The document discusses the Arab Spring uprisings and their impact in toppling authoritarian leaders in several Arab countries. It then summarizes an article about the rise of Islamist political groups in the aftermath. The article argues that Islamists have shown a willingness to compromise and engage pragmatically. However, the West, particularly the US, fears that Islamist foreign policies may not respect key Western interests like the Arab-Israeli peace process, countering Iran, and combating terrorism. There are also concerns about whether Islamist conceptions of democracy and law can coexist with principles of pluralism, women's rights, and other liberal values.

1. Rise of the Islamists

2. Arab Spring - definition
• Grassroots revolutionary wave of sustained campaigns
involving protests, strikes, demonstrations, marches, and
rallies throughout the Arab World.
• The participants goals are to bring about regime change
and/or changes in how the government is running the country.
• Resistance to strict government censorship of the internet.
• Resistance to distribution of wealth in country.
• Many demonstrations have met with violent responses from
the government or pro-government militias.
• Started December 18, 2010

3. Impact of Arab Spring
• Leaders toppled by it:
• Tunisia
• Egypt
• Libya
• Yemen
• Failed:
• Bahrain (thanks to Saudi intervention)
• Syria (where it has devolved into a Civil War)
• Has occurred in varying degrees of intensity in EVERY Arab
country.

4. Article – Rise of the Islamists
• The author makes two key arguments:
• 1. Islamists have been willing to compromise
• 2. The USA needs to engage Islamists now to get them to
respect key Western interests which are:
• Advance the Arab-Israeli peace process
• Countering Iran
• Combating terrorism
• Creating Civil liberties, equality, and rule by law

5. Rise of the Islamists
• An Islamist is a Muslim who wants democracy/republicanism.
However, they want a heavy dose of Islamic, aka Sharia, Law
infused with their version of democracy/republicanism.

6. What the West wants to see …
• Western democracy prefers heavy infusion of secular (aka no
religion) law.
• That being said, early US democracy/republican governments
had a heavy dose of Christian theology incorporated with
them too.
• Only after trial and error did the USA remove most elements
of secular law from it’s democracy.
• Essentially the USA is telling the Middle East – “we’ve been
there – trust us – do it this way” …

7. Islamists and Foreign Policy
• They want foreign influence out of the Middle East.
• They are willing to work with foreign powers – BUT on an
equal footing .
• Numerous Islamist groups have had ties to terrorism which
makes negotiating and cooperation tricky.

8. Islamists Concern USA?
• “Washington tends to question whether Islamists’ religious
commitments can coexist with respect for democracy,
pluralism, and women’s rights. But what the United states
really fears are the kinds of foreign policies such groups might
pursue. Unlike the Middle East’s pro- Western autocracies,
Islamists have a distinctive … conception of an Arab world
that is confident, independent, and willing to project influence
beyond it’s borders”.
• Shadi Hamid Rise of the Islamists

9. In simpler terms:
• The USA concerns are:
• Can Islam coexist with the ideas of liberty, equality, and
freedom?
• Will the USA and other Western countries lose influence in the
Middle East?
• What will happen to the predictability and stability of the
Middle East?