(Foreign Policy) Nathan J. Brown - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's international boosters built their expectations for his state-building program on contradictions that went well past the point of absurdity. Fayyadism was supposed to constitute Palestinian self-reliance, but it was sustained only because foreign countries bankrolled it. Unsurprisingly, it decayed as international attention began to wander. Fayyadism was said to promise political reform, but it was based on the denial of democracy and the continuation of authoritarian rule. In the absence of elections or even a viable electoral framework, he ruled by decree. The writer is professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
2013-04-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive