US Policy After the Uprisings: Alliances, Democracy, and Force

Abstract

In response to the Arab Spring and subsequent events, US alliances in the Middle East have remained largely static. After some initial rhetorical flourishes, President Barack Obama's administration has chosen continuity over change on most questions where US security interests seem to conflict with pressures for democracy or reform. Only in Tunisia has the constitutional and democratic process moved in a positive direction, and even there terrorist attacks have taken a toll. In the unstable environment, a central tension in US policy has been between US security interests and the growth of democratic regimes. Tamara Cofman Wittes has highlighted the conflicts-of-interests problem whereby US officials see short-term security needs as more pressing than the prospect of democratization and democracy. In making the distinction between security and democratization, one also needs to distinguish between US statements and US policy and action.