Arab Change-Hoping
It’s different than the American variety. Reformist Al-Aafaq Website, via MEMRI:
“In contrast to the Arab governments, the Arab people look forward to an activist American policy committed to the goals of democracy and the realization of peace and justice for all.”
False Controversy
“The ongoing debate on Washington on whether it is possible to impose democracy on others is a false argument. It was not called for in the past, and will not be in the future, to force democracy on the Arab people or on any other people. The fact is, democracy cannot be imposed except where the desire and determination are present.
“The true debate must focus on the following: Should there be a true and long-term American commitment to work toward the transformation of the societies of the Middle East into democratic societies, or will it be sufficient merely to utilize the slogan of spreading democracy to decorate the face of American foreign policy?
“Will it be necessary for the American administration to exert true and productive pressure on the authoritarian governments, and at the same time stand firmly at the side of the reformists and defenders of democracy? Or will it merely suffice to issue statements of condemnation, as NGOs do?”
Criticisms of the Bush Administration
“Among the most important of the serious criticisms of the Bush administration is not that President Bush tried to impose democracy on the Arab states by force, but rather that he was satisfied with making speeches and promises in Washington, and did not undertake sufficient work on the ground in the Middle East.
“And while many of the Middle Eastern reformists and advocates of freedom believed, at time, in the truth of his speeches and promises, they faced a different reality in their own countries, while the United States tolerated or turned a blind eye to their persecutors and oppressors.
“Instead of fulfilling its promises, the Bush administration revived the old alliances with authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, making Middle Eastern reformers victims of these regimes once again.
“Opposition figures and reformists, such as Ayman Nour, Kamal Labwani, and Fathi Al-Jahmi, languish in the prisons of the authoritarian regimes in Egypt, Syria and Libya, as testimonies to American failure and inaction.”
The Lesson of 9/11
“Among the most important of the lessons learned from the terrorist attacks of September 2001 is that American foreign policy based on support of corrupt and authoritarian Arab governments did not protect the security of the United States or its interests in the Middle East. On the contrary; this policy struck severe blows against them.
“This policy fed and directly feeds the interests of extremists and hardline Islamists and empowers them, providing them with pretexts for their activities and actions, and making them appear to be heroes in the eyes of many ordinary Arab and Muslim citizens, who see them as standing up against their oppressive and unjust governments.
“On the other hand, it undermines the emergence of a moderate Arab and the true Islamic camp, not to speak of a reformist movement in the region. If the policy continues, it will result, in the not too distant future, in the United States having no one to engage in dialogue except extremists.
“The question is: Is Senator Obama, or Senator Clinton, or Senator McCain aware of this lesson? And does any one of them possess a clear vision and firm commitment to the goal of realizing democracy in the Middle East? Or do they intend to go back to square one, and adhere to the old policies whose failure — and also danger — has been proven?
“Whatever the answer to that may be, it is clear that it will determine the future of American policy in the Middle East.”
Topics: America, middle east, pols
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:23 am on Wednesday, March 19, 2008
2 Responses to “Arab Change-Hoping”
Leave a Reply
Trackback URLYou must be logged in to post a comment.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
No American president is going to be able to push for true democracy throughout the middle east without creating serious pushback. The Bush administration seems to realize this, and has been content to use its influence towards relatively slow, realistic reforms while also realizing that our long term influence in the region will hinge on the outcome in Iraq (and to a lesser extent, Afghanistan). Note that this is still a big change from the former “realist” policies that were such a long term disaster.
On the other hand, I can’t blame these people for saying “faster, please.” Not one bit. I wish we could do it.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
The American administrations are hamstrung by the opposition parties (of both flavors) who want to use extranational endeavors as a club with which to beat the party in power out of office. Witness Pelosi’s visit to Syria and her pow-wow with the leader who is funneling terrorists into Iraq to kill our troops.