Myths Of Arab Democracy

[truthpusher]

"Before Sept. 11, 2001, the crusade for Arab democracy was not a part of George Bush's mission or platform."

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/19/opinion/meyer/main1819526.shtml

Myths Of Arab Democracy

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2006
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(CBS) This commentary was written by CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer.
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These, then, are the myths to watch out for:

The Bush administration is a consistent, committed advocate for democracy in the Middle East.

Not the case, not by a mile. Before Sept. 11, 2001, the crusade for Arab democracy was not a part of George Bush's mission or platform. Indeed, as a candidate, Bush promised a "humble" foreign policy, a purposeful contrast to Clinton's supposed campaign of hubris in Somalia and Bosnia.

Bush's democracy platform was not built and displayed until well into the lead-up to the Iraq War, after other rationales for the invasion sputtered. The administration really didn't push the Arab democracy line very hard until after the invasion and the discovery that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This was not a triumph of ideas for the neoconservatives at The Weekly Standard magazine or their parents at Commentary who were tasked with intellectualizing the war. It was simply the only ideology left standing. Perhaps the White House came to truly and honestly believe in the Bush doctrine. I don't know.

I do know that the Bush doctrine does not apply to friendly and stable semi-totalitarian Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt. There is no serious pressure on these regional powers to move in a democratic direction; America has no new intolerance of repression in those countries. (To be clear, I am not advocating that we ought to push Egypt and Saudi Arabia since I am not convinced we should be proselytizing anywhere in the region.)

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more here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/19/opinion/meyer/main1819526.shtml