'Realism and Democracy--American Foreign Policy after the Arab Spring'

Elliott Abrams discusses his new book, 'Realism and Democracy: American Foreign Policy after the Arab Spring.' Abrams urges that in the Middle East, the United States should support the struggle for freedom—for its own sake and because repression feeds extremism. Islamist extremists have an ideology, which means that policemen and jails alone cannot in the end defeat them. Charting forty years of American human rights policy, Abrams argues that “realism” requires a deep appreciation for the war of ideas and the goal of human freedom.

Speaker
Elliott Abrams
Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Presider
Gideon Rose
Peter G. Peterson Chair and Editor, Foreign Affairs