Middle East Forum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Middle East Forum is an American think tank working to "define and promote American interests in the Middle East through research, publications, and educational outreach," according to its website. The forum defines "U.S. interests" as "fighting radical Islam, whether terroristic or lawful; working for Palestinian acceptance of Israel; improving the management of U.S. democracy efforts; reducing energy dependence on the Middle East; more robustly asserting U.S. interests vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia; and countering the Iranian threat." [1]
Founded in 1990 by historian and columnist Daniel Pipes, it became an independent 501(c)3 organization in 1994. The forum publishes the Middle East Quarterly, [2].
The forum holds that the United States has vital interests in the region; in particular, it believes in strong ties with Israel, Turkey, and other democracies as they emerge; works for human rights throughout the region; seeks a stable supply and a low price of oil; and promotes the peaceful settlement of regional and international disputes. The forum was a supporter of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
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[edit] Mission statement
As of August 12, 2006, the Middle East Forum's mission statement was as follows [3]:
- The Middle East Forum, a think tank, seeks to define and promote American interests in the Middle East. It defines U.S. interests to include fighting radical Islam, whether terroristic or lawful; working for Palestinian acceptance of Israel; improving the management of U.S. democracy efforts; reducing energy dependence on the Middle East; more robustly asserting U.S. interests vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia; and countering the Iranian threat. The Forum also works to improve Middle East studies in North America.
- MEF sees the region, with its profusion of dictatorships, radical ideologies, existential conflicts, border disagreements, political violence, and weapons of mass destruction as a major source of problems for the United States. Accordingly, it urges active measures to protect Americans and their allies.
- Toward this end, the Forum seeks to help shape the intellectual climate in which U.S. foreign policy is made by addressing key issues in a timely and accessible way for a sophisticated public.
[edit] Campus Watch
In 2002, the forum initiated the Campus Watch program and website, which said it had identified five problems in the teaching of Middle Eastern studies at American universities: "analytical failures, the mixing of politics with scholarship, intolerance of alternative views, apologetics, and the abuse of power over students." Campus Watch serves as a repository for professors' writings in order to expose them to a larger audience. Initially, students were encouraged to submit reports regarding teachers, books, and curricula, which led some professors to accuse Campus Watch of "McCarthyesque intimidation." In protest, more than 100 other academics asked to be listed too. Campus Watch subsequently removed the list from their website. [4] [5] [6] It is now directed by Winfield Myers.
[edit] Islamist Watch
Islamist Watch exists to educate the government, media, religious institutions, the academy, and the business world about lawful Islamism. It focuses on the political, educational, cultural, and legal activities of Islamists in the United States and, to a lesser degree, in other historically non-Muslim countries, especially Western Europe, Canada, and Australia.
It is not about counterterrorism and it touches only glancingly on Islamism in traditional Muslim countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Islamist Watch engages in a three-fold effort of research, advocacy, and activism.
Dr. Paul Belien was appointed director os Islamist Watch as of 2006.
[edit] See also
- Campus Watch - an initiative of the Middle East Forum
- Hating America: A History
- Middle East Quarterly - a publication of the Middle East Forum
- Bradley Foundation - major financial backers of the Middle East Forum
