1、 4825 Mark Center Drive,Alexandria,VA 22311-1850 703-824-2000 a.org Populist Islamists in Middle East Elections:Why We Get It Wrong Introduction:At a recent CNA event,an observer with extensive experience in the region argued that U.S.policy makers lack sufficient understanding of the populist Islam
2、ist milieu in the Middle East and fail to take into account the Islamists long-term objectives and extended time frame.This is particularly evident in the context of national elections.The observer originally spoke on the basis of non-attribution but agreed that we might make limited distribution of
3、 his com-ments if we preserved his anonymity.Remarks:When looking at elections in the developing world,one should be cautious about applying the technical standards and assessments that we use in Western elections.This is particularly true about the self-described“Camp of Resistance,”a group of popu
4、list Middle Eastern Islamists who are veterans of the activist movements of the past few decades.They view elections very differently than we do.For example,in late 2004 Iraqi leaders held a meeting in the resort town of Dokan which is under the control of Jalal Talibanis PUK.The purpose of the gath
