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Home Front: WoT
Amir Taheri: Sowing seeds of democracy is Bush's victory in 'war on terror'
2004-11-18
The Arabs already call it "the democratic show", and don't quite know how to deal with it. Some hope it will just go away while others are suspending judgement until they see more. Still others hope to bury it under an avalanche of cynical jokes. We are, of course, talking about President George W. Bush's plan for the democratisation of the Middle East and North Africa. Bush first launched the idea in a speech in Washington in 2002. Last June he presented a more structured plan at the G-8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia. Next month the plan will be discussed at a joint meeting of G-8 foreign and finance ministers with their Arab counterparts at a conference in Rabat, the Moroccan capital.
This has been an interesting process. When it was first brought up, Bush — and usually Blair — were the only ones taking it seriously. It's been Bush's "stubborness" that hasn't let the idea evaporate...
Cowboy up, baby.
According to the meeting's agenda, the aim is to examine ways of "consolidating the commitment of Middle East and North Africa to fruitful co-development and the harmonious strengthening of the process of political, economic ad social reform." Ooops! This is, of course, diplomatic code language. What the president means is more straightforward: the Middle East and North Africa region is virtually the only part of the world still out of the mainstream of democratisation we have witnessed since the end of the Cold War.
I think of it as a stagnant swamp of backwardness...
Posted by:Fred

#3  Bush thinks those two facts are inter-connected and that democratisation should be regarded as an integral part of his "war on terror".

----

Now I know that's false statement. Every intelligent being just KNOWS W doesn't think.
Posted by: anonymous2u   2004-11-18 10:59:24 AM  

#2  "It would be a damned sight easier if we had a Europe united with us in this vision. Alas, the elites of Europe are no more committed to democracy than some of the mullahs and imams in Iran"

Blair is with us, and if we can show that we're serious about this, he can bring much of the Labour party along. Chirac is hostile, though Sarkozy might be a tad less hostile. The rest of Europe is up for grabs.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2004-11-18 9:45:32 AM  

#1  Again, it is the only part of the world where international terrorism still enjoys not only a popular base, but also quite a bit of sympathy and support from the ruling elites. Bush thinks those two facts are inter-connected and that democratisation should be regarded as an integral part of his "war on terror".
It's the only logical solution.

Actually, there is another "logical" solution, but it involves nukes.

Some of these countries do have internal mechanisms for reform and change mechanisms that could be strengthened through diplomatic, political, cultural and economic aid from the United States and its genuine allies.

*nods* good distinction.

Posted by: Ptah   2004-11-18 9:28:09 AM  

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