DAWN's 2023 Annual Report provides a window into the organization's third year of achievements and growth.
We are pleased to share this message from Executive Director Sarah Leah Whitson introducing DAWN's Annual Report for 2023.
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In its third year of operation, DAWN has emerged as the leading organization demanding urgent reforms to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and accountability for some of the region's worst abusers. We are so proud of the work we have accomplished this year and so grateful for the growing support for our organization, a result no doubt of our remarkable organizational output and impressive presence in global media, conferences, and convenings. As our newest Non-Resident Fellow, Josh Paul, recently noted, DAWN's work has earned the respect of the foreign policy community because of the "tremendous insights" we have brought "to the Washington policy debate and the immense impact" we have "had on U.S. policy formulation."
Through our research and advocacy, we have made important strides in reshaping the narrative about how people assess continued U.S. political and military support for some of the worst Middle East governments and a broadened understanding of the harms such support causes not only to the people of the region but to U.S. national interests and the integrity of our own democracy.
Download DAWN's 2023 Annual Report here (PDF)
Our demands for accountability have resulted in unprecedented sanctions against Israeli abusers and led to major Senate investigations about the Saudi government's infiltration into American institutions, disrupting a proposed acquisition of PGA Tours. Even U.S. support for Israel is no longer sacrosanct, as our relentless advocacy, particularly in light of the catastrophic war in Gaza, has resulted in new guidelines to restrict arms transfers to Israel and punish violent settlers and their abettors.
Our work is now focused not only on supporting human rights and democracy in the MENA region by ending our government's protection for abusive regimes but on protecting and preserving the integrity of our own democracy and the rule of law. We are campaigning to limit the nefarious foreign influence that has corrupted parts of our government and undermined decision- making in the national interest, and working to ensure the protection of civil society from pervasive extraterritorial repression targeting in particular Arab communities in our country. We remain committed to centering the voices of activists, academics, and civil society leaders from the region to share their unique understanding of the impacts of U.S. actions in the region in foreign policy deliberations through our expanding publication, Democracy in Exile.
In 2023, we also organized DAWN's first Integrity Awards at a gala dinner commemorating the fifth anniversary of the murder of our founder, Jamal Khashoggi. We were humbled by the support of our sponsors – including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Georgetown University, Emgage Foundation, the Arab Center, Libertas Foundation, the National Interest Foundation, Grossman & Young, the Center for Egyptian-American Dialogue, and the Council on American Islamic Relations – and all our guests –over 170 leading journalists, activists, and civil society leaders in Washington D.C., who joined us in a moving tribute to Khashoggi and in our inaugural awards to MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin and Egyptian journalist and activist Solafa Magdy.
We are excited to host our second inaugural dinner with honors befitting the legacy of our founder and his commitment to democracy and freedom for all of the people of the Middle East.
We hope you will join us at this event and thank you for your continued support of our work.
