• News
    • Latest news
    • News search
    • Health
    • Finance
    • Food
    • Career news
    • Content series
    • Try Devex Pro
  • Jobs
    • Job search
    • Post a job
    • Employer search
    • CV Writing
    • Upcoming career events
    • Try Career Account
  • Funding
    • Funding search
    • Funding news
  • Talent
    • Candidate search
    • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Events
    • Upcoming and past events
    • Partner on an event
  • Post a job
  • About
      • About us
      • Membership
      • Newsletters
      • Advertising partnerships
      • Devex Talent Solutions
      • Contact us
Join DevexSign in
Join DevexSign in

News

  • Latest news
  • News search
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Career news
  • Content series
  • Try Devex Pro

Jobs

  • Job search
  • Post a job
  • Employer search
  • CV Writing
  • Upcoming career events
  • Try Career Account

Funding

  • Funding search
  • Funding news

Talent

  • Candidate search
  • Devex Talent Solutions

Events

  • Upcoming and past events
  • Partner on an event
Post a job

About

  • About us
  • Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising partnerships
  • Devex Talent Solutions
  • Contact us
  • My Devex
  • Update my profile % complete
  • Account & privacy settings
  • My saved jobs
  • Manage newsletters
  • Support
  • Sign out
Latest newsNews searchHealthFinanceFoodCareer newsContent seriesTry Devex Pro
    • News

    Gayle Smith in Obama's Inner Circle Drafting 'Secret' Report on Pan-Arab Unrest – NY Times

    By Ma. Rizza Leonzon // 17 February 2011
    Gayle Smith, the White House senior director on development and democracy. Photo by: Ralph Alswang / CC BY-ND

    U.S. President Barack Obama instructed Gayle Smith, the White House senior director on development and democracy, and other top advisers in August to draft a “secret” report on unrest in the Arab world, suggesting that the Obama administration might have anticipated the current turmoil in the region.

    According to the New York Times, the advisers - also including Dennis B. Ross, the president’s senior adviser on the Middle East, and Samantha Power, a senior director at the National Security Council - noted in the report that countries from Bahrain to Yemen were ripe for popular revolts unless governments undertake sweeping reforms.

    Between Jan. 25 and Feb. 11, two authoritarian regimes in the Arab region – Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s administration in Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak’s government in Egypt - were overthrown by street protests.

    Obama issued the Presidential Study Directive to seek recommendations on how the U.S. government could encourage political reforms in Arab nations ruled by autocratic regimes, most notably Egypt, that are also valuable allies of the U.S., according to Obama’s advisers.

    The 18-page classified report seeks to strike a balance between U.S. strategic interests and preventing increased instability against the democratic demands of demonstrators, the advisers told NYT.

    “There’s no question Egypt was very much on the mind of the president [Obama],” said a senior official who helped draft the report. “You had all the unknowns created by Egypt’s succession picture ― and Egypt is the anchor of the region,” according to one senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the report’s findings.

    The report sets apart four Arab nations for “close scrutinty,” according to NY Times, noting that the officials refused to discuss countries in detail. Of the four nations, one is attempting to move toward reforms, another has resisted any change, and the two have deep strategic links with the U.S, as well as religious tensions. NY Times believes these countries refer to Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen.

    The report is kept confidential to prevent Arab allies from pressuring the White House, according to the officials.

    Read more about U.S. development aid.

    • Democracy, Human Rights & Governance
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).

    About the author

    • Ma. Rizza Leonzon

      Ma. Rizza Leonzon

      As a former staff writer, Rizza focused mainly on business coverage, including key donors such as the Asian Development Bank and AusAID.

    Search for articles

    Related Stories

    The future of US aidReported State plan like ‘cutting your legs out from under you’

    Reported State plan like ‘cutting your legs out from under you’

    United NationsExclusive: US aims to thwart Palestine's UN recognition bid

    Exclusive: US aims to thwart Palestine's UN recognition bid

    United NationsExclusive: Palestinians launch bid for UN General Assembly presidency

    Exclusive: Palestinians launch bid for UN General Assembly presidency

    Democracy and governanceGodfather of soft power leaves legacy of diplomacy at time of volatility

    Godfather of soft power leaves legacy of diplomacy at time of volatility

    Most Read

    • 1
      How to use law to strengthen public health advocacy
    • 2
      Closing the loop: Transforming waste into valuable resources
    • 3
      House cuts US global education funding 20%, spares multilateral partners
    • 4
      Lasting nutrition and food security needs new funding — and new systems
    • 5
      Opinion: The pursuit of remission — from possibility to priority
    • News
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Talent
    • Events

    Devex is the media platform for the global development community.

    A social enterprise, we connect and inform over 1.3 million development, health, humanitarian, and sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, and funding & career opportunities so you can do more good for more people. We invite you to join us.

    • About us
    • Membership
    • Newsletters
    • Advertising partnerships
    • Devex Talent Solutions
    • Post a job
    • Careers at Devex
    • Contact us
    © Copyright 2000 - 2025 Devex|User Agreement|Privacy Statement