This event is co-sponsored by the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation of North America.
Due to security procedures at Russell Senate Office Building, guests are asked to add additional time to their travel plans to enter the premises.
A light breakfast will be available at 10:00 am.
POMED and the Heinrich Böll Foundation of North America are pleased to invite you to attend a public panel discussion to release an annual publication, The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2016: Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights in the Middle East. This report, authored by POMED’s Executive Director Stephen McInerney and Advocacy Director Cole Bockenfeld, offers a detailed look at U.S. funding and assistance for democracy and governance in the Middle East, the congressional appropriations process, and implications for U.S. policy in the Middle East during a turbulent time. As the region is mired in multiple conflicts—protracted civil wars in Syria and Libya, the rise of the Islamic State, and surges of conflict and violence in Yemen—why and how should the United States continue to invest in democracy and governance?
This publication focuses on several key questions: How have the Obama administration and Congress responded to dramatic changes in the region since 2011? How have deteriorating political situations and escalating violence affected U.S. policy and funding in the region? How has the United States responded to Tunisia’s relative success in democratization? What are the most significant changes in U.S. funding and appropriations when compared to previous years? And what might we expect from Congress during its ongoing appropriations process?
Join us for a discussion with:
Nazanin Ash
Visiting Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development
Cole Bockenfeld
Advocacy Director, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
Thomas O. Melia
Executive Director, Democracy International
Stephen McInerney
Executive Director, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)