Center for Liberty in the Middle East
The Center for Liberty in the Middle East (CLIME) is a transatlantic initiative that advances democratic values in the region through partnerships with local reformers who espouse liberty, tolerance, and pluralism. CLIME serves as a bridge between these liberal democrats (politicians, civil society leaders, women’s rights activists, journalists, and dissidents) and U.S. and European policymakers, media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and academicians. With offices in Washington, Brussels, New York City, London, and Amman, CLIME raises the profile of these reformers, creates a worldwide network of support for them, and directs resources to their efforts to liberalize autocratic regimes.
The center’s U.S. director is Eleana Gordon who leads a bipartisan and multi-national team that offers reform activists extensive experience in political and advocacy campaign management, strategic communications, democracy training and education, media relations, organization building, and the strategic use of technology. In addition, CLIME organizes media appearances, policy conferences, and speaking tours.
CLIME conducts research and commissions in-depth papers and reports on political liberalization and democratic reform in the region, which it distributes to hundreds of government officials, policymakers, media and academic figures in the United States and Europe. The center’s online publications include:
- Liberty Activist Guide, which promotes thinkers and writers who wage the battle of ideas in the Middle East on behalf of human rights and against religious extremism
- The Syria Monitor, which reports on the Syrian opposition movement;
- The Egypt Monitor, which reports on the opposition in Egypt and features brief dispatches about the activities of democratic activists in Egypt as well as related news that is not covered in English language media;
- The Jordan Monitor, which reports on political reform and human rights violations in Jordan; and
- Voices from the Middle East on Democratization and Reform, a series of white papers in which local reformers weigh in on whether, and how, Western policymakers should be involved in promoting democracy in the region
The Center for Liberty in the Middle East is a project initiated by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.