Tyrants waiting in vain
The NYT's Hassan Fattah in "Arab Democracy, a U.S. Goal, Falters": Analysts and officials say the political rise of Islamists, the chaos in Iraq, the newfound Shiite power in Iraq with its implication for growing Iranian influence, and the sense among some rulers that they can wait out the end of the Bush administration have ...
The NYT's Hassan Fattah in "Arab Democracy, a U.S. Goal, Falters":
The NYT's Hassan Fattah in "Arab Democracy, a U.S. Goal, Falters":
Analysts and officials say the political rise of Islamists, the chaos in Iraq, the newfound Shiite power in Iraq with its implication for growing Iranian influence, and the sense among some rulers that they can wait out the end of the Bush administration have put the brakes on democratization.
"Falter" means to "stumble" or "to walk unsteadily." It'll take many years for Middle East democracy to develop and eventually flourish, and there will be setbacks along the way, to be sure. So the fact that there's some faltering shouldn't faze anyone.
What bothers me the most is when I read of repressive governments warming to the idea of "waiting out Bush." It's a silly notion. If I were an astute advisor to any of the governments mentioned in the story — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, etc — I would worry that the next U.S. president will be more effective at pushing for reform, not less. Other presidents will not have the baggage that Bush does. But they will have the same inclination toward reform even if they don't have the same willingness (or capability) to strike with military force.
Bush is a unique president, but 9/11 also changed U.S. foreign policy across the board. It instilled the idea that what happens within each repressive country matters to America. That won't change when Bush is gone, even if we don't have another nasty reminder in the form of a terrorist attack.
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