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"The
establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will
be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution,"
Bush said.
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CAIRO,
November 6 (IslamOnline.net) – In what he called a major rethinking
of the U.S. policy towards the Middle East, President George W. Bush
said Thursday, November 6, that the people of the region should have
responsible democratic leaders, announcing a new American
"forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East."
"Our
commitment to democracy is being tested in the Middle East, "
Bush told the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy.
With
a defiant tone and glaring eyes, Bush said the wave of democracy
barely reached the Arab countries, citing the latest Arab development
report which called for more freedoms to take roots in the region.
The
advance of freedom in the Middle East, which Bush said had witnessed
many dictatorships since the end of the colonial era, is "the
calling of our time and our country".
He
repudiated the U.S. policy of helping iron-handed regimes in the
Middle East, saying the 9-11 attacks showed the failure of efforts to
use such governments as bulwarks against extremism.
"Sixty
years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of
freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe, because in the
long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of
liberty," he admitted.
"As
long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not
flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation, resentment, and
violence ready for export," Bush argued.
"And
with the spread of weapons that can bring catastrophic harm to our
country and to our friends, it would be reckless to accept the status
quo," he said.
'Need
For Change'
The
American president said some governments in the Middle East and North
Africa were "beginning to see the need for change", citing
Morocco, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen.
The
lack of freedom in many Middle Eastern countries had terrible
consequences for the peoples of those countries, Bush said, blaming it
for poverty and women oppression.
He
argued that it would be reckless to accept the status quo, asserting
that the U.S. "has adopted a new policy, a forward strategy of
freedom in the Middle East."
"Iraqi
democracy will succeed, and that success will send forth the news,
from Damascus to Tehran, that freedom can be the future of every
nation," Bush said.
"The
establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a
watershed event in the global democratic revolution," he
contended.
The
American president charged that dictators in Syria had "left a
legacy of torture, oppression, misery and ruin", asking Iran to
enlarge the margin of popular participation.
In
an implicit reference to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Bush
criticized leaders in the region who still harbor socialism to justify
their control over their countries.
He
also took swipe at Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, although he
did not name him.
Palestinian
leaders who block reform, encourage violence and spread hatred are not
leaders at all, Bush said, echoing previous charges that Arafat was
instigating violence against Israeli occupation forces in the
Palestinian territories.
But
he made no mention of Israel or the conflict, only saying that
democracy will lead the world to peace.
Underlining
that "Islam is consistent with democratic rule", Bush
charged that it was abused to secure total control for political ends.
He
asserted that to say Islam and democracy were incompatible was
"cultural condescension", praising Muslims as good citizens.
Egypt
To Take Lead
Bush
singled out Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two key Washington’s allies, for
his request, warning that political stagnation, resentment and
violence have become the mantra of the region.
He
was keen to call on Cairo to lead the Middle East to democracy,
stressing that governments need to confront real problems.
As
it had shown the region the path to peace, Egypt should show it the
road to democracy, as democracies protect freedom rather than
selecting from the law and punishing opponents, he said.
U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell had earlier said he hoped Egypt would
spend some of the American economic aid on the purposes detailed in
the new initiative to boost democracy and civil society organizations.
The
statements came few days before the arrival in Cairo of U.S. Deputy
Secretary of State Richard Armitage, the man responsible for the
Middle East initiative for launching reforms in the region.
Powell
announced
in December last year a 29-million-dollar initiative to foster
"democracy" in the Middle East.
The
plan, entitled the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative, "will
provide funding and a framework for the U.S. to work together with
governments and people in the Arab world to expand economic, education
and political opportunity," said the State Department.
Repeated
Calls
Observers
said Bush's statements are not new, but this time they are carried
more harshly – may be against the backdrop of the occupation of Iraq
and the growing threats to Iran and Syria.
"They
are sending out the same message that the U.S. is leading the
world," said Hossam El-Sayyed, an Egyptian analyst, citing Bush's
boastful words that his country had helped create conditions for
democracy to flourish.
El-Sayyed
noted that the speech – announced by Washington just one day before
- put all U.S. calls for reforms "in an official form, and for
first time categorized the Middle East countries according to their
own behavior."
Others
described the speech as a response to accusations that Washington's
interest in the region are oil and support of Israel, while showing
indifference to the aspirations of Arab people for liberty.
But
Bush's confidence that democracy in Iraq will culminate in success
raised suspicions, with spiraling resistance attacks against American
forces and mounting anti-American sentiments among Iraqis.
But
others said Arab countries are already taking Washington's calls for
reform more seriously.
Egypt
recently announced the launch of a national dialogue between the
ruling National Democratic Party and opposition parties and the
abolishment of military rulings as well as the nullification of
emergency state security courts.
