01457nam a22001217a 4500020001800000082002100018100005500039245008200094260003900176300001600215520094400231650016001175  a9781108415620  a327.73056bABR-R  aAbrams, Elliott                                     aRealism and democracyb: American foreign  policy after the Arab spring        aNew York        bCambridgec2017   axvii, 295p.  aAmerica is turning away from support for democrats in Arab countries in favor of "pragmatic" deals with tyrants to defeat violent Islamist extremism. For too many policy makers, Arab democracy is seen as a dangerous luxury. In Democracy and Realism, Elliott Abrams marshals four decades of experience as an American official and leading Middle East expert to show that deals with tyrants will not work. Islamism is an idea that can only be defeated by a better idea: democracy. Through a careful analysis of America's record of democracy promotion in the region and beyond, from the Cold War to the Obama years, Abrams proves that repression helps Islamists beat democrats, while political openings offer moderates and liberals a chance. This book makes a powerful argument for an American foreign policy that combines practical politics and idealism and refuses to abandon those struggling for democracy and human rights in the Arab world  aInternational RelationvArab Spring, 2010vPolitics and governmentvDemocratization--Government policyvDiplomatic relationszArab countrieszUnited States