheduled for Saturday is the cause of raging debate. Amidst all this change in the Middle East, is the United States taking a strong enough position for democracy? Shadi Hamid says that there’s a sense that the United States is not doing enough to support democracies in these countries. He’s the Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center, and a fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.
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