Secretary Rice Appoints FDD President Clifford May to Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion

“From its inception days after the 9/11 attacks, FDD has been working to support democratic reformers and educate citizens throughout the Middle East about the benefits of freedom, and the principles and practices of liberal democratic governance,” said May.  “Supporting freedom fighters and democracy activists abroad is a matter of both morality and enlightened self-interest. Freedom and democracy may not be the antidotes to terrorism and Militant Islamism but they must be part of the treatment.”  

As FDD president, May has advised reformers throughout the region and participated in numerous democracy training programs.  A veteran news reporter, foreign correspondent and editor (at The New York Times and other publications), he has covered stories in more than two dozen countries, including Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia, China, Uzbekistan, Northern Ireland and Russia. Earlier this year, he was appointed to the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group of the United States Institute of Peace.

FDD is a cofounder of the Center for Liberty in the Middle East (www.mideastliberty.org), a transatlantic initiative to support pro-democracy reformers and highlight their work.

Members of Secretary Rice's Advisory Committee include former U.S. government officials, representatives of corporations, non-governmental organizations, public policy organizations, and academic institutions.  The committee members were selected for their expertise and extensive experience on foreign policy and democratization issues.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute focusing exclusively on terrorism and democratization. Founded shortly after the attacks of 9/11/01, FDD combines policy research, democracy and counterterrorism education, strategic communications, and investigative journalism in support of its mission.  For more information, please visit www.defenddemocracy.org.

Read Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's remarks.