The Impact of US Aid Policy on Democracy and Political Reform in the Arab world

Prof. Abdel Mahdi Alsoudi

International Policy Fellowship (2005-2006)

Short Bio.

Abdelmahdi Alsoudi (Ph.D. 1986, Keele University (U.K ) is a professor of Middle East studies at GSIS, Denver University; Director of Jordan Policy Center;  professor of political sociology at Jordan university, former professor at United Arab Emirates University (2000-2002), Princess Rahmeh University College, 2002-2003, visiting Scholar (DAAD grant) at Bonn University, 2004, visiting professor (International policy fellowship) Georgetown University 2005. He participated in many international and regional conferences and published several articles on different socio-political issues such as: Islam and democracy, Anti-Americanism in the Arab World, Democracy and political reform in Jordan and the Arab World. He joined the Center for Strategic studies in Jordan as a senior researcher in 1986 and in 1988 joined the Sociology Department where he lectures and supervises MA and PhD Students until the present day. Professor Alsoudi is also active and part of large Arab academics and parliamentarians in the field of democracy and political reform in the Arab World where they have regular meetings and conferences to devise policies for democracy and political reform looking for greater cooperation with American and Europeans academics, experts and policy makers to achieve this goal. He could be reached at: aalsoudi@du.edu  and his web page: www.policy.hu/alsoudi

Fellowship project title:
The Impact of US aid policy on democracy and political reform in Jordan and other Arab countries.

Project Objectives:
The objectives of the project are to develop a policy paper on program strategies for the Soros foundations network in the field of democracy and political reform in Jordan and the Arab World and provide other assistance to the network in coordination with network mentors, assess the size of US aid to Jordan, provide an evaluation and critique of the reform process, and advance public debate on the reform policy, and examine the impact of US policy on democracy and political reform in the region and devise policy recommendations for future strategies.

The author welcome any comments, joint cooperation from individuals or institutions in any form including, workshops, seminars, conferences, publishing and appreciate any new ideas regarding US aid and the development of democracy and political reform in the Arab World in General and in Jordan in particular. Alsoudi@ju.edu.jo