Special Summer Issue: Reflecting on Reform

We try never to forget that our work supporting democratic reform, in all its facets, does not take place in a vacuum.  There are advances and setbacks on the political and economic fronts in different countries.  Institutional weaknesses persist in both governments and civil society.  And major turmoil, such as in Lebanon and West Bank/Gaza since last summer, can have a chilling effect on reform efforts.

Looking back over the past year, MEPI has adapted its approach to better address these circumstances.  We still have much to learn and will continue to adjust our methods as necessary.  What has not changed, however, is MEPI’s commitment to the principle on which it was founded: efforts to build a more democratic society are crucial to
realizing a better future in the Middle East and North Africa.

With this in mind, I hope you enjoy the articles in this special issue and I look forward to seeing how you respond to our new “Question of the Month” survey.

At MEPI, the lessons we take from recent developments underscore, first and foremost, the importance of building relationships with partners from the Arab region who are committed to working for positive change in their countries, whatever the circumstances.  Second, while we must remain flexible and responsive to sudden reform opportunities, simply waiting for those opportunities to come along does not constitute a strategy.  Based on these principles, we have adjusted MEPI’s strategy to pursue a two-track approach: continuous efforts to help build the next generation of reformers and targeted support to reform opportunities as they arise.

To support the emergence of a new generation of reformers, MEPI has taken a model that works and built new programs in support of diverse reformers.  The Business Internship Program brings young Arab businesswomen to the United States for a month of academic training, followed by a three-month internship in a US company.  Highly successful, each year dozens of businesswomen have returned to their countries motivated and better equipped to contribute to achieving economic prosperity.

Using this model, MEPI has developed the Leaders for Democracy Fellowship program and the Legal and Business Internship program.  Both use a similar mix of academic training followed by practical internships, in the first case for civic activists, in the second for women lawyers and business professionals.  In a similar vein, MEPI has funded the New Generations program, implemented by Freedom House, which combines training and internships, but takes the model further by creating an electronic network linking activists from across the region.

Within the Arab region, a new umbrella organization, the Kawakibi Center for Democratic Transition (KADEM), pools the experience and expertise of key civil soicety organizations, while supporting the development of new actors prepared to forge democratic transitions (see the related article on MEPI’s support for the creation of the Kawakibi Chair for Democracy Transition Studies, the first of its kind in the Arab world).   

In parallel to these longer-term efforts, MEPI continues to respond to reform opportunities, most often identified by local organizations best placed to address them.  Our Small Grants program has been the best tool for responding quickly to requests for support in the region. 

After three years of running Small Grants out of the MEPI Regional Office (RO), we are very pleased with both the results and the collaborative process, bringing together local actors, US embassies and the RO staff to take home-grown reform ideas and craft them into projects that have a real impact on the ground.  Through Small Grants, organizations have been able to profile key women’s issues during this year’s Algerian parliamentary election campaign, expose corporate financial irregularities in Egypt, and engage youth in southern Lebanon in “democracy in action” projects.

Since we value the experience and dedication of the partners and participants in MEPI programs, we do not want to lose touch with them.  We also believe that these individuals and groups have much to gain from one another, as they are all natural allies in the reform process, whatever field they may be in.

For that reason, we are very excited to have launched a MEPI Alumni Network.  In six pilot countries, we are organizing events and activities to share expertise and ideas and to maintain enthusiasm about building a better future throughout the region.  The MEPI Alumni Network is another sign of our ongoing commitment both to the ideals and the individuals supporting reform.