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1 1 (February 8, 2005)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaaatn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS21457 Updated February 8, 2005 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web The Middle East Partnership Initiative: An Overview Jeremy M. Sharp Middle East Policy Analyst Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a program designed to promote political, economic, and educational development in the Middle East. This report provides an overview of the MEPI program, its perception in the Middle East, and its role in the debate over U.S. efforts to promote democracy in the Arab world. For FY2006, the Bush Administration has requested $120 million for MEPI. For FY2005, Congress appropriated $75 million for MEPI, half of the President's original request. MEPI has received an estimated $284 million in funding since its creation in FY2002. This report will be updated as developments unfold. Overview On December 12, 2002, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the creation of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a program designed, in the words of Secretary Powell, to be a continuation, and a deepening, of our longstanding commitment to working with all peoples of the Middle East to improve their daily lives and to help them face the future with hope.' In light of the continuing war against terrorism, the reconstruction of Iraq, and increased violence in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip, MEPI emphasizes what some analysts call the softer elements of U.S. foreign policy: foreign aid, trade, education, and democratization. MEPI is a key component in the Bush Administration's policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East. In addition, the 9/11 Commission Report reiterates the importance of formulating policies that seek to expand opportunities, particularly for young people in the Arab world and Muslim-majority countries. According to the report, A comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and to Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress 1The Middle East Partnership Initiative: Building Hope for the Years Ahead, U.S. Department of State, December 12, 2002.

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