NYT: U.S. Slows Bid to Advance Democracy in Arab World

[DeepModem Mom]

U.S. Slows Bid to Advance Democracy in Arab World
By JOEL BRINKLEY
Published: December 5, 2004


WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 - When Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and other senior American officials arrive at a summit meeting in Morocco next week that is intended to promote democracy across the Arab world, they have no plans to introduce any political initiatives to encourage democratic change.

President Bush started speaking in 2002 about the need to bring democracy to the Arab nations. Since then, however, the popular view of the United States in the region has grown so dark, even hateful, that American officials are approaching the meeting with caution and with a package of financial and social initiatives that have only a scant relationship to the original goal of political change....

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A senior administration official involved in Middle East policy said that if the American program remained largely centered on business and financial initiatives, "that's not good enough." The United States needs "to hold people accountable," he added....

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The unspoken fact behind all of the discussions, said Leslie Campbell, director of the Middle East Program at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a government-financed group that promotes democracy worldwide, "is that we are trying to work with a bunch of people who are going to be kicked out of office" if democratic change moves forward. For now, he added, "it's easier to support free-trade agreements than political change."...


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/05/politics/05powell.html

[dethl]

1. It's not democracy

when you're shoving it down people's throats.

[juliagoolia]

2. It's not democracy

When millions are hiding in their homes in an attempt to stay alive.

[LynnTheDem]

3. "people need to hold the United States accountable"

There. Much better a statement.

[KlatooBNikto]

4. This is another example of the NYT accepting the literal words of the

official organs of the administration as the truth.They never ask themselves whether their poses are their real intentions.What if bringing democracy was never their intent? Wouldn't it be expected to yield this result?

[leftchick]

5. stenographers

It is indeed very sad, how low the NYTs has sunk.

[VivaKerry]

6. Yeah, since all those despots are on the warmongering USA's

hitlist, we will just go to the summit... pretend like we're the guys with the white hats... and well, you know, it's a lot easier. Those a-rabs know they all have targets on their backs; and the important thing is to get some photo ops with those a-rabs... looking 'as if' we aren't really gunning for their demise.

And a good number of those heathen a-rab despots live for 'today' and will happily get in the photo in exchange for $100 million or so, even IF we are going to take them out in the coming years.

Can you just HEAR the conversations at State about how to approach these things?

Crazy. The USA is run by a bunch of bat crazy nuts!

[justgamma]

7. What I find laughable is

the fact that Shrub thinks if they go democratic, that will be good. Do you think that they would elect anyone that has a favorable view of the US? No. Therefore Shrub can't allow them to have free will and valid elections.

[Karenina]

8. Please, someone show me

where ANY U.S. military (or other) action anywhere on the globe since WWII has resulted in "democracy."

[IMayBeWrongBut]

9. This is a very good point.

I can think of a few debateable ones South Korea, Hati, Bosnia, and Kosivo/Serbia. I agree though none of these are really shining examples of what you are looking for. In fact the more I think about it the less I want to even think about this. :P