CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 94

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA
idea” was often perceived as a roadmap for US honorable exit from the
Iraqi adventure 12 by diff erent politicians and experts.
The West European countries, particularly France and Germany, ex-
pressed their stance over the American concept of “The Middle East Re-
construction”. According to the French-German standpoint, the Arabs
must overcome their problems on their own and that “The Great Middle
East” cannot be created combining in its meaningful perception such dif-
ferent countries, as Pakistan, Afghanistan and the GulfArab countries. 13
The concept of “The Great Middle East” got more fi nalized outline on
June 10, 2004, at the G8 session in the US state of Georgia 14 , where the
document on Partnership for Progress and a Common Future with the En-
larged Region of the Middle East and North Africa. The document actu-
ally posted not only the provisions of “The Great Middle East” concept,
but also became the roadmap of an expanded American strategy for the
region. 15
It is noteworthy that at the request of the European and Arab coun-
tries, an important point in the document was introduced: to direct the
eff orts of the G8 countries to the peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli
confl ict based on Resolutions 242, 338 and 425 of the United Nations Se-
curity Council. 16
Thus, in fact, the US proposed a Middle East Concept of Convergence
that actually threatened not only to shatter the already traditional and rela-
tively stable security system but also to exterminate it.
At the same time it should be noted that according to President Bush’s
perception, the issue of the “modernization” of the Middle East was also
a guarantee for the reduction of international terrorism. 17
12
13
14
15
16
17
Andreas Wimmer, “Democracy and Ethno-Religious Confl ict in Iraq,” Paper presented at
the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University, May 5,
2003, http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/mideast/IQ/wimmer.pdf (accessed September 28,
2017).
Radwan Ziadeh, “The EU`s Policy on Promotion Democracy in the Arab World,” Interna-
tional Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, (2009), https://www.idea.int/sites/
default/fi les/publications/chapters/the-role-of-the-european-union-in-democracy-building/
eu-democracy-building-discussion-paper-32.pdf, (accessed September 15, 2017).
Jeremy M. Sharp, “The Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative: An Overview,”
CRS Report to Congress, February 15, 2005, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22053.pdf
(accessed February 28, 2017).
Ibid.
Ibid.
“G. Bush considered that in democratic countries there cannot be such a shameful thing as
terrorism, President Bush’s Speech on Terrorism,” The New York Times, September 6, 2006,
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/06/washington/06bush_transcript.html?pagewanted=all&_
r=0 (accessed 10 September, 2006)’ Ivo H. Daalder, “President Bush’s Speech on Global De-
mocracy and Freedom,” Brookings, November 10, 2013, http://www.brookings.edu/research/
interviews/2003/11/10globalgovernance-daalder, (accessed February, 28, 2017).
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