Last week marked the one year anniversary of the inauguration of the US President Barack Obama, presenting us with an opportunity to reflect upon the past year, to assess both the accomplishments and setbacks that this American administration has faced in a relatively brief period. From day one, Obama expressed his dedication to improving relations between the US and the Muslim world – in March of last year he addressed the Iranian people on their New Year in an unprecedented speech expressing adoration for the rich Iranian history and culture, and presenting an opportunity to enter a new page of history together. Then in June, he delivered the much anticipated Cairo speech in which he imparted his vision of “a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect” to the Muslim world.

In this momentous speech Obama underscored seven major challenges that the US and the Muslim world should face together – violent extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, nuclear nonproliferation, democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, and economic development. As he pointedly said, “Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.” Eight months have passed since the Cairo speech and we are still waiting for Obama’s vision to translate into action.

In light of the dynamics in the MENA region, the Washington D.C.- based Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) convened a group of activists last week in the US capitol to discuss the seven challenges that Obama delineated in his speech and to assess the administration’s actions thus far. In a panel discussion entitled, “Emerging Leaders on ‘Translating President Obama’s Vision of Human Dignity into Action,’” six Arab and American civic leaders, including three activists from Amman, Beirut and Cairo, presented ways for the US to actualize the human dignity goals outlined in Obama’s Cairo speech, and spoke on the four major areas of concern – democracy, religious freedom, women’s rights and human development.

Last week, we had the opportunity to interview all six panelists to hear about their experiences and discuss some of their recommendations to the policy community here in Washington. The following echoes some of the points the activists emphasized:

Due to the recent trend of Arab governments toward “political retrenchment,” Karim Bayoud, project coordinator at the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, stressed that the U.S. should standardize its policies in the Middle East behind values of democracy, rather than narrowly-defined national interests. According to Karim, the US needs to be more consistent in its approach throughout the region. He also mentioned the receptiveness of Arab youth to engagement by the US. The participants’ report claims that Middle Easterners overwhelmingly support democracy: a 2006 Arab Barometer Survey found that 86% of respondents thought democracy represents the best form of government and 90% thought democracy would be good for their country. The speakers also expressed a major concern resonating with many Middle Easterners; the U.S. does not seem serious about helping them achieve democracy. In order to overcome a variety of obstacles and to establish better relationships, participants suggested a range of measures that the US should take and that are outlined in the report.

It is also worth mentioning that all members of the group acknowledged the importance of utilizing new media and online social networks to advance democratic goals in the region. Bassem Samir, human rights activist and executive director of the Egyptian Democratic Academy, spoke with us about the complicated nature of Egyptian elections and emphasized the role that online networks could play in facilitating discussion, exchanging information and mobilizing people to take action on certain issues. He also spoke about using new media to reach people both on a national and on an international scale – stressing the global nature of development and democratization. Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, for example, have been instrumental in mobilizing individuals on the ground in the 2009 elections in Iran. As Bassem mentioned, it is easier to relay messages through Facebook than through other sites because of its straightforward and efficient design. Furthermore, in certain political contexts, where surveillance of online activities is the norm, websites that provide quick and easy access to information tend to be the most suitable.

In a recent speech on internet freedom US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, emphasized the role new technologies play in global democratic process when she said, “In Iran and Moldova and other countries, online organizing has been a critical tool for advancing democracy and enabling citizens to protest suspicious election results. And even in established democracies like the United States, we’ve seen the power of these tools to change history. Some of you may still remember the 2008 presidential election here.” These recent remarks reveal the growing importance of websites, such as Aswat, in fostering the exchange of information and dialogue in the MENA region. We hope that as the US continues to support the development of new technology to assist reformers in their local and regional efforts, the recommendations of young activists, such as Bassem and Karim, will be taken into consideration. Perhaps Secretary Clinton put it best when she added “so let us recommit ourselves to this cause. Let us make these technologies a force for real progress the world over. And let us go forward together to champion these freedoms for our time, for our young people who deserve every opportunity we can give them.”