In May, the Obama Administration submitted to Congress the details of its first annual budget request for foreign operations, for Fiscal Year 2010. As the House and Senate now continue their debates over appropriations, the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America & POMED  announced the publication of a new report ,The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010: Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights in the Middle East'(pdf).

What are the most significant changes in these portions of the budget request, as compared with the appropriations made in previous years? How does the budget impact US efforts to support democracy in the Middle East and North Africa? What does this budget tell us about the priorities of the new administration and its policy approach to the Middle East? And how are the appropriations made by Congress likely to compare with this request?

Panelists:

    - Stephen McInerney, Director of Advocacy, Project on Middle East Democracy;
    - Thomas Melia, Deputy Executive Director, Freedom House;
    - Marina Ottaway, Director of the Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Moderated by Andrew Albertson, Executive Director, POMED

Click here for the event summary.
Click here for the previous FY2009 report