Farewell and thanks
Nov 8th, 2009 by MESH
From Tamara Cofman Wittes
This will be my last post on MESH for the foreseeable future. On Monday I will take up new responsibilities that will take me away from the wonderful discussion that unfolds on this page. I’ll be serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, with specific policy responsibilities that include democracy and human rights (and, yes, the Middle East Partnership Initiative) along with public diplomacy.
MESH has done what some thought impossible: built a successful and well-read group blog on Middle East affairs, one that produces a sustained, relatively unpoliticized, thoughtful, and empirically grounded discussion among academics and policy analysts on the politics of the contemporary Middle East. I’ll admit that, at the start, I was skeptical about the project Stephen Peter Rosen and Martin Kramer proposed—but they convinced me to give it a try, and they, along with my excellent colleagues on this blog, have built a rich conversation that brings together multiple perspectives and disciplines in a way that is always fresh, and very often truly enlightening, even for experts in many regional policy topics. I have learned a lot here, and for that I am grateful to Stephen, Martin, and all my smart and dedicated fellow MESH members.
The associated paper series, conferences, and other activities have built on the value of this unique forum and demonstrated the payoff from continued dialogue between the ivory tower and those inside the Beltway over Middle East policy. That’s a lesson I’ll certainly bring with me into the State Department, and I look forward to reading and learning from my MESH colleagues in the months and years to come.
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We’re grateful for the very kind words of Tamara Cofman Wittes, and we’ll feel her absence acutely. Tammy has been one of the most active MESH members, with an impressive string of posts and comments in some of this blog’s most interesting (and contentious) threads. She’s been a dedicated member from the outset, and she also attended our inaugural symposium in Cambridge last fall, where she delivered a fine summation of her own view of what must change in U.S. policy. We wish her success in her new career as a practitioner, and we promise to take her right back when her mission is accomplished. (Now, Tammy, can anyone else promise you that?)
Stephen Peter Rosen and Martin Kramer are the co-conveners of MESH.
We should all be cheered that Tammy Wittes is joining the State Department to take over the democracy, human rights and public diplomacy portfolio within the Near East Bureau. For lots of reasons—some political, some policy, some bureaucratic—Tammy has her work cut out for her, but this is a profoundly important portfolio to which the Secretary of State has made one of her most inspired appointments. I know that all MESH members join me in wishing Tammy great success. (And if, in the wee hours, when the in-box has been reduced to sub-Everest altitudes, she has the urge to engage in some irreverent policy planning with MESH members, I am sure we all promise to keep her musings confidential and to offer only constructive critiques and helpful advice.)
Robert Satloff is a member of MESH.
The Obama administration could not have made a better selection for this position than Tamara Cofman Wittes. Not only is she a true regional expert, but she has spent the last several years studying and critiquing U.S. democracy promotion and development programs in the Middle East. At last there is an address for these issues in this administration, someone who will ensure that they are included in policy deliberations as well as assistance decisions. Deputy Assistant Secretary Wittes, we expect great things of you.
Michele Dunne is a member of MESH.
President Obama and others in his administration have said nice things about democracy and human rights in the Middle East but I have been deeply skeptical about the seriousness of their approach. Until now.
In any administration, policy is people and Tamara Cofman Wittes personifies this particular job. Redefining a policy that can work to advance U.S. interests while reshaping programs to support it will require thoughtfulness, tenacity, creativity and bureaucratic smarts. Thankfully, each of these Tamara has in abundance.
So let me join my fellow MESHers in wishing you all success and reminding you, as Rob Satloff did above, that we’re here for you if you need a sounding board.
J. Scott Carpenter is a member of MESH.