3. A New US Doctrine for the Middle East: President Bush is thinking of attending as well (this is shaping up to be an important meeting!) and is considering a radical revision of U.S. policy in the region (or not). He has been reading about the Nixon Doctrine, the Carter Doctrine, the Reagan Doctrine, and his own "Bush Doctrine" and concluded that it might need some revising, or at least some speechifying to defend it.

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to draft a historical briefing paper that "reads the Bush Doctrine backwards" and assesses whether U.S. policy regarding support for democracy and human rights in the region OR broader American perceptions of Islam and the region (from the 1970s to 2001 or so) meets his stated goals. The questions underlying these include(for the first issue): are American security, economic and political goals in the region compatible with support for demoracy and human rights? For the second issue (perceptions of Islam), are U.S. public and cultural perceptions of Islam and the region compatible with a relationship built on equality, shared values and respect? If you think U.S. policy has met those stated goals, explain why. If not, explain what this history suggests about how we should order our priorities in the region. I'll post some documents pro and con soon.