Bush is resisting the "New Middle East", the offspring of his own policies

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By Saad Eddin Ibrahim

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

[...]

Through much of 2005 it looked as if the Middle East might finally have its long-overdue spring of freedom. Lebanon forged a Cedar Revolution, triggered by the assassination of its popular former prime minister, Rafiq Hariri. Egypt held its first multi-candidate presidential election in 50 years. So did Palestine and Iraq, despite harsh conditions of occupation. Qatar and Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf continued their steady evolution into constitutional monarchies. Even Saudi Arabia held its first municipal elections.

But there was more. Hamas mobilized candidates and popular campaigns to win a plurality in Palestinian legislative elections and form a new government. Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt achieved similar electoral successes. And with these developments, a sudden chill fell over Washington and other Western capitals.

Instead of welcoming these particular elected officials into the newly emerging democratic fold, Washington began a cold war on Muslim democrats.

[...]

According to the preliminary results of a recent public opinion survey of 1,700 Egyptians by the Cairo-based Ibn Khaldun Center, Hezbollah's action garnered 75 percent approval, and Nasrallah led a list of 30 regional public figures ranked by perceived importance. He appears on 82 percent of responses, followed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (73 percent), Khaled Meshal of Hamas (60 percent), Osama bin Laden (52 percent) and Mohammed Mahdi Akef of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (45 percent).

The pattern here is clear, and it is Islamic.

[...]

None of the current heads of Arab states made the list of the 10 most popular public figures. While subject to future fluctuations, these Egyptian findings suggest the direction in which the region is moving. The Arab people do not respect the ruling regimes, perceiving them to be autocratic, corrupt and inept. They are, at best, ambivalent about the fanatical Islamists of the bin Laden variety. More mainstream Islamists with broad support, developed civic dispositions and services to provide are the most likely actors in building a new Middle East. In fact, they are already doing so through the Justice and Development Party in Turkey, the similarly named PJD in Morocco, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in Palestine and, yes, Hezbollah in Lebanon.

These groups, parties and movements are not inimical to democracy. They have accepted electoral systems and practiced electoral politics, probably too well for Washington's taste. Whether we like it or not, these are the facts. The rest of the Western world must come to grips with the new reality, even if the U.S. president and his secretary of state continue to reject the new offspring of their own policies.

The writer is an Egyptian democracy activist, professor of political sociology at the American University in Cairo, and chairman of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2200978_pf.html

[dalegg 143]

Bummer.

But the good news is that now it won't just be American and Israeli flags burning anymore. We should start seeing some German flags right there with them as the Germans just supplied Israel with 2 nuclear-capable subs.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Not entirely the result of Bush Jr's policies but...can't argue that he can't really fathom it.

The last "outsider" to fathom the Middle East was the Ottoman Empire (so UK couldn't fathom it from 1918 till WW2, France never could fathom anything, and US can't fathom it in replacement of UK's role).

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Not entirely the result of Bush Jr's policies but...can't argue that he can't really fathom it.

The last "outsider" to fathom the Middle East was the Ottoman Empire (so UK couldn't fathom it from 1918 till WW2, France never could fathom anything, and US can't fathom it in replacement of UK's role).

I have to ask, why do you think the last "outsider" to fathom that part of the world was the Ottomans?

[Risto 0]

Not entirely the result of Bush Jr's policies but...can't argue that he can't really fathom it.

The last "outsider" to fathom the Middle East was the Ottoman Empire (so UK couldn't fathom it from 1918 till WW2, France never could fathom anything, and US can't fathom it in replacement of UK's role).

I have to ask, why do you think the last "outsider" to fathom that part of the world was the Ottomans?

Who needs democracy in the middle east? Look what happen in the palestinian territories!

[mybackpages 0]

Who needs democracy in the middle east? Look what happen in the palestinian territories!

Look what happens when you have democracy in the USA!