Reform Pirouettes: Foreign Democracy Promotion and the Politics of Adjustment in Egypt FLORIAN KOHSTALL A t least since 9/11, democracy promotion has become a central feature of us foreign policy in the Arab World. While democratization through regime overthrow – as conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan – remains highly controversial, democratization through regime transformation is a widely accepted goal within the us administration and the member states of the European Union, when it comes to pushing for reform in the Middle East and North Africa( mena ). The Middle East Partnership Initiative( mepi ), initiated in December 2002 by former us Secretary of State Colin Powell, and the Broader Mid­dle East and North Africa Initiative( bmena ), received approval from the us ’s Western allies. At their summit at Sea Island in June 2004, the Group of Eight(G8) adopted a plan of action to support economic, social, and political reform initiatives in the Arab states. In addition to the enhance­ment of regional and international cooperation and economic develop­ment, the promotion of democracy figures prominently in the document. 1 The rhetoric of democratization determines not only the premises of Western foreign policy but also the domestic political debate in many Arab countries. Certainly in response to international reform pressure but also with regard to growing domestic unrest, Arab governments have affirmed their willingness to reform on many occasions. The G8 declaration refers explicitly to the commitment to democratic values, for example at the 2004 summit of the Arab League in Tunis and in the Alexandria Library Statement. The latter was issued at a conference or­ganized in May 2004 in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Arab politicians and intellectuals generally rejected external interference in domestic af­fairs and put peace in the region at the top of the agenda, but they also 1. For details of the action plan, see: G8, Plan of Support for Reform , Sea Island, 9/7/ 2004, available at: http://www.g7.utoronto.ca/summit/2004seaisland/reform. html, last access on 20/5/2006. 32 Kohstall, Egypt ipg 3/2006