US embassy cable - 05AMMAN6752

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006752 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ECA/PE/V/R/N (RREMEIKA); NEA/PPD (DBENZE); NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, JO 
SUBJECT:  FY 05 RP:"FOREIGN POLICY DECISION MAKING 
PROCESSES," APRIL 16 - MAY 7, 2005 - PROGRAM EVALUATION 
 
 
1. FOLLOWING IS THE EVDB EVALUATION OF SUBJEC PROGRAM: 
 
START FIXED-FORMAT TEXT (PLEASE DO NOT EDIT): 
: THE FOLLOWING DATA IS IN A FIXED FORMAT WHICH ENABLES 
: AUTOMATED PROCESSING IN WASHINGTON AND SHOULD NOT BE 
: EDITED EXCEPT BY MEANS OF THE POST-EVDB SOFTWARE. 
EXPORT-SOURCE: POST-EVDB 
VERSION: 3.0.7 
POST-EMAIL: ALDADAWM@STATE.GOV 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS AMMAN 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 2887 
EXPORT-TYPE: PROJECT EVALUATION 
START PROJECT-EVAL-REC: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 240 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VGN-2005-0009 
PROJ-NAME: FOREIGN POLICY DECISION MAKING PROCESSES - JORDAN 
CPTHEME: DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
START MEMO IMPACT: 
MR. MOHAMMAD ABU RUMMAN BENEFITED GREATLY FROM THE PROGRAM. 
HE HAD BEEN TO THE UNITED STATES BEFORE TO STUDY ENGLISH IN 
MICHIGAN, BUT THIS PROGRAM EXPOSED HIM TO MUCH MORE OF 
AMERICAN SOCIETY AND ITS DIVERSITY AND DEPTH. HE ASSESSED 
THE PROGRAM AS VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND SAID IT WIDENED HIS 
PERSEPECTIVE OF THE UNITED STATES AND ITS FOREIGN POLICY 
PROCESS. 
OVERALL, HE BENEFITED THE MOST FROM THE PROGRAM ACTIVITIES 
OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, DC, AND FROM THE NON-GOVERNMENTAL 
MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON, DC, AS THEY GAVE HIM A CHANCE TO 
LEARN ABOUT THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE FOREIGN POLICY PROCESS 
THAT ARE NOT SO WELL-KNOWN. HE WAS SURPRISED AND IMPRESSED 
BY THE ACTIVE INTELLECTUAL DEBATE IN THE UNITED STATES ON 
FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES. HE FOUND THE MEETINGS WITH RELIGIOUS 
GROUPS, THE CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER, AND HARVARD PROFESSOR 
STEPHEN WALT VERY USEFUL. HE WAS ALSO ABLE TO ARRANGE A 
MEETING WHICH HE FOUND VERY HELPFUL WITH ALBERTO FERNANDEZ 
AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE ON U.S. POLICY AND APPROACH 
TOWARD ISLAMIST GROUPS. 
HE DID NOT LIKE THE MEETINGS WITH THE AMERICA ISRAEL PUBLIC 
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (AIPAC) OR THE ARAB-AMERICAN ANTI- 
DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE (ADC). HE FELT THAT THE AIPAC 
SPEAKER WAS UNDIPLOMATIC AND CONFRONTATIONAL AND NOT 
INTERESTED IN FOSTERING DISCUSSION. IN PARTICULAR, THE 
SPEAKER TALKED ABOUT THE GROUP'S POLITICAL VIEWS AND NOT 
ABOUT HOW THEY DO BUSINESS OR ARE PART OF THE FOREIGN POLICY 
PROCESS. THE ADC SPEAKER ALSO DID NOT ADDRESS ISSUES 
RELEVANT TO THEIR PROGRAM, AND ONLY TOUCHED ON SIDE ISSUES 
LIKE IMMIGRATION AND AIRPORT SECURITY, WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT 
THE ADC'S INTERESTS AND ROLE IN THE U.S. FOREIGN POLICY 
PROCESS. 
MR. ABU RUMMAN ENJOYED THE INTERACTIONS WITH ORDINARY 
AMERICANS AND WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT HIS HOMESTAY WAS 
CANCELLED. 
HE HAS KEPT IN TOUCH WITH MANY OF THE OTHER PROGRAM 
PARTICIPANTS. HE FELT THAT A FEW OF THEM WERE NOT WELL- 
SUITED TO THE PROGRAM AND THAT THIS WAS EMBARASSING IN THEIR 
MEETINGS WHEN THESE PARTICIPANTS WOULD ASK BAD QUESTIONS. 
END MEMO IMPACT: 
START MEMO AUDIENCE-REACHED: 
MR. MOHAMMAD ABU RUMMAN IS EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR OF AL-GHAD 
ARABIC DAILY AND A WRITER/ANALYST AT AL-ASR ELECTRONIC 
MAGAZINE. HE ALSO CONTRIBUTES ARTICLES TO LONDON-BASED AL- 
BAYAN DAILY NEWSPAPER. HE IS AN IMPORTANT PRESS CONTACT IN 
JORDAN BUT ALSO AN INTELLECTUAL WHO HAS WRITTEN A NUMBER OF 
ARTICLES AND BOOKS ON REFORM IN THE ARAB WORLD, U.S. FOREIGN 
POLICY, AND ISLAMIST THOUGHT AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS. 
HE WROTE FIVE ARTICLES ABOUT HIS VISIT TO AMERICA IN AL-GHAD 
AND OTHER NEWSPAPERS. 
HE ALSO SERVES AS A PRESS ADVISOR TO THE MINISTER FOR AWQAF 
AFFAIRS, AND WILL ENCOURAGE THE MINISTER TO SEND A PROPOSAL 
TO THE EMBASSY TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM FOR JORDANIAN RELIGIOUS 
LEADERS TO TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES. 
END MEMO AUDIENCE-REACHED: 
ECA-PROGRAM-OFFICE-RATING: 5 
START MEMO ECA-PROG-OFFICE-COMMENT: 
 
END MEMO ECA-PROG-OFFICE-COMMENT: 
PROGRAM-AGENCY-RATING: 5 
START MEMO PROG-AGENCY-COMMENT: 
HE SAID THE MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER DID A GREAT JOB. 
HE WAS IMPRESSED BY AMBASSADOR KENTON KEITH WHO WAS A GOOD 
HOST AND DID A GREAT JOB OF MODERATING DEBATES AND 
PRESENTING NEUTRAL OR INCLUSIVE OPINIONS IN OFTEN DIVISIVE 
SUBJECTS. ALL OF THE TRANSLATORS WERE EXCELLENT. 
END MEMO PROG-AGENCY-COMMENT: 
START ESCORT-INTERPRETER-EVALUATION: 
ESCORT-INTERPRETER: ROBYN REMEIKA 
RATING: 5 
START MEMO COMMENT: 
HE SAID ROBYN WAS VERY UP-TO-DATE ON HER INFORMATION AND DID 
A GOOD JOB DURING THE EVALUATION SESSION. 
END MEMO COMMENT: 
END ESCORT-INTERPRETER-EVALUATION: 
END PROJECT-EVAL-REC: 
 
HENZEL